Kunjin Virus, Zika Virus, and Yellow Fever Virus Infections Have Distinct Effects on the Coding Transcriptome and Proteome of Brain-Derived U87 Cells.

As obligate intracellular parasites, viruses rely heavily on host cells for replication, and therefore dysregulate several cellular processes for their benefit. In return, host cells activate multiple signaling pathways to limit viral replication and eradicate viruses. The present study explores the complex interplay between viruses and host cells through next generation RNA sequencing as well as mass spectrometry (SILAC). Both the coding transcriptome and the proteome of human brain-derived U87 cells infected with Kunjin virus, Zika virus, or Yellow Fever virus were compared to the transcriptome and the proteome of mock-infected cells. Changes in the abundance of several hundred mRNAs and proteins were found in each infection. Moreover, the alternative splicing of hundreds of mRNAs was found to be modulated upon viral infection. Interestingly, a significant disconnect between the changes in the transcriptome and those in the proteome of infected cells was observed. These findings provide a global view of the coding transcriptome and the proteome of Flavivirus-infected cells, leading to a better comprehension of Flavivirus-host interactions.

U5 snRNP Core Proteins Are Key Components of the Defense Response against Viral Infection through Their Roles in Programmed Cell Death and Interferon Induction.

The spliceosome is a massive ribonucleoprotein structure composed of five small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) complexes that catalyze the removal of introns from pre-mature RNA during constitutive and alternative splicing. EFTUD2, PRPF8, and SNRNP200 are core components of the U5 snRNP, which is crucial for spliceosome function as it coordinates and performs the last steps of the splicing reaction. Several studies have demonstrated U5 snRNP proteins as targeted during viral infection, with a limited understanding of their involvement in virus-host interactions. In the present study, we deciphered the respective impact of EFTUD2, PRPF8, and SNRNP200 on viral replication using mammalian reovirus as a model. Using a combination of RNA silencing, real-time cell analysis, cell death and viral replication assays, we discovered distinct and partially overlapping novel roles for EFTUD2, PRPF8, and SNRNP200 in cell survival, apoptosis, necroptosis, and the induction of the interferon response pathway. For instance, we demonstrated that EFTUD2 and SNRNP200 are required for both apoptosis and necroptosis, whereas EFTUD2 and PRPF8 are required for optimal interferon response against viral infection. Moreover, we demonstrated that EFTUD2 restricts viral replication, both in a single cycle and multiple cycles of viral replication. Altogether, these results establish U5 snRNP core components as key elements of the cellular antiviral response.

Cellulosic copper nanoparticles and a hydrogen peroxide-based disinfectant trigger rapid inactivation of pseudoviral particles expressing the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory infection caused by human coronaviruses that include SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Although their primary mode of transmission is through contaminated respiratory droplets from infected carriers, the deposition of expelled virus particles onto surfaces and fomites could contribute to viral transmission. Here, we use replication-deficient murine leukemia virus (MLV) pseudoviral particles expressing SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, or MERS-CoV Spike (S) protein on their surface. These surrogates of native coronavirus counterparts serve as a model to analyze the S-mediated entry into target cells. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) nanofibers that are combined with copper (Cu) exhibit strong antimicrobial properties. S-pseudovirions that are exposed to CMC-Cu nanoparticles (30 s) display a dramatic reduction in their ability to infect target Vero E6 cells, with ∼97% less infectivity as compared to untreated pseudovirions. In contrast, addition of the Cu chelator tetrathiomolybdate protects S-pseudovirions from CMC-Cu-mediated inactivation. When S-pseudovirions were treated with a hydrogen peroxide-based disinfectant (denoted SaberTM) used at 1:250 dilution, their infectivity was dramatically reduced by ∼98%. However, the combined use of SaberTM and CMC-Cu is the most effective approach to restrict infectivity of SARS-CoV-2-S, SARS-CoV-S, and MERS-CoV-S pseudovirions in Vero E6 cell assays. Together, these results show that cellulosic Cu nanoparticles enhance the effectiveness of diluted SaberTM sanitizer, setting up an improved strategy to lower the risk of surface- and fomite-mediated transmission of enveloped respiratory viruses.

Reovirus µ2 protein modulates host cell alternative splicing by reducing protein levels of U5 snRNP core components.

