植物微小RNA（microRNA）研究进展

真核细胞中存在大量的非编码RNA,～22nt的小RNA是其中一类非常重要的调控RNA,主要包括siRNA和miRNA两种类型,二者均由类似RNaseⅢ的核酸内切酶一Dicer加工产生,随后进入沉默复合体抑制靶基因表达。miRNA分子与siRNA类似,但miRNA的前体在基因组上具有独立的转录单位,可自身折叠成发卡结构,其靶基因主要是与器官发生及生长发育相关的转录因子以及调控蛋白。miRNA在生物生长发育的各个时期都扮演着重要的角色,调控许多重要的生物途径,处于基因调控网络的核心位置。     

小分子microRNA及其生物学特征

MicroRNA(miRNA)是机体内源性表达的一类长20～24nt的非编码RNA调控因子,在动植物细胞中导致转录后基因沉默。近来发现miRNA家族成员众多,广泛地存在于各种真核细胞中,对诸如生长、发育、分化、死亡等生物过程进行调控。文章就其发现、形成及功能加以综述。     

Identification of virus-encoded microRNAs

RNA silencing processes are guided by small RNAs that are derived from double-stranded RNA. To probe for function of RNA silencing during infection of human cells by a DNA virus, we recorded the small RNA profile of cells infected by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). We show that EBV expresses several microRNA (miRNA) genes. Given that miRNAs function in RNA silencing pathways either by targeting messenger RNAs for degradation or by repressing translation, we identified viral regulators of host and/or viral gene expression.     

Widespread translational inhibition by plant miRNAs and siRNAs

High complementarity between plant microRNAs (miRNAs) and their messenger RNA targets is thought to cause silencing, prevalently by endonucleolytic cleavage. We have isolated Arabidopsis mutants defective in miRNA action. Their analysis provides evidence that plant miRNA-guided silencing has a widespread translational inhibitory component that is genetically separable from endonucleolytic cleavage. We further show that the same is true of silencing mediated by small interfering RNA (siRNA) populations. Translational repression is effected in part by the ARGONAUTE proteins AGO1 and AGO10. It also requires the activity of the microtubule-severing enzyme katanin, implicating cytoskeleton dynamics in miRNA action, as recently suggested from animal studies. Also as in animals, the decapping component VARICOSE (VCS)/Ge-1 is required for translational repression by miRNAs, which suggests that the underlying mechanisms in the two kingdoms are related.     

miRNAs在植物色泽调控中的研究进展

色泽是影响植物外观品质及其商品价值的重要因素,目前关于植物色泽的研究主要集中于生理生化及转录水平上,而在转录后水平上报道较少。microRNA(miRNA)是一类在真核生物中广泛存在的非编码单链RNA分子,它可以通过对靶标mRNA的互补配对而降解或抑制m RNA的翻译,从而在转录后水平上对基因的表达进行负调控。简述了miRNA的作用机理,并对近几年miRNA在植物色泽调控中的研究进展进行了综述,以期为植物色泽在转录后水平上的调控奠定基础。     

miRNA-mediated gene silencing by translational repression followed by mRNA deadenylation and decay

microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression through translational repression and/or messenger RNA (mRNA) deadenylation and decay. Because translation, deadenylation, and decay are closely linked processes, it is important to establish their ordering and thus to define the molecular mechanism of silencing. We have investigated the kinetics of these events in miRNA-mediated gene silencing by using a Drosophila S2 cell-based controllable expression system and show that mRNAs with both natural and engineered 3' untranslated regions with miRNA target sites are first subject to translational inhibition, followed by effects on deadenylation and decay. We next used a natural translational elongation stall to show that miRNA-mediated silencing inhibits translation at an early step, potentially translation initiation.     

拟南芥miRNA及其靶序列配对特征分析

microRNAs(miRNAs)是真核生物中一类长度约为22 nt的非编码小分子RNA,miRNA与AGO等蛋白形成RISC沉默复合体,通过剪切或翻译抑制对靶基因起负调控作用。对拟南芥miRNA序列及其配对的靶序列间的特征进行了统计分析,结果表明miRNA序列5′端富含A、U,第1、第19碱基位对U、C具有较强的倾向性;miRNA与靶序列间常有1~4个碱基错配,错配碱基常出现在第1,第2和第21位,而第3~第6,第9~第10,第16~第17碱基配对较为保守,为人工合成miRNA的设计及miRNA靶基因的预测以提供了依据。     

