Deep sequencing of short capped RNAs reveals novel families of noncoding RNAs.

In eukaryotes, capped RNAs include long transcripts such as messenger RNAs and long noncoding RNAs, as well as shorter transcripts such as spliceosomal RNAs, small nucleolar RNAs, and enhancer RNAs. Long capped transcripts can be profiled using cap analysis gene expression (CAGE) sequencing and other methods. Here, we describe a sequencing library preparation protocol for short capped RNAs, apply it to a differentiation time course of the human cell line THP-1, and systematically compare the landscape of short capped RNAs to that of long capped RNAs. Transcription initiation peaks associated with genes in the sense direction have a strong preference to produce either long or short capped RNAs, with one out of six peaks detected in the short capped RNA libraries only. Gene-associated short capped RNAs have highly specific 3' ends, typically overlapping splice sites. Enhancers also preferentially generate either short or long capped RNAs, with 10% of enhancers observed in the short capped RNA libraries only. Enhancers producing either short or long capped RNAs show enrichment for GWAS-associated disease SNPs. We conclude that deep sequencing of short capped RNAs reveals new families of noncoding RNAs and elucidates the diversity of transcripts generated at known and novel promoters and enhancers.

The genome and population genomics of allopolyploid Coffea arabica reveal the diversification history of modern coffee cultivars.

Coffea arabica, an allotetraploid hybrid of Coffea eugenioides and Coffea canephora, is the source of approximately 60% of coffee products worldwide, and its cultivated accessions have undergone several population bottlenecks. We present chromosome-level assemblies of a di-haploid C. arabica accession and modern representatives of its diploid progenitors, C. eugenioides and C. canephora. The three species exhibit largely conserved genome structures between diploid parents and descendant subgenomes, with no obvious global subgenome dominance. We find evidence for a founding polyploidy event 350,000-610,000 years ago, followed by several pre-domestication bottlenecks, resulting in narrow genetic variation. A split between wild accessions and cultivar progenitors occurred ~30.5 thousand years ago, followed by a period of migration between the two populations. Analysis of modern varieties, including lines historically introgressed with C. canephora, highlights their breeding histories and loci that may contribute to pathogen resistance, laying the groundwork for future genomics-based breeding of C. arabica.

Hfe acts in hepatocytes to prevent hemochromatosis.

Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) is a prevalent, potentially fatal disorder of iron metabolism hallmarked by intestinal hyperabsorption of iron, hyperferremia, and hepatic iron overload. In both humans and mice, type I HH is associated with mutations in the broadly expressed HFE/Hfe gene. To identify where Hfe acts to prevent HH, we generated mice with tissue-specific Hfe ablations. This work demonstrates that local Hfe expression in hepatocytes serves to maintain physiological iron homeostasis, answering a long-standing question in medicine and explaining earlier clinical observations.

Conserved and species-specific chromatin remodeling and regulatory dynamics during mouse and chicken limb bud development.

Chromatin remodeling and genomic alterations impact spatio-temporal regulation of gene expression, which is central to embryonic development. The analysis of mouse and chicken limb development provides important insights into the morphoregulatory mechanisms, however little is known about the regulatory differences underlying their morphological divergence. Here, we identify the underlying shared and species-specific epigenomic and genomic variations. In mouse forelimb buds, we observe striking synchrony between the temporal dynamics of chromatin accessibility and gene expression, while their divergence in chicken wing buds uncovers species-specific regulatory heterochrony. In silico mapping of transcription factor binding sites and computational footprinting establishes the developmental time-restricted transcription factor-DNA interactions. Finally, the construction of target gene networks for HAND2 and GLI3 transcriptional regulators reveals both conserved and species-specific interactions. Our analysis reveals the impact of genome evolution on the regulatory interactions orchestrating vertebrate limb bud morphogenesis and provides a molecular framework for comparative Evo-Devo studies.

Compound- and fiber type-selective requirement of AMPKγ3 for insulin-independent glucose uptake in skeletal muscle.