Mammalian orthoreovirus (MRV) is a double-stranded RNA virus from the Reoviridae family presenting a promising activity as an oncolytic virus. Recent studies have underlined MRV's ability to alter cellular alternative splicing (AS) during infection, with a limited understanding of the mechanisms at play. In this study, we investigated how MRV modulates AS. Using a combination of cell biology and reverse genetics experiments, we demonstrated that the M1 gene segment, encoding the µ2 protein, is the primary determinant of MRV's ability to alter AS, and that the amino acid at position 208 in µ2 is critical to induce these changes. Moreover, we showed that the expression of µ2 by itself is sufficient to trigger AS changes, and its ability to enter the nucleus is not required for all these changes. Moreover, we identified core components of the U5 snRNP (i.e. EFTUD2, PRPF8, and SNRNP200) as interactors of µ2 that are required for MRV modulation of AS. Finally, these U5 snRNP components are reduced at the protein level by both MRV infection and µ2 expression. Our findings identify the reduction of U5 snRNP components levels as a new mechanism by which viruses alter cellular AS.

Reovirus µ2 Protein Impairs Translation to Reduce U5 snRNP Protein Levels.

Mammalian orthoreovirus (MRV) is a double-stranded RNA virus from the Reoviridae family that infects a large range of mammals, including humans. Recently, studies have shown that MRV alters cellular alternative splicing (AS) during viral infection. The structural protein µ2 appears to be the main determinant of these AS modifications by decreasing the levels of U5 core components EFTUD2, PRPF8, and SNRNP200 during infection. In the present study, we investigated the mechanism by which µ2 exerts this effect on the U5 components. Our results revealed that µ2 has no impact on steady-state mRNA levels, RNA export, and protein stability of these U5 snRNP proteins. However, polysome profiling and metabolic labeling of newly synthesized proteins revealed that µ2 exerts an inhibitory effect on global translation. Moreover, we showed that µ2 mutants unable to accumulate in the nucleus retain most of the ability to reduce PRPF8 protein levels, indicating that the effect of µ2 on U5 snRNP components mainly occurs in the cytoplasm. Finally, co-expression experiments demonstrated that µ2 suppresses the expression of U5 snRNP proteins in a dose-dependent manner, and that the expression of specific U5 snRNP core components have different sensitivities to µ2's presence. Altogether, these results suggest a novel mechanism by which the µ2 protein reduces the levels of U5 core components through translation inhibition, allowing this viral protein to alter cellular AS during infection.

G-quadruplex located in the 5'UTR of the BAG-1 mRNA affects both its cap-dependent and cap-independent translation through global secondary structure maintenance.

The anti-apoptotic BAG-1 protein isoforms are known to be overexpressed in colorectal tumors and are considered to be potential therapeutic targets. The isoforms are derived from alternative translation initiations occuring at four in-frame start codons of a single mRNA transcript. Its 5'UTR also contains an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) regulating the cap-independent translation of the transcript. An RNA G-quadruplex (rG4) is located at the 5'end of the BAG-1 5'UTR, upstream of the known cis-regulatory elements. Herein, we observed that the expression of BAG-1 isoforms is post-transcriptionally regulated in colorectal cancer cells and tumors, and that stabilisation of the rG4 by small molecules ligands reduces the expression of endogenous BAG-1 isoforms. We demonstrated a critical role for the rG4 in the control of both cap-dependent and independent translation of the BAG-1 mRNA in colorectal cancer cells. Additionally, we found an upstream ORF that also represses BAG-1 mRNA translation. The structural probing of the complete 5'UTR showed that the rG4 acts as a steric block which controls the initiation of translation at each start codon of the transcript and also maintains the global 5'UTR secondary structure required for IRES-dependent translation.

Dissecting the expression landscape of cytochromes P450 in hepatocellular carcinoma: towards novel molecular biomarkers.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths around the world. Recent advances in genomic technologies have allowed the identification of various molecular signatures in HCC tissues. For instance, differential gene expression levels of various cytochrome P450 genes (CYP450) have been reported in studies performed on limited numbers of HCC tissue samples, or focused on a small subset on CYP450s. In the present study, we monitored the expression landscape of all the members of the CYP450 family (57 genes) in more than 200 HCC tissues using RNA-Seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Using stringent statistical filters and data from paired tissues, we identified significantly dysregulated CYP450 genes in HCC. Moreover, the expression level of selected CYP450s was validated by qPCR on cDNA samples from an independent cohort. Threshold values (sensitivity and specificity) based on dysregulated gene expression were also determined to allow for confident identification of HCC tissues. Finally, a global look at expression levels of the 57 members of the CYP450 family across ten different cancer types revealed specific expression signatures. Overall, this study provides useful information on the transcriptomic landscape of CYP450 genes in HCC and on new potential HCC biomarkers.

How Many Mammalian Reovirus Proteins are involved in the Control of the Interferon Response?

