3'-端尿苷酸化引发RNA降解的机制

RNA末端的转录后修饰对其稳定性影响较大.最近研究发现,3'-末端无需模板的添加尿苷酸(尿苷酸化),可能是真核生物RNA的一种普遍存在的转录后修饰方式.借此形成的1个RNA降解的分子标记,引发多种RNA降解,如小RNA或其前体、mRNA或mRNA被RNA诱导沉默复合体内切后的上游片段及其组蛋白mRNA等.某些情况下,尿苷酸化的RNA被1种新发现的外切核酸酶Dis3L2特异降解,推测Dis3L2可能代表了真核生物RNA 3'→5'方向独立于外切体之外的一种新的降解途径.此外,尿苷酸化在RNA代谢中可能具有重要的功能,如果发生异常会导致多种人类疾病,如癌症和Perlman综合征等.本文综述了尿苷酸化引发RNA降解的几种方式,有助于进一步了解RNA降解的机制及其生物学意义.     

微小RNAs的3'端尿苷化和腺苷化

miRNA是转录后基因表达调节的重要分子,但目前对它们自身的调节机制还知之甚少.最近的研究发现,在很多生物中,miRNA的3'末端都可以无需模板的添加尿苷酸(尿苷化)或腺苷酸(腺苷化),这种修饰可以发生在miRNA的前体上,也可以发生在成熟的miRNA上,其作用不仅可以影响miRNA的生物合成,稳定性,靶向靶标mRNAs的效率,而且还可以作为损伤miRNA的质量控制机制,及其形成mRNAs的异构体,以提高miRNA的作用范围或更精细的发挥基因表达调节作用.越来越多的研究揭示:这种修饰具有miRNA、组织、生物发育阶段和疾病状况等特异性,而且还涉及很多人类的发病机制,如癌症.本文综述了miRNA的3'末端尿苷化或腺苷化的研究进展,并对这种机制的应用前景进行了展望.     

锥虫RNA的编辑——尿苷的插入和删除

在锥虫线粒体中存在着一种特殊RNA的编辑系统,尿苷的插入和删除。RNA的编辑需要线粒体DNA和核基因组的共同参与,这一过程是一个新颖的酶促组联反应过程,通过核糖核蛋白（RNP）的组装和去组装完成多个编辑位点的编辑或多个RNA分子的编辑。     

尿苷酸化：一种重要的细胞内RNA监控方式

RNA尿苷酸化作为一种高效的转录后基因调控方式,几乎存在于所有的真核生物中。末端尿苷酸转移酶(terminal uridylyltransferase, TUTase)负责催化生物体内snRNA、miRNA、mRNA和其他ncRNA的单尿苷酸化(monouridylation)和寡尿苷酸化(oligouridylation)。研究表明,对非编码RNA中间产物的单尿苷酸化可以改变其最终产物和生成速度,而寡尿苷酸化常用于时空特异性降解特定RNA、清除质量异常的RNA和病毒RNA。尿苷酸化通过这两种方式调控RNA的生成和降解,进而影响生物的生殖和早期发育、细胞凋亡、肿瘤发生以及病毒感染等多个重要的生物过程。本文对尿苷酸化的现有研究成果进行综述,介绍了RNA 3′末端检测技术,重点阐述了尿苷酸化调控基因表达的分子机制和其在RNA监控以及多种生物过程中的关键性作用,最后讨论了待解决的科学问题和未来研究的重要方向,旨在为抗病毒和抗肿瘤的临床治疗提供新思路。     

铁皮石斛尿苷二磷酸葡萄糖焦磷酸化酶基因的克隆与分析

目的:研究尿苷二磷酸葡萄糖焦磷酸化酶(UGPase)在铁皮石斛不同组织中的表达情况,探讨其与石斛多糖累积的关系。方法:根据铁皮石斛原球茎转录组数据中的DoUGPase1序列设计引物,并利用RACE技术克隆该基因;用生信分析软件预测其蛋白结构,并进行系统发育分析;利用实时荧光定量PCR(q RT-PCR)技术研究该基因在铁皮石斛不同年份,不同组织中的表达。结果:通过RACE技术得到1个3054 bp基因,命名为DoUGPase1,其ORF长1530 bp,编码510个氨基酸残基,与油棕(Elaeis guineensis)和波斯枣(Phoenix dactylifera)有一定的同源性,且DoUGPase1在3年生的植株中相对表达量整体较高(P0.05)。结论:我们预测在铁皮石斛的生长发育过程中DoUGPase1基因与多糖累积的活跃程度成正比例。     

