Divergent Transcription: A Driving Force for New Gene Origination?

The mammalian genome is extensively transcribed, a large fraction of which is divergent transcription from promoters and enhancers that is tightly coupled with active gene transcription. Here, we propose that divergent transcription may shape the evolution of the genome by new gene origination.United States. Public Health Service (RO1-GM34277)United States. Public Health Service (R01-CA133404)National Cancer Institute (U.S.) (P30-CA14051

Global microRNA depletion suppresses tumor angiogenesis

MicroRNAs delicately regulate the balance of angiogenesis. Here we show that depletion of all microRNAs suppresses tumor angiogenesis. We generated microRNA-deficient tumors by knocking out Dicer1. These tumors are highly hypoxic but poorly vascularized, suggestive of deficient angiogenesis signaling. Expression profiling revealed that angiogenesis genes were significantly down-regulated as a result of the microRNA deficiency. Factor inhibiting hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1), FIH1, is derepressed under these conditions and suppresses HIF transcription. Knocking out FIH1 using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome engineering reversed the phenotypes of microRNA-deficient cells in HIF transcriptional activity, VEGF production, tumor hypoxia, and tumor angiogenesis. Using multiplexed CRISPR/Cas9, we deleted regions in FIH1 3′ untranslated regions (UTRs) that contain microRNA-binding sites, which derepresses FIH1 protein and represses hypoxia response. These data suggest that microRNAs promote tumor responses to hypoxia and angiogenesis by repressing FIH1.Swedish Research CouncilHoward Hughes Medical Institute (International Student Research Fellowship)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (grant number R01-CA133404)MIT-Harvard Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence (grant no. U54-CA151884)David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT (Marie D. and Pierre Casimir-Lambert Fund)National Cancer Institute (U.S.) (Koch Institute Support (core) Grant P30-CA14051))National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (grant EB016101-01A1)Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation (Research Fellow (DRG-2117-12)

Cell-Type-Specific Alternative Splicing Governs Cell Fate in the Developing Cerebral Cortex

Alternative splicing is prevalent in the mammalian brain. To interrogate the functional role of alternative splicing in neural development, we analyzed purified neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and neurons from developing cerebral cortices, revealing hundreds of differentially spliced exons that preferentially alter key protein domains—especially in cytoskeletal proteins—and can harbor disease-causing mutations. We show that Ptbp1 and Rbfox proteins antagonistically govern the NPC-to-neuron transition by regulating neuron-specific exons. Whereas Ptbp1 maintains apical progenitors partly through suppressing a poison exon of Flna in NPCs, Rbfox proteins promote neuronal differentiation by switching Ninein from a centrosomal splice form in NPCs to a non-centrosomal isoform in neurons. We further uncover an intronic human mutation within a PTBP1-binding site that disrupts normal skipping of the FLNA poison exon in NPCs and causes a brain-specific malformation. Our study indicates that dynamic control of alternative splicing governs cell fate in cerebral cortical development. Keywords: filamin A; Ninein; Ptbp1; Rbfox; microcephaly; periventricular nodular heterotopia; mother centrioleNational Cancer Institute (U.S.) (Grant P01-CA42063

The mechanism and function of pervasive noncoding transcription in the mammalian genome

Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Computational and Systems Biology Program, 2014.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical referencesThe vast majority of the mammalian genome does not encode proteins. Only 2% of the genome is exonic, yet recent deep survey of human transcripitome suggested that 75% of the genome is transcribed, including half of the intergenic regions. Such pervasive transcription typically leads to short-lived, low-copy number noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs). We are starting to understand the biogenesis and mechanisms regulating the noncoding transcription. However, it is still unclear what's the functional impact of pervasive transcription and the ncRNAs at the level of the'genome, the cell, and the organism. A large fraction of ncRNAs in cells is generated by divergent transcription that occurs at the majority of mammalian gene promoters. RNA polymerases transcribe divergently on opposite strands, producing precursor mRNAs (pre-mRNAs) on one side and promoter upstream antisense RNAs (uaRNAs) on the other side. Like typical products of pervasive transcription, uaRNAs are relatively short and unstable as compared to pre-mRNAs, suggesting there are mechanisms suppressing uaRNA transcription and enforcing promoter directionality. We describe the Ul-PAS axis, a mechanism that enhances gene transcription but suppresses noncoding transcription. Two RNA processing signals, the Ul signal, or 5' splice site sequences recognized by Ul snRNP during splicing, and polyadenylation signal (PAS), differentially mark the two sides of gene transcription start site (TSS), ensuring the generation of full-length mRNA but inducing early termination of uaRNAs. The Ul-PAS axis also suppresses pervasive transcription on the antisense strand of genes, as well as intergenic transcription. Transcription is a mutagenic process that could accelerate evolution. We uncover a link between pervasive transcription and genome evolution. Specifically, transcription-induced mutational bias in germ cells could strengthen the Ul-PAS axis, which in turn enhances transcription, thus forming a positive feedback loop, which eventually drives new gene origination, and facilitates genome rearrangements. Tools to directly interfere with transcription with specificity are necessary to understand the function of noncoding transcription, especially when the RNA product is rapidly degraded or nonfunctional. The newly emerged CRISPR-Cas9 system provides the opportunity to target any desired locus. We comprehensively characterize the binding specificity of Cas9 in the mouse genome. We find that Cas9 specificity varies dramatically but in a predictable manner, depending on the seed sequence and chromatin accessibility. Our results will facilitate Cas9 target design and enable genome manipulation with high precision.by Xuebing Wu.Ph. D