As with most viruses, mammalian reovirus can be recognized and attacked by the host-cell interferon response network. Similarly, many viruses have developed resistance mechanisms to counteract the host-cell response at different points of this response. Reflecting the complexity of the interferon signaling pathways as well as the resulting antiviral response, viruses can-and often have-evolved many determinants to interfere with this innate immune response and allow viral replication. In the last few years, it has been evidenced that mammalian reovirus encodes many different determinants that are involved in regulating the induction of the interferon response or in interfering with the action of interferon-stimulated gene products. In this brief review, we present our current understanding of the different reovirus proteins known to be involved, introduce their postulated modes of action, and raise current questions that may lead to further investigations.

Viral modulation of cellular RNA alternative splicing: A new key player in virus-host interactions?

Upon viral infection, a tug of war is triggered between host cells and viruses to maintain/gain control of vital cellular functions, the result of which will ultimately dictate the fate of the host cell. Among these essential cellular functions, alternative splicing (AS) is an important RNA maturation step that allows exons, or parts of exons, and introns to be retained in mature transcripts, thereby expanding proteome diversity and function. AS is widespread in higher eukaryotes, as it is estimated that nearly all genes in humans are alternatively spliced. Recent evidence has shown that upon infection by numerous viruses, the AS landscape of host-cells is affected. In this review, we summarize recent advances in our understanding of how virus infection impacts the AS of cellular transcripts. We also present various molecular mechanisms allowing viruses to modulate cellular AS. Finally, the functional consequences of these changes in the RNA splicing signatures during virus-host interactions are discussed. This article is categorized under: RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease RNA Processing > Splicing Regulation/Alternative Splicing.

The Epstein-Barr virus EBNA1 protein modulates the alternative splicing of cellular genes.

BACKGROUND: Alternative splicing (AS) is an important mRNA maturation step that allows increased variability and diversity of proteins in eukaryotes. AS is dysregulated in numerous diseases, and its implication in the carcinogenic process is well known. However, progress in understanding how oncogenic viruses modulate splicing, and how this modulation is involved in viral oncogenicity has been limited. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is involved in various cancers, and its EBNA1 oncoprotein is the only viral protein expressed in all EBV malignancies. METHODS: In the present study, the ability of EBNA1 to modulate the AS of cellular genes was assessed using a high-throughput RT-PCR approach to examine AS in 1238 cancer-associated genes. RNA immunoprecipitation coupled to RNA sequencing (RIP-Seq) assays were also performed to identify cellular mRNAs bound by EBNA1. RESULTS: Upon EBNA1 expression, we detected modifications to the AS profiles of 89 genes involved in cancer. Moreover, we show that EBNA1 modulates the expression levels of various splicing factors such as hnRNPA1, FOX-2, and SF1. Finally, RNA immunoprecipitation coupled to RIP-Seq assays demonstrate that EBNA1 immunoprecipitates specific cellular mRNAs, but not the ones that are spliced differently in EBNA1-expressing cells. CONCLUSION: The EBNA1 protein can modulate the AS profiles of numerous cellular genes. Interestingly, this modulation protein does not require the RNA binding activity of EBNA1. Overall, these findings underline the novel role of EBNA1 as a cellular splicing modulator.

Correction: 2'-O-methylation of the mRNA cap protects RNAs from decapping and degradation by DXO.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0193804.].

2'-O-methylation of the mRNA cap protects RNAs from decapping and degradation by DXO.

The 5' RNA cap structure (m7GpppRNA) is a key feature of eukaryotic mRNAs with important roles in stability, splicing, polyadenylation, mRNA export, and translation. Higher eukaryotes can further modify this minimal cap structure with the addition of a methyl group on the ribose 2'-O position of the first transcribed nucleotide (m7GpppNmpRNA) and sometimes on the adjoining nucleotide (m7GpppNmpNmpRNA). In higher eukaryotes, the DXO protein was previously shown to be responsible for both decapping and degradation of RNA transcripts harboring aberrant 5' ends such as pRNA, pppRNA, GpppRNA, and surprisingly, m7GpppRNA. It was proposed that the interaction of the cap binding complex with the methylated cap would prevent degradation of m7GpppRNAs by DXO. However, the critical role of the 2'-O-methylation found in higher eukaryotic cap structures was not previously addressed. In the present study, we demonstrate that DXO possesses both decapping and exoribonuclease activities toward incompletely capped RNAs, only sparing RNAs with a 2'-O-methylated cap structure. Fluorescence spectroscopy assays also revealed that the presence of the 2'-O-methylation on the cap structure drastically reduces the affinity of DXO for RNA. Moreover, immunofluorescence and structure-function assays also revealed that a nuclear localisation signal is located in the amino-terminus region of DXO. Overall, these results are consistent with a quality control mechanism in which DXO degrades incompletely capped RNAs.

