Visualizing the location and dynamics of RNAs in live cells is key to understanding their function. Here, we identify two endonuclease-deficient, single-component programmable RNA-guided and RNA-targeting Cas13 RNases (dCas13s) that allow robust realtime imaging and tracking of RNAs in live cells, even when using single 20- to 27-nt-long guide RNAs. Compared to the aptamer-based MS2-MCP strategy, an optimized dCas13 system is user friendly, does not require genetic manipulation, and achieves comparable RNA-labeling efficiency. We demonstrate that the dCas13 system is capable of labeling NEAT1, SatIII, MUC4, and GCN4 RNAs and allows the study of paraspeckle-associated NEAT1 dynamics. Applying orthogonal dCas13 proteins or combining dCas13 and MS2-MCP allows dual-color imaging of RNAs in single cells. Further combination of dCas13 and dCas9 systems allows simultaneous visualization of genomic DNA and RNA transcripts in living cells
David Feldman,1,2,10 Avtar Singh,1,10 Jonathan L. Schmid-Burgk,1 Rebecca J. Carlson,1,3 Anja Mezger,1,4, Anthony J. Garrity,1 Feng Zhang,1,5,6,7,8 and Paul C. Blainey1,5,9,11,*
Cell. 2019 Oct 17;179(3):787-799.e17. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.09.016.
Olga Gulyaeva
Time
12:00pm
Genetic screens are critical for the systematic identification of genes underlying cellular phenotypes. Pooling gene perturbations greatly improves scalability but is not compatible with imaging of complex and dynamic cellular phenotypes. Here, we introduce a pooled approach for optical genetic screens in mammalian cells. We use targeted in situ sequencing to demultiplex a library of genetic perturbations following image-based phenotyping. We screened a set of 952 genes across millions of cells for involvement in nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signaling by imaging the translocation of RelA (p65) to the nucleus. Screening at a single time point across 3 cell lines recovered 15 known pathway components, while repeating the screen with live-cell imaging revealed a role for Mediator complex subunits in regulating the duration of p65 nuclear retention. These results establish a highly multiplexed approach to image-based screens of spatially and temporally defined phenotypes with pooled libraries.
Paper 3: Alaaddin Bulak Arpat, Angélica Liechti, Mara De Matos, René Dreos, Peggy Janich, David Gatfield.
bioRxiv preprint first posted online Jul. 22, 2019; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/710491. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not peer-reviewed) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license. bioRxiv preprint first posted online Aug. 28, 2019; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1101/746875. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not peer-reviewed)
In protein synthesis, ribosome movement is not always smooth and is rather often impeded for numerous reasons. Although the deceleration of the ribosome defines the fates of the mRNAs and synthesizing proteins, fundamental issues remain to be addressed, including where ribosomes pause in mRNAs, what kind of RNA/amino acid sequence causes this pause, and the physiological significance of this slowdown of protein synthesis. Here, we surveyed the positions of ribosome collisions caused by ribosome pausing in humans and zebrafish on a genome-wide level using modified ribosome profiling. The collided ribosomes, i.e., disomes, emerged at various sites: the proline-proline-lysine motif, stop codons, and the 3′ untranslated region (UTR). The number of ribosomes involved in a collision is not limited to two, but rather four to five ribosomes can form a queue of ribosomes. In particular, XBP1, a key modulator of the unfolded protein response, shows striking queues of collided ribosomes and thus acts as a substrate for ribosome-associated quality control (RQC) to avoid the accumulation of undesired proteins in the absence of stress. Our results provide an insight into the causes and consequences of ribosome slowdown by dissecting the specific architecture of ribosomes.
ABSTRACT 2
The regulation of translation elongation plays a vital role in protein folding; an adequate translational pause provides time and cellular environments for the co-translational folding of nascent peptides. However, the genomic landscape, sequence determinants, and molecular consequences of translational pausing remain mostly unknown. In this study, we performed disome-seq that sequenced mRNA fragments protected by two consecutive ribosomes – a product of severe translational pauses during which the upstream ribosome collides into the paused one. We detected severe translational pauses on ∼75% of yeast genes. These pauses were often explained by one of the three mechanisms: 1) slow ribosome releasing at stop codons, 2) slow peptide formation from proline, glycine, asparagine, and cysteine, and 3) slow leaving of polylysine from the exit tunnel of ribosomes. Notably, these amino acids also terminate the α-helical conformation. Such dual roles of amino acids establish an inborn coupling between the synthetic completion of a structural motif and a translational pause. Furthermore, paused ribosomes often recruit chaperones to assist protein folding. As a consequence, emergent protein structures during evolution should be ready to be correctly folded. Collectively, our study shows widespread translational pauses and sheds lights on a better understanding of the regulation of co-translational protein folding.
Abstract 3
Translation initiation is considered overall rate-limiting for protein biosynthesis, whereas the impact of non-uniform ribosomal elongation rates is largely unknown. Using a modified ribosome profiling protocol based on footprints from two closely packed ribosomes (disomes), we have mapped ribosomal collisions transcriptome-wide in mouse liver. We uncover that the stacking of an elongating onto a paused ribosome occurs frequently and scales with translation rate, trapping ∼10% of translating ribosomes in the disome state. A distinct class of pause sites, independent of translation rate, is indicative of deterministic pausing signals. Pause sites are associated with specific amino acids, peptide motifs, and with structural features of the nascent polypeptide, suggestive of programmed pausing as a widespread mechanism associated with protein folding. Evolutionary conservation at disome sites and experiments indicate functional relevance of translational pausing. Collectively, our disome profiling approach allows novel, unexpected insights into gene regulation occurring at the step of translation elongation.