OBJECTIVE: The metabolic master-switch AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) mediates insulin-independent glucose uptake in muscle and regulates the metabolic activity of brown and beige adipose tissue (BAT). The regulatory AMPKγ3 isoform is uniquely expressed in skeletal muscle and potentially in BAT. Herein, we investigated the role that AMPKγ3 plays in mediating skeletal muscle glucose uptake and whole-body glucose clearance in response to small-molecule activators that act on AMPK via distinct mechanisms. We also assessed whether γ3 plays a role in adipose thermogenesis and browning. METHODS: Global AMPKγ3 knockout (KO) mice were generated. A systematic whole-body, tissue, and molecular phenotyping linked to glucose homeostasis was performed in γ3 KO and wild-type (WT) mice. Glucose uptake in glycolytic and oxidative skeletal muscle ex vivo as well as blood glucose clearance in response to small molecule AMPK activators that target the nucleotide-binding domain of the γ subunit (AICAR) and allosteric drug and metabolite (ADaM) site located at the interface of the α and ß subunit (991, MK-8722) were assessed. Oxygen consumption, thermography, and molecular phenotyping with a ß3-adrenergic receptor agonist (CL-316,243) treatment were performed to assess BAT thermogenesis, characteristics, and function. RESULTS: Genetic ablation of γ3 did not affect body weight, body composition, physical activity, and parameters associated with glucose homeostasis under chow or high-fat diet. γ3 deficiency had no effect on fiber-type composition, mitochondrial content and components, or insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in skeletal muscle. Glycolytic muscles in γ3 KO mice showed a partial loss of AMPKα2 activity, which was associated with reduced levels of AMPKα2 and ß2 subunit isoforms. Notably, γ3 deficiency resulted in a selective loss of AICAR-, but not MK-8722-induced blood glucose-lowering in vivo and glucose uptake specifically in glycolytic muscle ex vivo. We detected γ3 in BAT and found that it preferentially interacts with α2 and ß2. We observed no differences in oxygen consumption, thermogenesis, morphology of BAT and inguinal white adipose tissue (iWAT), or markers of BAT activity between WT and γ3 KO mice. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that γ3 plays a key role in mediating AICAR- but not ADaM site binding drug-stimulated blood glucose clearance and glucose uptake specifically in glycolytic skeletal muscle. We also showed that γ3 is dispensable for ß3-adrenergic receptor agonist-induced thermogenesis and browning of iWAT.

Heme controls ferroportin1 (FPN1) transcription involving Bach1, Nrf2 and a MARE/ARE sequence motif at position -7007 of the FPN1 promoter.

BACKGROUND: Macrophages of the reticuloendothelial system play a key role in recycling iron from hemoglobin of senescent or damaged erythrocytes. Heme oxygenase 1 degrades the heme moiety and releases inorganic iron that is stored in ferritin or exported to the plasma via the iron export protein ferroportin. In the plasma, iron binds to transferrin and is made available for de novo red cell synthesis. The aim of this study was to gain insight into the regulatory mechanisms that control the transcriptional response of iron export protein ferroportin to hemoglobin in macrophages. DESIGN AND METHODS: Iron export protein ferroportin mRNA expression was analyzed in RAW264.7 mouse macrophages in response to hemoglobin, heme, ferric ammonium citrate or protoporphyrin treatment or to siRNA mediated knockdown or overexpression of Btb And Cnc Homology 1 or nuclear accumulation of Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2-like. Iron export protein ferroportin promoter activity was analyzed using reporter constructs that contain specific truncations of the iron export protein ferroportin promoter or mutations in a newly identified MARE/ARE element. RESULTS: We show that iron export protein ferroportin is transcriptionally co-regulated with heme oxygenase 1 by heme, a degradation product of hemoglobin. The protoporphyrin ring of heme is sufficient to increase iron export protein ferroportin transcriptional activity while the iron released from the heme moiety controls iron export protein ferroportin translation involving the IRE in the 5'untranslated region. Transcription of iron export protein ferroportin is inhibited by Btb and Cnc Homology 1 and activated by Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2-like involving a MARE/ARE element located at position -7007/-7016 of the iron export protein ferroportin promoter. CONCLUSIONS: This finding suggests that heme controls a macrophage iron recycling regulon involving Btb and Cnc Homology 1 and Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2-like to assure the coordinated degradation of heme by heme oxygenase 1, iron storage and detoxification by ferritin, and iron export by iron export protein ferroportin.

Metabolic shifts in residual breast cancer drive tumor recurrence.