G-Quadruplexes influence pri-microRNA processing.

RNA G-Quadruplexes (G4) have been shown to possess many biological functions, including the regulation of microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis and function. However, their impact on pri-miRNA processing remains unknown. We identified G4 located near the Drosha cleavage site in three distinct pri-miRNAs: pri-mir200c, pri-mir451a, and pri-mir497. The folding of the potential G4 motifs was determined in solution. Subsequently, mutations disrupting G4 folding led to important changes in the mature miRNAs levels in cells. Moreover, using small antisense oligonucleotides binding to the pri-miRNA, it was possible to modulate, either positively or negatively, the mature miRNA levels. Together, these data demonstrate that G4 motifs could contribute to the regulation of pri-mRNA processing, a novel role for G4. Considering that bio-informatics screening indicates that between 9% and 50% of all pri-miRNAs contain a putative G4, these structures possess interesting potential as future therapeutic targets.

Organization of the Flavivirus RNA replicase complex.

Flaviviruses, such as dengue, Japanese encephalitis, West Nile, yellow fever, and Zika viruses, are serious human pathogens that cause significant morbidity and mortality globally each year. Flaviviruses are single-stranded, positive-sense RNA viruses, and encode two multidomain proteins, NS3 and NS5, that possess all enzymatic activities required for genome replication and capping. NS3 and NS5 interact within virus-induced replication compartments to form the RNA genome replicase complex. Although the individual enzymatic activities of both proteins have been extensively studied and are well characterized, there are still gaps in our understanding of how they interact to efficiently coordinate their respective activities during positive-strand RNA synthesis and capping. Here, we discuss what is known about the structures and functions of the NS3 and NS5 proteins and propose a preliminary NS3:NS5:RNA interaction model based on a large body of literature about how the viral enzymes function, physical restraints between NS3 and NS5, as well as critical steps in the replication process. WIREs RNA 2017, 8:e1437. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1437 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.

Transcriptome-wide analysis of alternative RNA splicing events in Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric carcinomas.

Multiple human diseases including cancer have been associated with a dysregulation in RNA splicing patterns. In the current study, modifications to the global RNA splicing landscape of cellular genes were investigated in the context of Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric cancer. Global alterations to the RNA splicing landscape of cellular genes was examined in a large-scale screen from 295 primary gastric adenocarcinomas using high-throughput RNA sequencing data. RT-PCR analysis, mass spectrometry, and co-immunoprecipitation studies were also used to experimentally validate and investigate the differential alternative splicing (AS) events that were observed through RNA-seq studies. Our study identifies alterations in the AS patterns of approximately 900 genes such as tumor suppressor genes, transcription factors, splicing factors, and kinases. These findings allowed the identification of unique gene signatures for which AS is misregulated in both Epstein-Barr virus-associated gastric cancer and EBV-negative gastric cancer. Moreover, we show that the expression of Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) leads to modifications in the AS profile of cellular genes and that the EBNA1 protein interacts with cellular splicing factors. These findings provide insights into the molecular differences between various types of gastric cancer and suggest a role for the EBNA1 protein in the dysregulation of cellular AS.

3' UTR G-quadruplexes regulate miRNA binding.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that repress the translation of their target genes. It has previously been shown that a target's availability to miRNA can be affected by its structure. G-quadruplexes (G4) are noncanonical structures adopted by G-rich nucleic acids that have been shown to have multiple biological functions. In this study, whether or not G4 structures' presence in the 3' UTRs of mRNAs can hinder miRNA binding was investigated. Putative G4 overlapping with predicted miRNAs' binding sites was searched for, and 44,294 hits were found in humans. The FADS2 mRNA/mir331-3p pair was selected as a model example. In-line probing and G4-specific fluorescent ligand experiments binding were performed and confirmed the presence of a G4 near the predicted miRNA binding site. Subsequent luciferase assays showed that the presence of the G4 prevents the binding of mir331-3p in cellulo. Together, these results served as proof of concept that a G4 structure present in a 3' UTR sequence should be taken into consideration when predicting miRNA binding sites.

Global Profiling of the Cellular Alternative RNA Splicing Landscape during Virus-Host Interactions.