Dong MB, Wang G, Chow RD, Ye L, Zhu L2, Dai X, Park JJ, Kim HR2, Errami Y, Guzman CD, Zhou X, Chen KY, Renauer PA6, Du Y2, Shen J5, Lam SZ5, Zhou JJ5, Lannin DR7, Herbst RS8, Chen S9.
Cell. 2019 Aug 22;178(5):1189-1204.e23. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.07.044.
Neil Tay
Time
12:00pm
CD8Tcells play essential roles in anti-tumor immune responses. Here, we performed genome-scaleCRISPRscreens in CD8Tcells directly under cancer immunotherapy settings and identified regulators of tumor infiltration and degranulation. The in vivo screen robustly re-identified canonical immunotherapy targets such as PD-1 and Tim-3, along with genes that have not been characterized in Tcells. The infiltration and degranulation screens converged on an RNA helicase Dhx37. Dhx37 knockout enhanced the efficacy of antigen-specific CD8Tcells against triple-negative breast cancer in vivo. Immunological characterization in mouse and human CD8Tcells revealed that DHX37 suppresses effector functions, cytokine production, and T cell activation. Transcriptomic profiling and biochemical interrogation revealed a role for DHX37 in modulating NF-κB. These data demonstrate high-throughput in vivo genetic screens for immunotherapytargetdiscovery and establishes DHX37 as a functional regulator of CD8Tcells.
Nature. 2019 Feb 6. doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-0915-y. [Epub ahead of print]
Bin Zhang
Time
12:00pm
A better understanding of the features that define the interaction between cancer cells and immune cells is important for the development of new cancer therapies1. However, focus is often given to interactions that occur within the primary tumour and its microenvironment, whereas the role of immune cells during cancer dissemination in patients remains largely uncharacterized2,3. Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) are precursors of metastasis in several types of cancer4-6, and are occasionally found within the bloodstream in association with non-malignant cells such as white blood cells (WBCs)7,8. The identity and function of these CTC-associated WBCs, as well as the molecular features that define the interaction between WBCs and CTCs, are unknown. Here we isolate and characterize individual CTC-associated WBCs, as well as corresponding cancer cells within each CTC-WBC cluster, from patients with breast cancer and from mouse models. We use single-cellRNA sequencing to show that in the majority of these cases, CTCs were associated with neutrophils. When comparing the transcriptome profiles of CTCs associated with neutrophils against those of CTCs alone, we detect a number of differentially expressed genes that outline cell cycle progression, leading to more efficient metastasis formation. Further, we identify cell-cell junction and cytokine-receptor pairs that define CTC-neutrophil clusters, representing key vulnerabilities of the metastatic process. Thus, the association between neutrophils and CTCs drives cell cycle progression within the bloodstream and expands the metastatic potential of CTCs, providing a rationale for targeting this interaction in treatment of breast cancer.
CRISPR pools are being widely employed to identify gene functions. However, current technology, which utilizes DNA as barcodes, permits limited phenotyping and bulk-cell resolution. To enable novel screening capabilities, we developed a barcoding system operating at the protein level. We synthesized modules encoding triplet combinations of linear epitopes to generate >100 unique protein barcodes (Pro-Codes). Pro-Code-expressing vectors were introduced into cells and analyzed by CyTOF mass cytometry. Using just 14 antibodies, we detected 364 Pro-Code populations; establishing the largest set of protein-based reporters. By pairing each Pro-Code with a different CRISPR, we simultaneously analyzed multiple phenotypic markers, including phospho-signaling, on dozens of knockouts. Pro-Code/CRISPRscreens found two interferon-stimulated genes, the immunoproteasome component Psmb8 and a chaperone Rtp4, are important for antigen-dependent immune editing of cancer cells and identified Socs1 as a negative regulator of Pd-l1. The Pro-Code technology enables simultaneous high-dimensional protein-level phenotyping of 100s of genes with single-cell resolution.
Zimmermann M, Murina O, Reijns MAM, Agathanggelou A, Challis R, Tarnauskaitė Ž, Muir M, Fluteau A, Aregger M, McEwan A, Yuan W, Clarke M, Lambros MB, Paneesha S, Moss P, Chandrashekhar M, Angers S, Moffat J, Brunton VG, Hart T, de Bono J, Stankovic T, Jackson AP, Durocher D.
The observation that BRCA1- and BRCA2-deficient cells are sensitive to inhibitors of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) has spurred the development of cancer therapies that use these inhibitors to target deficiencies in homologous recombination1. The cytotoxicity of PARP inhibitors depends on PARP trapping, the formation of non-covalent protein-DNA adducts composed of inhibited PARP1 bound to DNA lesions of unclear origins1-4. To address the nature of such lesions and the cellular consequences of PARP trapping, we undertook three CRISPR (clustered regularly interspersed palindromic repeats) screens to identify genes and pathways that mediate cellular resistance to olaparib, a clinically approved PARP inhibitor1. Here we present a high-confidence set of 73 genes, which when mutated cause increased sensitivity to PARP inhibitors. In addition to an expected enrichment for genes related to homologous recombination, we discovered that mutations in all three genes encoding ribonuclease H2 sensitized cells to PARP inhibition. We establish that the underlying cause of the PARP-inhibitor hypersensitivity of cells deficient in ribonuclease H2 is impaired ribonucleotide excision repair5. Embedded ribonucleotides, which are abundant in the genome of cells deficient in ribonucleotide excision repair, are substrates for cleavage by topoisomerase 1, resulting in PARP-trapping lesions that impede DNA replication and endanger genome integrity. We conclude that genomic ribonucleotidesare a hitherto unappreciated source of PARP-trapping DNA lesions, and that the frequent deletion of RNASEH2B in metastatic prostate cancer and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia could provide an opportunity to exploit these findings therapeutically.
There are no comments
Please login to post comments