Tumor recurrence is the leading cause of breast cancer-related death. Recurrences are largely driven by cancer cells that survive therapeutic intervention. This poorly understood population is referred to as minimal residual disease. Here, using mouse models that faithfully recapitulate human disease together with organoid cultures, we have demonstrated that residual cells acquire a transcriptionally distinct state from normal epithelium and primary tumors. Gene expression changes and functional characterization revealed altered lipid metabolism and elevated ROS as hallmarks of the cells that survive tumor regression. These residual cells exhibited increased oxidative DNA damage, potentiating the acquisition of somatic mutations during hormonal-induced expansion of the mammary cell population. Inhibition of either cellular fatty acid synthesis or fatty acid transport into mitochondria reduced cellular ROS levels and DNA damage, linking these features to lipid metabolism. Direct perturbation of these hallmarks in vivo, either by scavenging ROS or by halting the cyclic mammary cell population expansion, attenuated tumor recurrence. Finally, these observations were mirrored in transcriptomic and histological signatures of residual cancer cells from neoadjuvant-treated breast cancer patients. These results highlight the potential of lipid metabolism and ROS as therapeutic targets for reducing tumor recurrence in breast cancer patients.

Identification of cytokine-induced modulation of microRNA expression and secretion as measured by a novel microRNA specific qPCR assay.

microRNAs are an abundant class of small non-coding RNAs that control gene expression post-transcriptionally. Importantly, microRNA activity participates in the regulation of cellular processes and is a potentially valuable source of biomarkers in the diagnosis and prognosis of human diseases. Here we introduce miQPCR, an innovative method to quantify microRNAs expression by using Real-Time PCR. miQPCR exploits T4 RNA ligase activities to extend uniformly microRNAs' 3'-ends by addition of a linker-adapter. The adapter is then used as 'anchor' to prime cDNA synthesis and throughout qPCR to amplify specifically target amplicons. miQPCR is an open, adaptable and cost-effective procedure, which offers the following advantages; i) universal elongation and reverse transcription of all microRNAs; ii) Tm-adjustment of microRNA-specific primers; iii) high sensitivity and specificity in discriminating among closely related sequences and; iv) suitable for the analysis of cellular and cell-free circulating microRNAs. Analysis of cellular and cell-free circulating microRNAs secreted by rat primary hepatocytes stimulated with cytokines and growth factors identifies for the first time a widespread modulation of both microRNAs expression and secretion. Altogether, our findings suggest that the pleiotropic activity of humoral factors on microRNAs may extensively affect liver function in response to injury and regeneration.

Altered serum iron and copper homeostasis predicts cognitive decline in mild cognitive impairment.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain is marked by severe neuronal death which has been partly attributed to increased oxidative stress. The pathophysiology accounting for this free radical injury is not well-delineated at this point, but one hypothesis is that a derangement in transition metal metabolism contributes to the process. We tested the hypothesis that peripheral derangement of transition metal metabolism is present early in the dementing process. We analyzed non-heme iron and copper levels in serum from subjects with normal cognition, mild cognitive impairment, and early stage senile dementia and followed these subjects over 5 years. An increase in the ratio of serum copper to non-heme iron levels predicted which subjects with mild cognitive impairment would progress to dementia versus those that would remain cognitively stable. This increase did not correlate with changes in expression of iron regulatory protein 2 or selected downstream targets in peripheral lymphocytes. A cDNA-based microarray (IronChip) containing genes relevant to iron and copper metabolism was used to assess transition metal metabolism in circulating lymphocytes from cognitively normal and demented subjects. No gene was identified as being dysregulated more than 2-fold, and verification using quantitative RT-PCR demonstrated no significant changes in expression for ALAS2, FOS, and CTR1. The increased ratio of serum copper to serum iron prior to dementia has potential as a biomarker for cognitive decline and mirrors other changes in serum previously reported by others, but iron and copper metabolism pathways appear to be broadly unaffected in peripheral blood in AD.

Hfe deficiency impairs pulmonary neutrophil recruitment in response to inflammation.

Regulation of iron homeostasis and the inflammatory response are tightly linked to protect the host from infection. Here we investigate how imbalanced systemic iron homeostasis in a murine disease model of hereditary hemochromatosis (Hfe(-/-) mice) affects the inflammatory responses of the lung. We induced acute pulmonary inflammation in Hfe(-/-) and wild-type mice by intratracheal instillation of 20 µg of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and analyzed local and systemic inflammatory responses and iron-related parameters. We show that in Hfe(-/-) mice neutrophil recruitment to the bronchoalveolar space is attenuated compared to wild-type mice although circulating neutrophil numbers in the bloodstream were elevated to similar levels in Hfe(-/-) and wild-type mice. The underlying molecular mechanisms are likely multifactorial and include elevated systemic iron levels, alveolar macrophage iron deficiency and/or hitherto unexplored functions of Hfe in resident pulmonary cell types. As a consequence, pulmonary cytokine expression is out of balance and neutrophils fail to be recruited efficiently to the bronchoalveolar compartment, a process required to protect the host from infections. In conclusion, our findings suggest a novel role for Hfe and/or imbalanced iron homeostasis in the regulation of the inflammatory response in the lung and hereditary hemochromatosis.

