The unfolded protein response and its potential role in Huntington's disease elucidated by a systems biology approach.

Huntington ´s disease (HD) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease with a fatal outcome. Although the disease-causing gene (huntingtin) has been known for over 20 years, the exact mechanisms leading to neuronal cell death are still controversial. One potential mechanism contributing to the massive loss of neurons observed in the brain of HD patients could be the unfolded protein response (UPR) activated by accumulation of misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). As an adaptive response to counter-balance accumulation of un- or misfolded proteins, the UPR upregulates transcription of chaperones, temporarily attenuates new translation, and activates protein degradation via the proteasome. However, persistent ER stress and an activated UPR can also cause apoptotic cell death. Although different studies have indicated a role for the UPR in HD, the evidence remains inconclusive. Here, we present extensive bioinformatic analyses that revealed UPR activation in different experimental HD models based on transcriptomic data. Accordingly, we have identified 53 genes, including RAB5A, HMGB1, CTNNB1, DNM1, TUBB, TSG101, EEF2, DYNC1H1, SLC12A5, ATG5, AKT1, CASP7 and SYVN1 that provide a potential link between UPR and HD. To further elucidate the potential role of UPR as a disease-relevant process, we examined its connection to apoptosis based on molecular interaction data, and identified a set of 40 genes including ADD1, HSP90B1, IKBKB, IKBKG, RPS3A and LMNB1, which seem to be at the crossroads between these two important cellular processes. Remarkably, we also found strong correlation of UPR gene expression with the length of the polyglutamine tract of Huntingtin, which is a critical determinant of age of disease onset in human HD patients pointing to the UPR as a promising target for therapeutic intervention. The study is complemented by a newly developed web-portal called UPR-HD (http://uprhd.sysbiolab.eu) that enables visualization and interactive analysis of UPR-associated gene expression across various HD models

ChIP-seq Experiment and Data Analysis in the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for all living organisms. In cyanobacteria, a group of oxygenic photosynthetic bacteria, nitrogen homeostasis is maintained by an intricate regulatory network around the transcription factor NtcA. Although mechanisms controlling NtcA activity appear to be well understood, the sets of genes under its control (i.e., its regulon) remain poorly defined. In this protocol, we describe the procedure for chromatin immunoprecipitation using NtcA antibodies, followed by DNA sequencing analysis (ChIP-seq) during early acclimation to nitrogen starvation in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 (hereafter Synechocystis). This protocol can be extended to analyze any DNA-binding protein in cyanobacteria for which suitable antibodies exist

Identification of the direct regulon of NtcA during early acclimation to nitrogen starvation in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

In cyanobacteria, nitrogen homeostasis is maintained by an intricate regulatory network around transcription factor NtcA. Although mechanisms controlling NtcA activity appear to be well understood, its regulon remains poorly defined. To determine the NtcA regulon during the early stages of nitrogen starvation for the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation, followed by sequencing (ChIP-seq), in parallel with transcriptome analysis (RNA-seq). Through combining these methods, we determined 51 genes activated and 28 repressed directly by NtcA. In addition to genes associated with nitrogen and carbon metabolism, a considerable number of genes without current functional annotation were among direct targets providing a rich reservoir for further studies. The NtcA regulon also included eight non-coding RNAs, of which Ncr1071, Syr6 and NsiR7 were experimentally validated, and their putative targets were computationally predicted. Surprisingly, we found substantial NtcA binding associated with delayed expression changes indicating that NtcA can reside in a poised state controlled by other factors. Indeed, a role of PipX as modulating factor in nitrogen regulation was confirmed for selected NtcA-targets. We suggest that the indicated poised state of NtcA enables a more differentiated response to nitrogen limitation and can be advantageous in native habitats of Synechocystis.Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO) [BFU2013-41712, BIO2016-75634]; Junta de Andalucia-European Regional Funds (FEDER) [BIO-284, P12-BIO-1119]; FCT (Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia) [PTDC/BIA-MIC/4418/2012, IF/00881/2013, UID/BIM/04773/2013-CBMR, UID/Multi/04326/2013-CCMAR]; School of Biomedical & Healthcare Sciences, Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistryinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

eggNOG 6.0: enabling comparative genomics across 12 535 organisms

The eggNOG (evolutionary gene genealogy Non-supervised Orthologous Groups) database is a bioinformatics resource providing orthology data and comprehensive functional information for organisms from all domains of life. Here, we present a major update of the database and website (version 6.0), which increases the number of covered organisms to 12 535 reference species, expands functional annotations, and implements new functionality. In total, eggNOG 6.0 provides a hierarchy of over 17M orthologous groups (OGs) computed at 1601 taxonomic levels, spanning 10 756 bacterial, 457 archaeal and 1322 eukaryotic organisms. OGs have been thoroughly annotated using recent knowledge from functional databases, including KEGG, Gene Ontology, UniProtKB, BiGG, CAZy, CARD, PFAM and SMART. eggNOG also offers phylogenetic trees for all OGs, maximising utility and versatility for end users while allowing researchers to investigate the evolutionary history of speciation and duplication events as well as the phylogenetic distribution of functional terms within each OG. Furthermore, the eggNOG 6.0 website contains new functionality to mine orthology and functional data with ease, including the possibility of generating phylogenetic profiles for multiple OGs across species or identifying single-copy OGs at custom taxonomic levels. eggNOG 6.0 is available at http://eggnog6.embl.de

