RNase III CLASH in MRSA uncovers sRNA regulatory networks coupling metabolism to toxin expression.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterial pathogen responsible for significant human morbidity and mortality. Post-transcriptional regulation by small RNAs (sRNAs) has emerged as an important mechanism for controlling virulence. However, the functionality of the majority of sRNAs during infection is unknown. To address this, we performed UV cross-linking, ligation, and sequencing of hybrids (CLASH) in MRSA to identify sRNA-RNA interactions under conditions that mimic the host environment. Using a double-stranded endoribonuclease III as bait, we uncovered hundreds of novel sRNA-RNA pairs. Strikingly, our results suggest that the production of small membrane-permeabilizing toxins is under extensive sRNA-mediated regulation and that their expression is intimately connected to metabolism. Additionally, we also uncover an sRNA sponging interaction between RsaE and RsaI. Taken together, we present a comprehensive analysis of sRNA-target interactions in MRSA and provide details on how these contribute to the control of virulence in response to changes in metabolism.

The RNA-bound proteome of MRSA reveals post-transcriptional roles for helix-turn-helix DNA-binding and Rossmann-fold proteins.

RNA-binding proteins play key roles in controlling gene expression in many organisms, but relatively few have been identified and characterised in detail in Gram-positive bacteria. Here, we globally analyse RNA-binding proteins in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) using two complementary biochemical approaches. We identify hundreds of putative RNA-binding proteins, many containing unconventional RNA-binding domains such as Rossmann-fold domains. Remarkably, more than half of the proteins containing helix-turn-helix (HTH) domains, which are frequently found in prokaryotic transcription factors, bind RNA in vivo. In particular, the CcpA transcription factor, a master regulator of carbon metabolism, uses its HTH domain to bind hundreds of RNAs near intrinsic transcription terminators in vivo. We propose that CcpA, besides acting as a transcription factor, post-transcriptionally regulates the stability of many RNAs.

NANOS2 is a sequence-specific mRNA-binding protein that promotes transcript degradation in spermatogonial stem cells.

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) sustain spermatogenesis and fertility throughout adult male life. The conserved RNA-binding protein NANOS2 is essential for the maintenance of SSCs, but its targets and mechanisms of function are not fully understood. Here, we generated a fully functional epitope-tagged Nanos2 mouse allele and applied the highly stringent cross-linking and analysis of cDNAs to define NANOS2 RNA occupancy in SSC lines. NANOS2 recognizes the AUKAAWU consensus motif, mostly found in the 3' untranslated region of defined messenger RNAs (mRNAs). We find that NANOS2 is a regulator of key signaling and metabolic pathways whose dosage or activity are known to be critical for SSC maintenance. NANOS2 interacts with components of CCR4-NOT deadenylase complex in SSC lines, and consequently, NANOS2 binding reduces the half-lives of target transcripts. In summary, NANOS2 contributes to SSC maintenance through the regulation of target mRNA stability and key self-renewal pathways.

The mRNA m6A reader YTHDF2 suppresses proinflammatory pathways and sustains hematopoietic stem cell function.

The mRNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification has emerged as an essential regulator of normal and malignant hematopoiesis. Inactivation of the m6A mRNA reader YTHDF2, which recognizes m6A-modified transcripts to promote m6A-mRNA degradation, results in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) expansion and compromises acute myeloid leukemia. Here we investigate the long-term impact of YTHDF2 deletion on HSC maintenance and multilineage hematopoiesis. We demonstrate that Ythdf2-deficient HSCs from young mice fail upon serial transplantation, display increased abundance of multiple m6A-modified inflammation-related transcripts, and chronically activate proinflammatory pathways. Consistent with the detrimental consequences of chronic activation of inflammatory pathways in HSCs, hematopoiesis-specific Ythdf2 deficiency results in a progressive myeloid bias, loss of lymphoid potential, HSC expansion, and failure of aged Ythdf2-deficient HSCs to reconstitute multilineage hematopoiesis. Experimentally induced inflammation increases YTHDF2 expression, and YTHDF2 is required to protect HSCs from this insult. Thus, our study positions YTHDF2 as a repressor of inflammatory pathways in HSCs and highlights the significance of m6A in long-term HSC maintenance.