Mycobacteria-induced anaemia revisited: a molecular approach reveals the involvement of NRAMP1 and lipocalin-2, but not of hepcidin.

Anaemia is a frequent complication of chronic infectious diseases but the exact mechanisms by which it develops remain to be clarified. In the present work, we used a mouse model of mycobacterial infection to study molecular alterations of iron metabolism induced by infection. We show that four weeks after infection with Mycobacterium avium BALB/c mice exhibited a moderate anaemia, which was not accompanied by an increase on hepatic hepcidin mRNA expression. Instead, infected mice presented increased mRNA expression of ferroportin (Slc40a1), ceruloplasmin (Cp), hemopexin (Hpx), heme-oxygenase-1 (Hmox1) and lipocalin-2 (Lcn2). Both the anaemia and the mRNA expression changes of iron-related genes were largely absent in C.D2 mice which bear a functional allele of the Nramp1 gene. Data presented in this work suggest that anaemia due to a chronic mycobacterial infection may develop in the absence of elevated hepcidin expression, is influenced by Nramp1 and may involve lipocalin-2.

The liver-specific microRNA miR-122 controls systemic iron homeostasis in mice.

Systemic iron homeostasis is mainly controlled by the liver through synthesis of the peptide hormone hepcidin (encoded by Hamp), the key regulator of duodenal iron absorption and macrophage iron release. Here we show that the liver-specific microRNA miR-122 is important for regulating Hamp mRNA expression and tissue iron levels. Efficient and specific depletion of miR-122 by injection of a locked-nucleic-acid-modified (LNA-modified) anti-miR into WT mice caused systemic iron deficiency, characterized by reduced plasma and liver iron levels, mildly impaired hematopoiesis, and increased extramedullary erythropoiesis in the spleen. Moreover, miR-122 inhibition increased the amount of mRNA transcribed by genes that control systemic iron levels, such as hemochromatosis (Hfe), hemojuvelin (Hjv), bone morphogenetic protein receptor type 1A (Bmpr1a), and Hamp. Importantly, miR-122 directly targeted the 3' untranslated region of 2 mRNAs that encode activators of hepcidin expression, Hfe and Hjv. These data help to explain the increased Hamp mRNA levels and subsequent iron deficiency in mice with reduced miR-122 levels and establish a direct mechanistic link between miR-122 and the regulation of systemic iron metabolism.

Thyrotroph embryonic factor regulates light-induced transcription of repair genes in zebrafish embryonic cells.

Numerous responses are triggered by light in the cell. How the light signal is detected and transduced into a cellular response is still an enigma. Each zebrafish cell has the capacity to directly detect light, making this organism particularly suitable for the study of light dependent transcription. To gain insight into the light signalling mechanism we identified genes that are activated by light exposure at an early embryonic stage, when specialised light sensing organs have not yet formed. We screened over 14,900 genes using micro-array GeneChips, and identified 19 light-induced genes that function primarily in light signalling, stress response, and DNA repair. Here we reveal that PAR Response Elements are present in all promoters of the light-induced genes, and demonstrate a pivotal role for the PAR bZip transcription factor Thyrotroph embryonic factor (Tef) in regulating the majority of light-induced genes. We show that tefbeta transcription is directly regulated by light while transcription of tefalpha is under circadian clock control at later stages of development. These data leads us to propose their involvement in light-induced UV tolerance in the zebrafish embryo.

STAT3 mediates hepatic hepcidin expression and its inflammatory stimulation.

Hepcidin is a key iron-regulatory hormone produced by the liver. Inappropriately low hepcidin levels cause iron overload, while increased hepcidin expression plays an important role in the anemia of inflammation (AI) by restricting intestinal iron absorption and macrophage iron release. Its expression is modulated in response to body iron stores, hypoxia, and inflammatory and infectious stimuli involving at least in part cytokines secreted by macrophages. In this study we established and characterized IL6-mediated hepcidin activation in the human liver cell line Huh7. We show that the proximal 165 bp of the hepcidin promoter is critical for hepcidin activation in response to exogenously administered IL6 or to conditioned medium from the monocyte/macrophage cell line THP-1. Importantly, we show that hepcidin activation by these stimuli requires a STAT3 binding motif located at position -64/-72 of the promoter. The same STAT binding site is also required for high basal-level hepcidin mRNA expression under control culture conditions, and siRNA-mediated RNA knockdown of STAT3 strongly reduces hepcidin mRNA expression. These results identify a missing link in the acute-phase activation of hepcidin and establish STAT3 as a key effector of baseline hepcidin expression and during inflammatory conditions.

