Identification of phylogenetically conserved sequence motifs in microRNA 5' flanking sites from C. elegans and C. briggsae

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding RNA molecules that act as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression. Studies concerning transcriptional regulation of miRNAs have so far concentrated on those located within the intergenic region of the genome and the search for putative promoters, thus leaving open the question of the existence of possible regulatory elements common to all miRNAs including those located in introns of protein coding genes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In this study, we initially searched for motifs occurring in the area 1000 bp upstream from all miRNAs independent of their genomic location. We discovered a previously unknown sequence motif GANNNNGA that displayed a conserved distribution in the nematode worms <it>Caenorhabditis elegans </it>and <it>Caenorhabditis briggsae</it>. This motif had a peak occurrence at 500 bp upstream, with a sharp drop-off toward the miRNA start site. Further analysis indicated that this motif was locally restricted and not enriched 1000–5000 bp upstream or 0–2000 bp downstream of the miRNA start site. In addition, this motif was observed to be most abundant in the upstream sequences of two important miRNAs, <it>mir-1 </it>and <it>mir-124</it>. This abundance was also conserved in phylogenetically distant species including human and mouse.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results show that the motif GANNNNGA is conserved close to miRNA precursor start sites, suggesting that it may be involved in miRNA sequence recognition or regulation. This data provides important knowledge for the identification and computational prediction of miRNA sequences.</p

Application of a Naïve Bayes Classifier to Assign Polyadenylation Sites from 3\u27 End Deep Sequencing Data: A Dissertation

Cleavage and polyadenylation of a precursor mRNA is important for transcription termination, mRNA stability, and regulation of gene expression. This process is directed by a multitude of protein factors and cis elements in the pre-mRNA sequence surrounding the cleavage and polyadenylation site. Importantly, the location of the cleavage and polyadenylation site helps define the 3’ untranslated region of a transcript, which is important for regulation by microRNAs and RNA binding proteins. Additionally, these sites have generally been poorly annotated. To identify 3’ ends, many techniques utilize an oligo-dT primer to construct deep sequencing libraries. However, this approach can lead to identification of artifactual polyadenylation sites due to internal priming in homopolymeric stretches of adenines. Previously, simple heuristic filters relying on the number of adenines in the genomic sequence downstream of a putative polyadenylation site have been used to remove these sites of internal priming. However, these simple filters may not remove all sites of internal priming and may also exclude true polyadenylation sites. Therefore, I developed a naïve Bayes classifier to identify putative sites from oligo-dT primed 3’ end deep sequencing as true or false/internally primed. Notably, this algorithm uses a combination of sequence elements to distinguish between true and false sites. Finally, the resulting algorithm is highly accurate in multiple model systems and facilitates identification of novel polyadenylation sites

Identification of novel post-transcriptional features in olfactory receptor family mRNAs.

Olfactory receptor (Olfr) genes comprise the largest gene family in mice. Despite their importance in olfaction, how most Olfr mRNAs are regulated remains unexplored. Using RNA-seq analysis coupled with analysis of pre-existing databases, we found that Olfr mRNAs have several atypical features suggesting that post-transcriptional regulation impacts their expression. First, Olfr mRNAs, as a group, have dramatically higher average AU-content and lower predicted secondary structure than do control mRNAs. Second, Olfr mRNAs have a higher density of AU-rich elements (AREs) in their 3'UTR and upstream open reading frames (uORFs) in their 5 UTR than do control mRNAs. Third, Olfr mRNAs have shorter 3' UTR regions and with fewer predicted miRNA-binding sites. All of these novel properties correlated with higher Olfr expression. We also identified striking differences in the post-transcriptional features of the mRNAs from the two major classes of Olfr genes, a finding consistent with their independent evolutionary origin. Together, our results suggest that the Olfr gene family has encountered unusual selective forces in neural cells that have driven them to acquire unique post-transcriptional regulatory features. In support of this possibility, we found that while Olfr mRNAs are degraded by a deadenylation-dependent mechanism, they are largely protected from this decay in neural lineage cells

A Novel Putative miRNA Target Enhancer Signal

It is known that miRNA target sites are very short and the effect of miRNA-target site interaction alone appears as being unspecific. Recent experiments suggest further context signals involved in miRNA target site recognition and regulation. Here, we present a novel GC-rich RNA motif downstream of experimentally supported miRNA target sites in human mRNAs with no similarity to previously reported functional motifs. We demonstrate that the novel motif can be found in at least one third of all transcripts regulated by miRNAs. Furthermore, we show that motif occurrence and the frequency of miRNA target sites as well as the stability of their duplex structures correlate. The finding, that the novel motif is significantly associated with miRNA target sites, suggests a functional role of the motif in miRNA target site biology. Beyond, the novel motif has the impact to improve prediction of miRNA target sites significantly