RNA干扰与基因敲除

RNAi是指通过双链RNA介导特异性降解靶mRNA,导致转录后水平基因沉默的现象。其作用途径有RdRP依赖的RNAi的途径与非RdRP依赖的RNAi途径2种。利用RNAi的基因敲除技术在dsRNA序列选择、质粒或病毒为载体的dsRNA体内合成、发夹样siRNA的转录、dsRNA的导入方法等方面取得了很大进展,在研究人类或其他生物基因组中未知基因及蛋白质的功能等领域具有诱人的应用前景。     

RNA干扰分子的制作

小干扰RNA是一种能够在各种生物体和细胞(包括蠕虫、果蝇、植物、哺乳动物)中减弱基因表达的有效工具。在哺乳动物中转染的siRNA能够抑制特殊基因的表达,这已经证明是探索基因功能、基因敲除、抗病毒研究、基因治疗的有效方法。简单、有效、特异性地抑制基因的表达具有巨大的科学、商业和医学治疗价值。如何设计和制作siRNA是影响RNA干扰效率的一个很重要的方面。本文就siRNA的设计和制作等方面作扼要的介绍。     

尿苷二磷酸葡萄糖醛酸基转移酶基因多态性的研究进展

尿苷二磷酸葡萄糖醛酸基转移酶(UDP-glucuronosyltransferase,UGT)是生物体内进行第Ⅱ相生物转化时最重要的一种酶。UGT广泛分布于人体的肝、肾和肠等不同组织,代谢大量的外源性毒性物质和内源性物质。研究发现,UGT1A基因多态性是个体间葡萄糖醛酸化活性差异的重要原因之一。本文就UGT1A基因多态性的研究现状予以综述。     

RNA干扰的研究进展

RNA干扰是指外源双链RNA进入细胞后引起与其同源的mRNA特异性降解的现象,它是真核生物在长期进化中形成的一种保守的防御机制,对真核生物有着重要的意义,它参与真核生物抵御病毒侵染、阻断转座子的异常活动,调控基因表达。RNA干扰已成为一种进行基因功能分析的强有力的工具,并有望成为最有潜力的基因干预治疗方法。     

Organization of spliceosomal U6 snRNA genes in the mouse genome

U6 RNA is an abundant small nuclear RNA (snRNA) required for splicing of pre-mRNAs. In mammalian cells, the genes for U1 to U4 snRNAs consist of multigene families ranging from 10 to 100 copies of real genes per haploid genome, and are transcribed by RNA polymerase II. In contrast, results obtained in this study indicate that U6 RNA, which is transcribed by RNA polymerase II and III, may be coded for in mouse cells by only two genes. These two U6 genes are at least 9 kb apart from each other, and the flanking sequences are highly conserved, indicating that the organization of U6 genes is similar to that observed for other mammalian U-snRNA genes.This investigation was supported by Grant GM 38320, awarded by the Department of Health and Human Services, United States Public Health Service.     

外泌体在小RNA基因治疗中的研究进展

小RNA,包括小干扰RNA以及微小RNA,已成为多种疾病的潜在治疗药物。目前,小RNA的运输载体主要是病毒或者合成试剂。然而这类载体往往毒性高且特异性低。外泌体是由内源细胞分泌出来的天然纳米材料,本身能够穿越生物膜并在细胞间传递小RNA。以外泌体为基础的小RNA递送作为一种新的转运方式,能够克服低效率,低特异性以及免疫反应等缺陷,有望成为新型载体。本文简要论述了以外泌体为载体的小RNA递送系统在临床治疗研究中的前沿进展。     

Prospect of circular RNA in osteogenesis: A novel orchestrator of signaling pathways