Lack of haptoglobin affects iron transport across duodenum by modulating ferroportin expression.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Haptoglobin is an acute phase protein responsible for the recovery of free hemoglobin from plasma. Haptoglobin-null mice were previously shown to have an altered heme-iron distribution, thus reproducing what occurs in humans in cases of congenital or acquired anhaptoglobinemia. Here, we report the analysis of iron homeostasis in haptoglobin-null mice. METHODS: Iron absorption was measured in tied-off duodenal segments. Iron stores were evaluated on tissue homogenates and sections. The expression of molecules involved in iron homeostasis was analyzed at the protein and messenger RNA levels both in mice and in murine RAW264.7 macrophages stimulated in vitro with hemoglobin. RESULTS: Analysis of intestinal iron transport reveals that haptoglobin-null mice export significantly more iron from the duodenal mucosa to plasma compared with control counterparts. Increased iron export from the duodenum correlates with increased duodenal expression of ferroportin, both at the protein and messenger RNA levels, whereas hepatic hepcidin expression remains unchanged. Up-regulation of the ferroportin transcript, but not of the protein, also occurs in haptoglobin-null spleen macrophages, which accumulate free hemoglobin-derived iron. Finally, we demonstrate that hemoglobin induces ferroportin expression in RAW264.7 cells. CONCLUSIONS: Taking together these data, we suggest that haptoglobin, by controlling plasma levels of hemoglobin, participates in the regulation of ferroportin expression, thus contributing to the regulation of iron transfer from duodenal mucosa to plasma.

Physiologic systemic iron metabolism in mice deficient for duodenal Hfe.

Mutations in the Hfe gene result in hereditary hemochromatosis (HH), a disorder characterized by increased duodenal iron absorption and tissue iron overload. Identification of a direct interaction between Hfe and transferrin receptor 1 in duodenal cells led to the hypothesis that the lack of functional Hfe in the duodenum affects TfR1-mediated serosal uptake of iron and misprogramming of the iron absorptive cells. Contrasting this view, Hfe deficiency causes inappropriately low expression of the hepatic iron hormone hepcidin, which causes increased duodenal iron absorption. We specifically ablated Hfe expression in mouse enterocytes using Cre/LoxP technology. Mice with efficient deletion of Hfe in crypt- and villi-enterocytes maintain physiologic iron metabolism with wild-type unsaturated iron binding capacity, hepatic iron levels, and hepcidin mRNA expression. Furthermore, the expression of genes encoding the major intestinal iron transporters is unchanged in duodenal Hfe-deficient mice. Our data demonstrate that intestinal Hfe is dispensable for the physiologic control of systemic iron homeostasis under steady state conditions. These findings exclude a primary role for duodenal Hfe in the pathogenesis of HH and support the model according to which Hfe is required for appropriate expression of the "iron hormone" hepcidin which then controls intestinal iron absorption.

Iron regulation and the cell cycle: identification of an iron-responsive element in the 3'-untranslated region of human cell division cycle 14A mRNA by a refined microarray-based screening strategy.

Iron regulatory proteins (IRPs) 1 and 2 post-transcriptionally control mammalian iron homeostasis by binding to iron-responsive elements (IREs), conserved RNA stem-loop structures located in the 5'- or 3'-untranslated regions of genes involved in iron metabolism (e.g. FTH1, FTL, and TFRC). To identify novel IRE-containing mRNAs, we integrated biochemical, biocomputational, and microarray-based experimental approaches. IRP/IRE messenger ribonucleoproteins were immunoselected, and their mRNA composition was analyzed using an IronChip microarray enriched for genes predicted computationally to contain IRE-like motifs. Among different candidates, this report focuses on a novel IRE located in the 3'-untranslated region of the cell division cycle 14A mRNA. We show that this IRE motif efficiently binds both IRP1 and IRP2. Differential splicing of cell division cycle 14A produces IRE- and non-IRE-containing mRNA isoforms. Interestingly, only the expression of the IRE-containing mRNA isoforms is selectively increased by cellular iron deficiency. This work describes a new experimental strategy to explore the IRE/IRP regulatory network and uncovers a previously unrecognized regulatory link between iron metabolism and the cell cycle.