飞蝗Argonaute1的分子特性及生物学功能

【目的】MicroRNAs(miRNAs)是一类长度约22 nt的非编码RNA,通过转录后调控的方式在多种生命活动中发挥重要功能。Argonaute1(AGO1)蛋白作为miRNA沉默复合物(miRNA silencing complex RISC)的重要组成部分,在miRNA调控通路中起着关键作用。论文旨在研究AGO1的生物学功能及其对飞蝗(Locusta moratoria)生长发育的影响,为探索昆虫miRNA的生物合成和农业害虫的有效控制提供理论依据。【方法】采用生物信息学方法在飞蝗转录组数据库中获得Lm AGO1 c DNA序列;使用在线蛋白翻译软件(Ex PASy)对Lm AGO1进行蛋白翻译,利用SMART分析Lm AGO1蛋白的功能结构域;选取家蚕(Bombyx mori)、果蝇(Drosophila melanogaster)和赤拟谷盗(Tribolium castaneum)等模式昆虫的同源序列与Lm AGO1氨基酸序列进行聚类分析,采用Phyml软件构建昆虫AGO蛋白的系统发育树;为了进一步研究Lm AGO1在飞蝗生长发育过程中的作用,使用T7 RiboMAX~(TM) Express RNAi System体外合成Lm AGO1的ds RNA,在飞蝗4龄第2天和5龄第2天若虫期连续两次注射ds RNA进行干扰,同时注射ds GFP作为对照。分别收集注射ds RNA后48 h和72 h的整虫样品提取RNA,反转录为c DNA。通过实时荧光定量PCR(RT-q PCR)检测Lm AGO1在不同时间点的干扰效率并观察虫体的发育表型。同时,为了检测Lm AGO1沉默是否会影响miRNA的生物合成,采用RT-q PCR对飞蝗体内5个高丰度miRNA表达进行定量分析。【结果】Lm AGO1蛋白含845个氨基酸,具有典型的AGO蛋白家族保守结构域,即位于213—348位点的PAZ结构域和502—804位点的PIWI结构域。聚类分析表明,Lm AGO1蛋白与其他昆虫的AGO1蛋白聚为一类。通过AGO1氨基酸序列同源比对结果显示Lm AGO1与模式昆虫果蝇、家蚕AGO1的氨基酸序列一致度高达82.2%和86.9%。RNAi结果表明,虫体注射ds Lm AGO1 48 h和72 h后,与对照组相比,Lm AGO1表达量均显著降低,干扰效率分别为88.1%和93.0%;进一步观察试虫生长发育的表型特征,与对照组相比,飞蝗4龄期注射dsL m AGO1后其生长发育并没有出现明显异常,待蜕皮发育至下一龄期(即5龄期)时,出现大量死亡,死亡率为89.3%;荧光定量PCR结果显示注射ds Lm AGO148 h后,飞蝗体内miRNA-252和miRNA-8的表达显著下降,干扰72 h后miRNA-7、let 7、miRNA-252、miRNA-8的表达均显著下降。【结论】飞蝗AGO1除参与RSIC的形成以外,还可能参与miRNA的剪切加工过程进而调控飞蝗的正常发育。     

Heterochromatin and epigenetic control of gene expression

Eukaryotic DNA is organized into structurally distinct domains that regulate gene expression and chromosome behavior. Epigenetically heritable domains of heterochromatin control the structure and expression of large chromosome domains and are required for proper chromosome segregation. Recent studies have identified many of the enzymes and structural proteins that work together to assemble heterochromatin. The assembly process appears to occur in a stepwise manner involving sequential rounds of histone modification by silencing complexes that spread along the chromatin fiber by self-oligomerization, as well as by association with specifically modified histone amino-terminal tails. Finally, an unexpected role for noncoding RNAs and RNA interference in the formation of epigenetic chromatin domains has been uncovered.     

RNAi-independent heterochromatin nucleation by the stress-activated ATF/CREB family proteins

At the silent mating-type interval of fission yeast, the RNA interference (RNAi) machinery cooperates with cenH, a DNA element homologous to centromeric repeats, to initiate heterochromatin formation. However, in RNAi mutants, heterochromatin assembly can still occur at low efficiency. Here, we report that Atf1 and Pcr1, two ATF/CREB family proteins, act in a parallel mechanism to the RNAi pathway for heterochromatin nucleation. Deletion of atf1 or pcr1 alone has little effect on silencing at the mating-type region, but when combined with RNAi mutants, double mutants fail to nucleate heterochromatin assembly. Moreover, deletion of atf1 or pcr1 in combination with cenH deletion causes loss of silencing and heterochromatin formation. Furthermore, Atf1 and Pcr1 bind to the mating-type region and target histone H3 lysine-9 methylation and the Swi6 protein essential for heterochromatin assembly. These analyses link ATF/CREB family proteins, involved in cellular response to environmental stresses, to nucleation of constitutive heterochromatin.     

MicroRNA expression in zebrafish embryonic development

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs, about 21 nucleotides in length, that can regulate gene expression by base-pairing to partially complementary mRNAs. Regulation by miRNAs can play essential roles in embryonic development. We determined the temporal and spatial expression patterns of 115 conserved vertebrate miRNAs in zebrafish embryos by microarrays and by in situ hybridizations, using locked-nucleic acid-modified oligonucleotide probes. Most miRNAs were expressed in a highly tissue-specific manner during segmentation and later stages, but not early in development, which suggests that their role is not in tissue fate establishment but in differentiation or maintenance of tissue identity.