Human Alu RNA is a modular transacting repressor of mRNA transcription during heat shock.

Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) have recently been discovered to regulate mRNA transcription in trans, a role traditionally reserved for proteins. The breadth of ncRNAs as transacting transcriptional regulators and the diversity of signals to which they respond are only now becoming recognized. Here we show that human Alu RNA, transcribed from short interspersed elements (SINEs), is a transacting transcriptional repressor during the cellular heat shock response. Alu RNA blocks transcription by binding RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and entering complexes at promoters in vitro and in human cells. Transcriptional repression by Alu RNA involves two loosely structured domains that are modular, a property reminiscent of classical protein transcriptional regulators. Two other SINE RNAs, human scAlu RNA and mouse B1 RNA, also bind Pol II but do not repress transcription in vitro. These studies provide an explanation for why mouse cells harbor two major classes of SINEs, whereas human cells contain only one.

InvAluable junk: the cellular impact and function of Alu and B2 RNAs.

The short interspersed elements (SINEs) Alu and B2 are retrotransposons that litter the human and mouse genomes, respectively. Given their abundance, the manner in which these elements impact the host genome and what their biological functions might be is of significant interest. Finding that Alu and B2 SINEs are transcribed, both as distinct RNA polymerase III transcripts and as part of RNA polymerase II transcripts, and that these SINE encoded RNAs indeed have biological functions has refuted the historical notion that SINEs are merely "junk DNA." This article reviews currently known cellular functions of both RNA polymerase II and RNA polymerase III transcribed Alu and B2 RNAs. These RNAs, in different forms, control gene expression by participating in processes as diverse as mRNA transcriptional control, A-to-I editing, nuclear retention, and alternative splicing. Future studies will likely reveal additional contributions of Alu and B2 RNAs as regulators of gene expression.

Characterization of the sequence and architectural constraints of the regulatory and core regions of the human interleukin-2 promoter.

The cytokine interleukin-2 (IL-2) is produced by T cells when they recognize a foreign antigen. Transcription of the IL-2 gene is tightly controlled by the combined actions of multiple transcriptional activators. However, the contribution of sequences in the IL-2 core promoter and the architecture of the IL-2 regulatory region to setting levels of IL-2 transcription are not understood. We have probed these properties of the human IL-2 promoter to understand how the regulatory and core promoter regions cooperate in response to T cell stimulation, thereby setting high levels of inducible transcription. We found that the IL-2 core promoter contains a TATA box that is critical for inducible expression. Moreover, the spacing and orientation between the IL-2 regulatory and core promoter regions is important for setting the level of transcription. The regulatory region of the IL-2 promoter is capable of mediating high levels of expression even when the helical phasing between transcription factor binding sites is perturbed. Although long considered an enhancer, our studies indicate that the regulatory region in the IL-2 promoter is better considered as a proximal regulatory element, since it lacks multiple properties associated with enhancer elements.

Detecting Gene Rearrangements in Patient Populations Through a 2-Step Diagnostic Test Comprised of Rapid IHC Enrichment Followed by Sensitive Next-Generation Sequencing.

Targeted therapy combined with companion diagnostics has led to the advancement of next-generation sequencing (NGS) for detection of molecular alterations. However, using a diagnostic test to identify patient populations with low prevalence molecular alterations, such as gene rearrangements, poses efficiency, and cost challenges. To address this, we have developed a 2-step diagnostic test to identify NTRK1, NTRK2, NTRK3, ROS1, and ALK rearrangements in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded clinical specimens. This test is comprised of immunohistochemistry screening using a pan-receptor tyrosine kinase cocktail of antibodies to identify samples expressing TrkA (encoded by NTRK1), TrkB (encoded by NTRK2), TrkC (encoded by NTRK3), ROS1, and ALK followed by an RNA-based anchored multiplex polymerase chain reaction NGS assay. We demonstrate that the NGS assay is accurate and reproducible in identification of gene rearrangements. Furthermore, implementation of an RNA quality control metric to assess the presence of amplifiable nucleic acid input material enables a measure of confidence when an NGS result is negative for gene rearrangements. Finally, we demonstrate that performing a pan-receptor tyrosine kinase immunohistochemistry staining enriches detection of the patient population for gene rearrangements from 4% to 9% and has a 100% negative predictive value. Together, this 2-step assay is an efficient method for detection of gene rearrangements in both clinical testing and studies of archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded specimens.