Most \u3cem\u3eCaenorhabditis elegans\u3c/em\u3e MicroRNAs are Individually Not Essential for Development or Viability

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a large class of short noncoding RNAs found in many plants and animals, often act to post-transcriptionally inhibit gene expression. We report the generation of deletion mutations in 87 miRNA genes in Caenorhabditis elegans, expanding the number of mutated miRNA genes to 95, or 83% of known C. elegans miRNAs. We find that the majority of miRNAs are not essential for the viability or development of C. elegans, and mutations in most miRNA genes do not result in grossly abnormal phenotypes. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that there is significant functional redundancy among miRNAs or among gene pathways regulated by miRNAs. This study represents the first comprehensive genetic analysis of miRNA function in any organism and provides a unique, permanent resource for the systematic study of miRNAs

Dissecting microregulation of a master regulatory network

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The master regulator p53 tumor-suppressor protein through coordination of several downstream target genes and upstream transcription factors controls many pathways important for tumor suppression. While it has been reported that some of the p53's functions are microRNA-mediated, it is not known as to how many other microRNAs might contribute to the p53-mediated tumorigenesis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here, we use bioinformatics-based integrative approach to identify and prioritize putative p53-regulated miRNAs, and unravel the miRNA-based microregulation of the p53 master regulatory network. Specifically, we identify putative microRNA regulators of a) transcription factors that are upstream or downstream to p53 and b) p53 interactants. The putative <it>p53-miRs </it>and their targets are prioritized using current knowledge of cancer biology and literature-reported cancer-miRNAs.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our predicted p53-miRNA-gene networks strongly suggest that coordinated transcriptional and <it>p53-miR </it>mediated networks could be integral to tumorigenesis and the underlying processes and pathways.</p

Computational methods for analyzing small RNAs and their interaction partners with large-scale techniques

This thesis describes the computational tools and analyzes developed to characterize small regulatory RNAs and their interaction partners using large-scale techniques. Following an introduction into the emerging world of small regulatory RNAs, our methodology for analyzing small RNAs from deep-sequencing data is described (chapter 2). This methodology allows the classification of small RNAs obtained by sequencing and provides several downstream analysis tools such as expression profiling and miRNA sample comparison. It has been integrated with a miRNA target prediction method into a web server which allows one to explore tissue-specific miRNA targeting (chapter 3). In the fourth chapter, an experimental procedure for genome-wide identification of miRNA targets is outlined. With this procedure, we identified the mRNAs, that are targeted by the most abundant miRNAs in HEK293 cells. Importantly, the experimental protocol enabled us to identify the exact location of the miRNA-mRNA interaction site within the mRNA as well as the precise position of the mRNA-protein crosslink. The fifth and sixth chapter describe our studies of murine embryonic stem cells and oocytes that are devoid of Dicer. The murine specific miR-290 cluster has been identified as an important regulator in embryonic stem cells. The loss of pluripotency in Dicer-/- embryonic stem cells has been linked to primary and secondary targets of the miR-290 cluster. In contrast, our analysis of Dicer-/- oocytes revealed that the miRNA pathway plays only a minor part during oocyte maturation, and loss of Dicer affects mainly the endo-siRNA pathway. Finally, we reanalyzed piRNA sequence reads from various species (chapter 6). This analysis revealed an unexpected 19 nt long processing product which is generated during piRNA biogenesis

Human Cytomegalovirus Reprograms the Expression of Host Micro-RNAs whose Target Networks are Required for Viral Replication: A Dissertation

The parasitic nature of viruses requires that they adapt to their host environment in order to persist. Herpesviruses are among the largest and most genetically complex human viruses and they have evolved mechanisms that manipulate a variety of cellular pathways and processes required to replicate and persist within their hosts. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a member of the β- herpesvirus sub-family, has the capacity to influence the expression of many host genes in an effort to create an optimal environment for infection. One mechanism utilized by HCMV to alter gene expression is the host RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. This is evidenced by a requirement of host factors to process viral micro-RNAs (miRNAs) and by the dynamic expression of host miRNAs during infection. The work presented in this dissertation demonstrates that productive HCMV infection reprograms host miRNA expression in order to positively influence infection. I was able to identify a cohort of infection-associated host miRNAs whose change in expression during infection was highly significant. Using the enhancer-promoter sequences of this panel of host miRNAs, I statistically enriched for the presence of functional transcription factor binding sites that regulated the expression of two highly conserved clusters of host miRNAs: miR132/212 and miR143/145. Given that inhibiting their infection-associated change in expression during infection was detrimental to viral replication, it suggests that HCMV mechanistically influences the expression of these miRNA clusters. In order to determine the functional relevance of these miRNAs, I assembled a cohort of potential miRNA target genes using gene expression profiles from primary fibroblasts. By statistically enriching for miRNA recognition elements (MRE) in the respective 3’-UTR sequences, I generated a miRNA target network that includes thousands of host genes. I evaluated the efficacy of our novel miRNA target prediction algorithm by confirming the functionality of enriched MREs present in the 3’-UTR of KRas and by confirming anecdotal miRNA targets from published studies. Gene ontology terms enriched from infection-associated host miRNA target networks suggest that the utility of host miRNAs may extend to multiple host pathways that are required for viral replication. The targeting of multiple miRNAs to shared genes increased the statistical likelihood of target site enrichment. I propose that identifying cooperative miRNA networks is essential to establishing the functional relevance of miRNAs in any context. By combining contextual data on the relative miRNA/mRNA abundance with statistical MRE enrichments, one will be able to more accurately characterize the biological role of miRNAs