Monitoring Protein-RNA Interaction Dynamics in vivo at High Temporal Resolution using χCRAC.

The interaction between RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and their RNA substrates exhibits fluidity and complexity. Within its lifespan, a single RNA can be bound by many different RBPs that will regulate its production, stability, activity, and degradation. As such, much has been done to understand the dynamics that exist between these two types of molecules. A particularly important breakthrough came with the emergence of 'cross-linking and immunoprecipitation' (CLIP). This technique allowed stringent investigation into which RNAs are bound by a particular RBP. In short, the protein of interest is UV cross-linked to its RNA substrates in vivo, purified under highly stringent conditions, and then the RNAs covalently cross-linked to the protein are converted into cDNA libraries and sequenced. Since its conception, many derivative techniques have been developed in order to make CLIP amenable to particular fields of study. However, cross-linking using ultraviolet light is notoriously inefficient. This results in extended exposure times that make the temporal study of RBP-RNA interactions impossible. To overcome this issue, we recently designed and built much-improved UV irradiation and cell harvesting devices. Using these new tools, we developed a protocol for time-resolved analyses of RBP-RNA interactions in living cells at high temporal resolution: Kinetic CRoss-linking and Analysis of cDNAs (χCRAC). We recently used this technique to study the role of yeast RBPs in nutrient stress adaptation. This manuscript provides a detailed overview of the χCRAC method and presents recent results obtained with the Nrd1 RBP.

Targeting the RNA m6A Reader YTHDF2 Selectively Compromises Cancer Stem Cells in Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive clonal disorder of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and primitive progenitors that blocks their myeloid differentiation, generating self-renewing leukemic stem cells (LSCs). Here, we show that the mRNA m6A reader YTHDF2 is overexpressed in a broad spectrum of human AML and is required for disease initiation as well as propagation in mouse and human AML. YTHDF2 decreases the half-life of diverse m6A transcripts that contribute to the overall integrity of LSC function, including the tumor necrosis factor receptor Tnfrsf2, whose upregulation in Ythdf2-deficient LSCs primes cells for apoptosis. Intriguingly, YTHDF2 is not essential for normal HSC function, with YTHDF2 deficiency actually enhancing HSC activity. Thus, we identify YTHDF2 as a unique therapeutic target whose inhibition selectively targets LSCs while promoting HSC expansion.

A programmed wave of uridylation-primed mRNA degradation is essential for meiotic progression and mammalian spermatogenesis.

Several developmental stages of spermatogenesis are transcriptionally quiescent which presents major challenges associated with the regulation of gene expression. Here we identify that the zygotene to pachytene transition is not only associated with the resumption of transcription but also a wave of programmed mRNA degradation that is essential for meiotic progression. We explored whether terminal uridydyl transferase 4- (TUT4-) or TUT7-mediated 3' mRNA uridylation contributes to this wave of mRNA degradation during pachynema. Indeed, both TUT4 and TUT7 are expressed throughout most of spermatogenesis, however, loss of either TUT4 or TUT7 does not have any major impact upon spermatogenesis. Combined TUT4 and TUT7 (TUT4/7) deficiency results in embryonic growth defects, while conditional gene targeting revealed an essential role for TUT4/7 in pachytene progression. Loss of TUT4/7 results in the reduction of miRNA, piRNA and mRNA 3' uridylation. Although this reduction does not greatly alter miRNA or piRNA expression, TUT4/7-mediated uridylation is required for the clearance of many zygotene-expressed transcripts in pachytene cells. We find that TUT4/7-regulated transcripts in pachytene spermatocytes are characterized by having long 3' UTRs with length-adjusted enrichment for AU-rich elements. We also observed these features in TUT4/7-regulated maternal transcripts whose dosage was recently shown to be essential for sculpting a functional maternal transcriptome and meiosis. Therefore, mRNA 3' uridylation is a critical determinant of both male and female germline transcriptomes. In conclusion, we have identified a novel requirement for 3' uridylation-programmed zygotene mRNA clearance in pachytene spermatocytes that is essential for male meiotic progression.

Defective germline reprogramming rewires the spermatogonial transcriptome.