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) were initially regarded as by-products of aberrant splicing. But now, there are substantial evidence on their various roles in the regulation of genes during the development of organs and diseases. Consistent with these breakthroughs, it is experiencing rapid growth that circRNAs function as the important checkpoints during the osteogenesis. Therefore, characterizing the roles of circRNAs is useful and critical to better understanding the process of osteogenic differentiation, which could provide new avenues for the diagnosis and treatment of bone diseases, such as bone defects and osteoporosis. In this review, we presented a map of the interaction between circRNAs and the molecules of signaling pathways associated with osteogenesis, summarized the current knowledge of the biological functions of circRNAs during the osteogenic differentiation, figured out the limits of existing research works, and provided a novel look on the diagnostic and therapeutic methods of bone diseases based on circRNAs.     

Multiple types of mRNA-cytoskeleton interactions

Nearly all actively translated mRNAs are associated with the cytoskeleton in HeLa cells and the nature of this association is poorly understood. To gain insight into this association, we have examined and compared the cytoskeleton-mRNA interactions of a signal peptide-histone fusion mRNA (membrane-bound polysomal mRNA) to those of endogenous histone mRNA (nonmembrane-bound polysomal mRNA). We report here the detection of a cytoskeleton attachment site within the signal peptide-histone fusion mRNP/mRNA nucleotide sequence that is not present in wild-type histone mRNA or in HLA-B7 and chorionic gonadotropin-α membrane-bound polysomal mRNAs. These results support the possibility that there are multiple mechanisms for the attachment of specific classes of mRNAs to the cytoskeleton.     

RNA structure and RNA-protein interactions in purified yeast U6 snRNPs

The U6 small nuclear RNA (snRNA) undergoes major conformational changes during the assembly of the spliceosome and catalysis of splicing. It associates with the specific protein Prp24p, and a set of seven LSm2p-8p proteins, to form the U6 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP). These proteins have been proposed to act as RNA chaperones that stimulate pairing of U6 with U4 snRNA to form the intermolecular stem I and stem II of the U4/U6 duplex, whose formation is essential for spliceosomal function. However, the mechanism whereby Prp24p and the LSm complex facilitate U4/U6 base-pairing, as well as the exact binding site(s) of Prp24p in the native U6 snRNP, are not well understood. Here, we have investigated the secondary structure of the U6 snRNA in purified U6 snRNPs and compared it with its naked form. Using RNA structure-probing techniques, we demonstrate that within the U6 snRNP a large internal region of the U6 snRNA is unpaired and protected from chemical modification by bound Prp24p. Several of these U6 nucleotides are available for base-pairing interaction, as only their sugar backbone is contacted by Prp24p. Thus, Prp24p can present them to the U4 snRNA and facilitate formation of U4/U6 stem I. We show that the 3' stem-loop is not bound strongly by U6 proteins in native particles. However, when compared to the 3' stem-loop in the naked U6 snRNA, it has a more open conformation, which would facilitate formation of stem II with the U4 snRNA. Our data suggest that the combined association of Prp24p and the LSm complex confers upon U6 nucleotides a conformation favourable for U4/U6 base-pairing. Interestingly, we find that the open structure of the yeast U6 snRNA in native snRNPs can also be adopted by human U6 and U6atac snRNAs.     

Structure and functional implications of a complex containing a segment of U6 RNA bound by a domain of Prp24

U6 RNA plays a critical role in pre-mRNA splicing. Assembly of U6 into the spliceosome requires a significant structural rearrangement and base-pairing with U4 RNA. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, this process requires the essential splicing factor Prp24. We present the characterization and structure of a complex containing one of Prp24''s four RNA recognition motif (RRM) domains, RRM2, and a fragment of U6 RNA. NMR methods were used to identify the preferred U6 binding sequence of RRM2 (5′-GAGA-3′), measure the affinity of the interaction, and solve the structure of RRM2 bound to the hexaribonucleotide AGAGAU. Interdomain contacts observed between RRM2 and RRM3 in a crystal structure of the free protein are not detectable in solution. A structural model of RRM1 and RRM2 bound to a longer segment of U6 RNA is presented, and a partial mechanism for Prp24''s annealing activity is proposed.