Delineating the \u3cem\u3eC. elegans\u3c/em\u3e MicroRNA Regulatory Network: A Dissertation

Metazoan genomes contain thousands of protein-coding and non-coding RNA genes, most of which are differentially expressed, i.e., at different locations, at different times during development, or in response to environmental signals. Differential gene expression is achieved through complex regulatory networks that are controlled in part by two types of trans-regulators: transcription factors (TFs) and microRNAs (miRNAs). TFs bind to cis-regulatory DNA elements that are often located in or near their target genes, while microRNAs hybridize to cis-regulatory RNA elements mostly located in the 3’ untranslated region (3’UTR) of their target mRNAs. My work in the Walhout lab has centered on understanding how these trans-regulators interact with each other in the context of gene regulatory networks to coordinate gene expression at the genome-scale level. Our model organism is the free-living nematode Caenorahbditis elegans, which possess approximately 950 predicted TFs and more than 100 miRNAs Whereas much attention has focused on finding the protein-coding target genes of both miRNAs and TFs, the transcriptional networks that regulate miRNA expression remain largely unexplored. To this end, we have embarked in the task of mapping the first genome-scale miRNA regulatory network. This network contains experimentally mapped transcriptional TF=\u3emiRNA interactions, as well as computationally predicted post-transcriptional miRNA=\u3eTF interactions. The work presented here, along with data reported by other groups, have revealed the existence of reciprocal regulation between these two types of regulators, as well as extensive coordination in the regulation of shared target genes. Our studies have also identified common mechanisms by which miRNAs and TFs function to control gene expression and have suggested an inherent difference in the network properties of both types of regulators. Reverse genetic approaches have been extensively used to delineate the biological function of protein-coding genes. For instance, genome-wide RNAi screens have revealed critical roles for TFs in C. elegans development and physiology. However, reverse genetic approaches have not been very insightful in the case of non-coding genes: A single null mutation does not result in an easily detectable phenotype for most C. elegans miRNA genes. To help delineate the biological function of miRNAs we sought to determine when and where they are expressed. Specifically, we generated a collection of transgenic C. elegans strains, each containing a miRNA promoter::gfp (Pmir::gfp) fusion construct. The particular pattern of expression of each miRNA gene should help to identify potential genetic interactors that exhibit similar expression patterns, and to design experiments to test the phenotypes of miRNA mutants

Characterization of miRNAs in Response to Short-Term Waterlogging in Three Inbred Lines of Zea mays

Waterlogging of plants leads to low oxygen levels (hypoxia) in the roots and causes a metabolic switch from aerobic respiration to anaerobic fermentation that results in rapid changes in gene transcription and protein synthesis. Our research seeks to characterize the microRNA-mediated gene regulatory networks associated with short-term waterlogging. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate many genes involved in growth, development and various biotic and abiotic stress responses. To characterize the involvement of miRNAs and their targets in response to short-term hypoxia conditions, a quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR) assay was used to quantify the expression of the 24 candidate mature miRNA signatures (22 known and 2 novel mature miRNAs, representing 66 miRNA loci) and their 92 predicted targets in three inbred Zea mays lines (waterlogging tolerant Hz32, mid-tolerant B73, and sensitive Mo17). Based on our studies, miR159, miR164, miR167, miR393, miR408 and miR528, which are mainly involved in root development and stress responses, were found to be key regulators in the post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms under short-term waterlogging conditions in three inbred lines. Further, computational approaches were used to predict the stress and development related cis-regulatory elements on the promoters of these miRNAs; and a probable miRNA-mediated gene regulatory network in response to short-term waterlogging stress was constructed. The differential expression patterns of miRNAs and their targets in these three inbred lines suggest that the miRNAs are active participants in the signal transduction at the early stage of hypoxia conditions via a gene regulatory network; and crosstalk occurs between different biochemical pathways