Alternative splicing (AS) is a central mechanism of genetic regulation which modifies the sequence of RNA transcripts in higher eukaryotes. AS has been shown to increase both the variability and diversity of the cellular proteome by changing the composition of resulting proteins through differential choice of exons to be included in mature mRNAs. In the present study, alterations to the global RNA splicing landscape of cellular genes upon viral infection were investigated using mammalian reovirus as a model. Our study provides the first comprehensive portrait of global changes in the RNA splicing signatures that occur in eukaryotic cells following infection with a human virus. We identify 240 modified alternative splicing events upon infection which belong to transcripts frequently involved in the regulation of gene expression and RNA metabolism. Using mass spectrometry, we also confirm modifications to transcript-specific peptides resulting from AS in virus-infected cells. These findings provide additional insights into the complexity of virus-host interactions as these splice variants expand proteome diversity and function during viral infection.

Global profiling of alternative RNA splicing events provides insights into molecular differences between various types of hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Dysregulations in alternative splicing (AS) patterns have been associated with many human diseases including cancer. In the present study, alterations to the global RNA splicing landscape of cellular genes were investigated in a large-scale screen from 377 liver tissue samples using high-throughput RNA sequencing data. RESULTS: Our study identifies modifications in the AS patterns of transcripts encoded by more than 2500 genes such as tumor suppressor genes, transcription factors, and kinases. These findings provide insights into the molecular differences between various types of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Our analysis allowed the identification of 761 unique transcripts for which AS is misregulated in HBV-associated HCC, while 68 are unique to HCV-associated HCC, 54 to HBV&HCV-associated HCC, and 299 to virus-free HCC. Moreover, we demonstrate that the expression pattern of the RNA splicing factor hnRNPC in HCC tissues significantly correlates with patient survival. We also show that the expression of the HBx protein from HBV leads to modifications in the AS profiles of cellular genes. Finally, using RNA interference and a reverse transcription-PCR screening platform, we examined the implications of cellular proteins involved in the splicing of transcripts involved in apoptosis and demonstrate the potential contribution of these proteins in AS control. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the first comprehensive portrait of global changes in the RNA splicing signatures that occur in hepatocellular carcinoma. Moreover, these data allowed us to identify unique signatures of genes for which AS is misregulated in the different types of HCC.

Immunofluorescence to Monitor the Cellular Uptake of Human Lactoferrin and its Associated Antiviral Activity Against the Hepatitis C Virus.

Immunofluorescence is a laboratory technique commonly used to study many aspects of biology. It is typically used to visualize the distribution and/or localization of a target molecule in cells and tissues. Immunofluorescence relies on the specificity of fluorescent-labelled antibodies against their corresponding antigens within a cell. Both direct and indirect immunofluorescence approaches can be used which rely on the use of antibodies linked with a fluorochrome. Direct immunofluorescence is less frequently used because it provides lower signal, involves higher cost and less flexibility. In contrast, indirect immunofluorescence is more commonly used because of its high sensitivity and provides an amplified signal since more than one secondary antibody can attach to each primary antibody. In this manuscript, both epifluorescence microscopy and confocal microscopy were used to monitor the internalization of human lactoferrin, an important component of the immune system, into hepatic cells. Moreover, we monitored the inhibitory potential of hLF on the intracellular replication of the Hepatitis C virus using immunofluorescence. Both the advantages and disadvantages associated with these approaches are discussed.

Shu1 is a cell-surface protein involved in iron acquisition from heme in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Iron is an essential metal cofactor that is required for many biological processes. Eukaryotic cells have consequently developed different strategies for its acquisition. Until now, Schizosaccharomyces pombe was known to use reductive iron uptake and siderophore-bound iron transport to scavenge iron from the environment. Here, we report the identification of a gene designated shu1(+) that encodes a protein that enables S. pombe to take up extracellular heme for cell growth. When iron levels are low, the transcription of shu1(+) is induced, although its expression is repressed when iron levels rise. The iron-dependent down-regulation of shu1(+) requires the GATA-type transcriptional repressor Fep1, which strongly associates with a proximal promoter region of shu1(+) in vivo in response to iron repletion. HA4-tagged Shu1 localizes to the plasma membrane in cells expressing a functional shu1(+)-HA4 allele. When heme biosynthesis is selectively blocked in mutated S. pombe cells, their ability to acquire exogenous hemin or the fluorescent heme analog zinc mesoporphyrin IX is dependent on the expression of Shu1. Further analysis by absorbance spectroscopy and hemin-agarose pulldown assays showed that Shu1 interacts with hemin, with a KD of ∼2.2 µm. Taken together, results reported here revealed that S. pombe possesses an unexpected pathway for heme assimilation, which may also serve as a source of iron for cell growth.