Functional and evolutionary significance of unknown genes from uncultivated taxa

Most microbes on our planet remain uncultured and poorly studied. Recent efforts to catalog their genetic diversity have revealed that a significant fraction of the observed microbial genes are functional and evolutionary untraceable, lacking homologs in reference databases. Despite their potential biological value, these apparently unrelated orphan genes from uncultivated taxa have been routinely discarded in metagenomics surveys. Here, we analyzed a global multi-habitat dataset covering 151,697 medium and high-quality metagenome assembled genomes (MAGs), 5,969 single-amplified genomes (SAGs), and 19,642 reference genomes, and identified 413,335 highly curated novel protein families under strong purifying selection out of previously considered orphan genes. These new protein families, representing a three-fold increase over the total number of prokaryotic orthologous groups described to date, spread out across the prokaryote phylogeny, can span multiple habitats, and are notably overrepresented in recently discovered taxa. By genomic context analysis, we pinpointed thousands of unknown protein families to phylogenetically conserved operons linked to energy production, xenobiotic metabolism and microbial resistance. Most remarkably, we found 980 previously neglected protein families that can accurately distinguish entire uncultivated phyla, classes, and orders, likely representing synapomorphic traits that fostered their divergence. The systematic curation and evolutionary analysis of the unique genetic repertoire of uncultivated taxa opens new avenues for understanding the biology and ecological roles of poorly explored lineages at a global scale

eggNOG 6.0: enabling comparative genomics across 12 535 organisms

6 Pág.The eggNOG (evolutionary gene genealogy Non-supervised Orthologous Groups) database is a bioinformatics resource providing orthology data and comprehensive functional information for organisms from all domains of life. Here, we present a major update of the database and website (version 6.0), which increases the number of covered organisms to 12 535 reference species, expands functional annotations, and implements new functionality. In total, eggNOG 6.0 provides a hierarchy of over 17M orthologous groups (OGs) computed at 1601 taxonomic levels, spanning 10 756 bacterial, 457 archaeal and 1322 eukaryotic organisms. OGs have been thoroughly annotated using recent knowledge from functional databases, including KEGG, Gene Ontology, UniProtKB, BiGG, CAZy, CARD, PFAM and SMART. eggNOG also offers phylogenetic trees for all OGs, maximising utility and versatility for end users while allowing researchers to investigate the evolutionary history of speciation and duplication events as well as the phylogenetic distribution of functional terms within each OG. Furthermore, the eggNOG 6.0 website contains new functionality to mine orthology and functional data with ease, including the possibility of generating phylogenetic profiles for multiple OGs across species or identifying single-copy OGs at custom taxonomic levels. eggNOG 6.0 is available at http://eggnog6.embl.de.National Programme for Fostering Excellence in Scientific and Technical Research [PGC2018-098073-A-I00 MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE to J.H.-C., J.G.-L.]; Chan Zuckerberg Initiative DAF [2020-218584]; Silicon Valley Community Foundation (to J.B. and J.H.C.); Severo Ochoa Centres of Excellence Programme from the State Research Agency (AEI) of Spain [SEV-2016–0672 (2017–2021) to C.P.C.]; Research Technical Support Staff Aid [PTA2019-017593-I/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 to A.H.P.]; Novo Nordisk Foundation [NNF14CC0001 to R.K., L.J.J.]; SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (to D.S. and C.vM.). Funding for open access charge: Institutional CSIC and EMBL agreements.Peer reviewe

Conserved Residues in Ycf54 are required for Protochlorophyllide Formation in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.

Chlorophylls are modified tetrapyrrole molecules, essential for photosynthesis. These pigments possess an isocyclic E ring formed by the Mg-protoporphyrin IX monomethylester cyclase (MgPME-cyclase). We assessed the in vivo effects of altering seven highly conserved residues within Ycf54, which is required for MgPME-cyclase activity in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis Synechocystis strains harbouring the Ycf54 alterations D39A, F40A and R82A were blocked to varying degrees at the MgPME-cyclase step, whereas the A9G mutation reduced Ycf54 levels by ~75%. WT levels of the cyclase subunit CycI are present in strains with D39A and F40A, but these strains have reduced cellular chlorophyll and photosystem accumulation. CycI is reduced by ~50% in A9G and R82A, but A9G has no perturbations in chlorophyll or photosystem accumulation, whilst R82A contains very little chlorophyll and few photosystems. When FLAG-tagged and used as bait in pulldown experiments the three mutants D39A, F40A and R82A were unable to interact with the MgPME-cyclase component CycI, whereas A9G pulled down a similar level of CycI as WT Ycf54. These observations suggest a stable interaction between CycI and Ycf54 is required for unimpeded Pchlide biosynthesis.  Crystal structures of the WT, A9G and R82A Ycf54 proteins were solved and analysed to investigate the structural effects of these mutations. A loss of the local hydrogen bonding network and a reversal in the surface charge surrounding residue R82 is likely responsible for the functional differences observed in the R82A mutation. We conclude the Ycf54 protein must form a stable interaction with CycI to promote optimal Pchlide biosynthesis