Project description:5’-isomiRs expand the repertoire of miRNA targets. However, how they are generated is not well understood. Here, we showed that, for some miRNAs in mammalian cells, 5’-isomiRs are generated by alternative Dicer processing by using miRNA offset RNAs (moRs) to determine Drosha cleavage sites in cells. In addition, we showed that in miR-203, alternative Dicer processing is regulated by a conserved sliding-bulge structure at the Dicer processing site, which allows the pre-miRNA molecule to fold into two different structures that are processed differently by Dicer. So far no RNA motif that slides to change conformation and alter a protein–RNA interaction has been reported. Thus, our study revealed a novel RNA motif that regulates 5’-isomiR generation in some miRNAs. It might also contribute to regulating protein–RNA interactions in other biological processes, since it takes only one point mutation to generate the sliding bulge, and there are a large number of different RNAs in the cell.
Project description:5’-isomiRs expand the repertoire of miRNA targets. However, how they are generated is not well understood. Here, we showed that, for some miRNAs in mammalian cells, 5’-isomiRs are generated by alternative Dicer processing by using miRNA offset RNAs (moRs) to determine Drosha cleavage sites in cells. In addition, we showed that in miR-203, alternative Dicer processing is regulated by a conserved sliding-bulge structure at the Dicer processing site, which allows the pre-miRNA molecule to fold into two different structures that are processed differently by Dicer. So far no RNA motif that slides to change conformation and alter a protein–RNA interaction has been reported. Thus, our study revealed a novel RNA motif that regulates 5’-isomiR generation in some miRNAs. It might also contribute to regulating protein–RNA interactions in other biological processes, since it takes only one point mutation to generate the sliding bulge, and there are a large number of different RNAs in the cell.
Project description:A sliding-bulge structure at the Dicer processing site of pre-miRNA regulates alternative Dicer processing to generate 5’-isomiRs (pre-miR-203)
Project description:Short-hairpin RNA (shRNA)-induced RNAi is used for biological discovery and therapeutics. Dicer, whose normal role is to liberate endogenous miRNAs from their precursors, processes shRNAs into different biologically active siRNAs, affecting their efficacy and potential for off-targeting. We found that in cells, Dicer induced imprecise cleavage events around the expected sites based on the previously described 5'/3'-counting rules. These promiscuous non-canonical cleavages were abrogated when the cleavage site was positioned 2 nt from a bulge or loop. Interestingly, we observed that the ~1/3 of mammalian endogenous pre-miRNAs that contained such structures were more precisely processed by Dicer. Implementing a new "loop-counting rule", we designed potent anti-HCV shRNAs with substantially reduced off-target effects. Our results suggest that Dicer recognizes the loop/bulge structure in addition to the ends of shRNAs/pre-miRNAs for accurate processing. This has important implications for both miRNA processing and future design of shRNAs for RNAi-based genetic screens and therapies.
Project description:Short-hairpin RNA (shRNA)-induced RNAi is used for biological discovery and therapeutics. Dicer, whose normal role is to liberate endogenous miRNAs from their precursors, processes shRNAs into different biologically active siRNAs, affecting their efficacy and potential for off-targeting. We found that in cells, Dicer induced imprecise cleavage events around the expected sites based on the previously described 5'/3'-counting rules. These promiscuous non-canonical cleavages were abrogated when the cleavage site was positioned 2 nt from a bulge or loop. Interestingly, we observed that the ~1/3 of mammalian endogenous pre-miRNAs that contained such structures were more precisely processed by Dicer. Implementing a new "loop-counting rule", we designed potent anti-HCV shRNAs with substantially reduced off-target effects. Our results suggest that Dicer recognizes the loop/bulge structure in addition to the ends of shRNAs/pre-miRNAs for accurate processing. This has important implications for both miRNA processing and future design of shRNAs for RNAi-based genetic screens and therapies. Various shRNAs were expressed in Cell and processed by the RNase III enzyme Dicer. The profiles of the siRNA products were generated by deep sequencing with or without the Ago2-IP.
Project description:Dicer plays a key role in small RNA biogenesis by processing double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs). Human DICER (hDICER) is specialized in processing of small hairpins such as pre-microRNAs (pre-miRNAs) with a limited activity towards long dsRNAs, unlike its homologs in lower eukaryotes and plants which cleave long dsRNAs. While the mechanism of long dsRNA cleavage has been well documented, our understanding of pre-miRNA processing is limited due to lack of the structure of hDICER in a catalytic state. Here we report the cryo-electron microscopy structure of hDICER bound to pre-miRNA in a dicing state, uncovering the structural basis for pre-miRNA processing.
Project description:Dicer plays a key role in small RNA biogenesis by processing double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs). Human DICER (hDICER) is specialized in processing of small hairpins such as pre-microRNAs (pre-miRNAs) with a limited activity towards long dsRNAs, unlike its homologs in lower eukaryotes and plants which cleave long dsRNAs. While the mechanism of long dsRNA cleavage has been well documented, our understanding of pre-miRNA processing is limited due to lack of the structure of hDICER in a catalytic state. Here we report the cryo-electron microscopy structure of hDICER bound to pre-miRNA in a dicing state, uncovering the structural basis for pre-miRNA processing.
Project description:We have used genome editing to generate inactivating deletion mutations in all three copies of the dicer (hdcr) gene present in the human cell line 293T. As previously shown in murine ES cells lacking Dicer function, hDcr-deficient 293T cells are severely impaired for the production of mature microRNAs (miRNAs). Nevertheless, RNA-induced silencing complexes (RISCs) present in these hDcr-deficient cells are readily programmed by transfected, synthetic miRNA duplexes to repress mRNAs bearing either fully or partially complementary targets, including targets bearing incomplete seed homology to the introduced miRNA. Using these hDcr-deficient 293T cells, we demonstrate that human pre-miRNA processing can be effectively rescued by ectopic expression of the Drosophila Dicer 1 protein, but only in the presence of the PB isoform of Loquacious (Loqs-PB), the fly homolog of the hDcr co-factor TRBP. In contrast, Drosophila Dicer 2, even in the presence of its co-factors Loqs-PD and R2D2, was unable to support human pre-miRNA processing. Interestingly, although ectopic Drosophila Dicer 1/Loqs-PB or hDcr both rescued pre-miRNA processing effectively in these hDcr-deficient cells, there were significant differences in the ratio of the miRNA isoforms that were produced, especially in the case of miR-30 family members, and we also noted differences in the relative expression level of miRNAs versus passenger strands for a subset of human miRNAs. These data demonstrate that the mechanisms underlying the accurate processing of pre-miRNAs are largely, but not entirely, conserved between mammalian and insect cells.