Selection and characterization of a DNA aptamer that can discriminate between cJun/cJun and cJun/cFos.

The AP-1 family of transcriptional activators plays pivotal roles in regulating a wide range of biological processes from the immune response to tumorigenesis. Determining the roles of specific AP-1 dimers in cells, however, has remained challenging because common molecular biology techniques are unable to distinguish between the role of, for example, cJun/cJun homodimers versus cJun/cFos heterodimers. Here we used SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment) to identify and characterize DNA aptamers that are >100-fold more specific for binding cJun/cJun compared to cJun/cFos, setting the foundation to investigate the biological functions of different AP-1 dimer compositions.

NFATc2 recruits cJun homodimers to an NFAT site to synergistically activate interleukin-2 transcription.

Transcription of interleukin-2 (IL-2), a pivotal cytokine in the mammalian immune response, is induced by NFAT and AP-1 transcriptional activators in stimulated T cells. NFATc2 and cJun drive high levels of synergistic human IL-2 transcription, which requires a unique interaction between the C-terminal activation domain of NFATc2 and cJun homodimers. Here we studied the mechanism by which this interaction contributes to synergistic activation of IL-2 transcription. We found that NFATc2 can recruit cJun homodimers to the -45 NFAT element, which lacks a neighboring AP-1 site. The bZip domain of cJun is sufficient to interact with the C-terminal activation domain of NFATc2 in the absence of DNA and this interaction is inhibited by AP-1 DNA. When the -45 NFAT site was replaced by either an NFAT/AP-1 composite site or a single AP-1 site the specificity for cJun homodimers in synergistically activating IL-2 transcription was lost, and cJun/cFos heterodimers strongly activated transcription. These studies support a model in which IL-2 transcriptional synergy is mediated by the unique recruitment of a cJun homodimer to the -45 NFAT site by NFATc2, where it acts as a co-activator for IL-2 transcription.

Using electrophoretic mobility shift assays to measure equilibrium dissociation constants: GAL4-p53 binding DNA as a model system.

An undergraduate biochemistry laboratory experiment is described that will teach students the practical and theoretical considerations for measuring the equilibrium dissociation constant (K(D) ) for a protein/DNA interaction using electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs). An EMSA monitors the migration of DNA through a native gel; the DNA migrates more slowly when bound to a protein. To determine a K(D) the amount of unbound and protein-bound DNA in the gel is measured as the protein concentration increases. By performing this experiment, students will be introduced to making affinity measurements and gain experience in performing quantitative EMSAs. The experiment describes measuring the K(D) for the interaction between the chimeric protein GAL4-p53 and its DNA recognition site; however, the techniques are adaptable to other DNA binding proteins. In addition, the basic experiment described can be easily expanded to include additional inquiry-driven experimentation. © 2012 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

The C-terminal region of human NFATc2 binds cJun to synergistically activate interleukin-2 transcription.

At eukaryotic promoters, multi-faceted protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions can result in synergistic transcriptional activation. NFAT and AP-1 proteins induce interleukin-2 (IL-2) transcription in stimulated T cells, but the contributions of individual members of these activator families to synergistically activating IL-2 transcription is not known. To investigate the combinatorial regulation of IL-2 transcription we tested the ability of different combinations of NFATc2, NFATc1, cJun, and cFos to synergistically activate transcription from the IL-2 promoter. We found that NFATc2 and cJun are exclusive in their ability to synergistically activate human IL-2 transcription. Protein-protein interaction assays revealed that in the absence of DNA, NFATc2, but not NFATc1, bound directly to cJun/cJun dimers, but not to cFos/cJun heterodimers. A region of NFATc2 C-terminal of the DNA binding domain was necessary and sufficient for interaction with cJun in the absence of DNA, and this same region of NFATc2 was required for the synergistic activation of IL-2 transcription in T cells. Moreover, expression of this C-terminal region of NFATc2 specifically repressed the synergistic activation of IL-2 transcription. These studies show that a previously unidentified interaction between human NFATc2 and cJun is necessary for synergistic activation of IL-2 transcription in T cells.