Defective germline reprogramming in Piwil4 (Miwi2)- and Dnmt3l-deficient mice results in the failure to reestablish transposon silencing, meiotic arrest and progressive loss of spermatogonia. Here we sought to understand the molecular basis for this spermatogonial dysfunction. Through a combination of imaging, conditional genetics and transcriptome analysis, we demonstrate that germ cell elimination in the respective mutants arises as a result of defective de novo genome methylation during reprogramming rather than because of a function for the respective factors within spermatogonia. In both Miwi2-/- and Dnmt3l-/- spermatogonia, the intracisternal-A particle (IAP) family of endogenous retroviruses is derepressed, but, in contrast to meiotic cells, DNA damage is not observed. Instead, we find that unmethylated IAP promoters rewire the spermatogonial transcriptome by driving expression of neighboring genes. Finally, spermatogonial numbers, proliferation and differentiation are altered in Miwi2-/- and Dnmt3l-/- mice. In summary, defective reprogramming deregulates the spermatogonial transcriptome and may underlie spermatogonial dysfunction.

The RNA m6A Reader YTHDF2 Is Essential for the Post-transcriptional Regulation of the Maternal Transcriptome and Oocyte Competence.

YTHDF2 binds and destabilizes N6-methyladenosine (m6A)-modified mRNA. The extent to which this branch of m6A RNA-regulatory pathway functions in vivo and contributes to mammalian development remains unknown. Here we find that YTHDF2 deficiency is partially permissive in mice and results in female-specific infertility. Using conditional mutagenesis, we demonstrate that YTHDF2 is autonomously required within the germline to produce MII oocytes that are competent to sustain early zygotic development. Oocyte maturation is associated with a wave of maternal RNA degradation, and the resulting relative changes to the MII transcriptome are integral to oocyte quality. The loss of YTHDF2 results in the failure to regulate transcript dosage of a cohort of genes during oocyte maturation, with enrichment observed for the YTHDF2-binding consensus and evidence of m6A in these upregulated genes. In summary, the m6A-reader YTHDF2 is an intrinsic determinant of mammalian oocyte competence and early zygotic development.

mRNA 3' uridylation and poly(A) tail length sculpt the mammalian maternal transcriptome.

A fundamental principle in biology is that the program for early development is established during oogenesis in the form of the maternal transcriptome. How the maternal transcriptome acquires the appropriate content and dosage of transcripts is not fully understood. Here we show that 3' terminal uridylation of mRNA mediated by TUT4 and TUT7 sculpts the mouse maternal transcriptome by eliminating transcripts during oocyte growth. Uridylation mediated by TUT4 and TUT7 is essential for both oocyte maturation and fertility. In comparison to somatic cells, the oocyte transcriptome has a shorter poly(A) tail and a higher relative proportion of terminal oligo-uridylation. Deletion of TUT4 and TUT7 leads to the accumulation of a cohort of transcripts with a high frequency of very short poly(A) tails, and a loss of 3' oligo-uridylation. By contrast, deficiency of TUT4 and TUT7 does not alter gene expression in a variety of somatic cells. In summary, we show that poly(A) tail length and 3' terminal uridylation have essential and specific functions in shaping a functional maternal transcriptome.

Hereditary uveal melanoma: a report of a germline mutation in BAP1.

Melanoma of the eye is a rare and distinct subtype of melanoma, which only rarely are familial. However, cases of uveal melanoma (UM) have been found in families with mixed cancer syndromes. Here, we describe a comprehensive search for inherited genetic variation in a family with multiple cases of UM but no aggregation of other cancer diagnoses. The proband is a woman diagnosed with UM at 16 years who within 6 months developed liver metastases. We also identified two older paternal relatives of the proband who had died from UM. We performed exome sequencing of germline DNA from members of the affected family. Exome-wide analysis identified a novel loss-of-function mutation in the BAP1 gene, previously suggested as a tumor suppressor. The mutation segregated with the UM phenotype in this family, and we detected a loss of the wild-type allele in the UM tumor of the proband, strongly supporting a causative association with UM. Screening of BAP1 germline mutations in families predisposed for UM may be used to identify individuals at increased risk of disease. Such individuals may then be enrolled in preventive programs and regular screenings to facilitate early detection and thereby improve prognosis.