Project description:Pseudouridine (Ψ) is a widespread RNA modification in various RNA species, including rRNA, tRNA, snRNA and mRNA. Ψ plays a crucial role in RNA metabolism, where it regulates pre-mRNA splicing and affects protein translation. Whether and how Ψ may regulate transcription have not be adequately studied. Here, we report that pseudorudine synthase 7 (PUS7) can mediate pseudouridylation of 7SK small nuclear RNA (snRNA), a regulator of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) promoter-proximal pausing. PUS7 loss leads to hypo-pseudouridylation and facilitates sequestration of the positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb) complex from 7SK. The release of P-TEFb from 7SK increases serine 2 phosphorylation (Ser2P) in the RNA Pol II C-terminal domain and enhances transcription elongation. In colorectal cancer (CRC) cells, the Ψ level of 7SK could be modulated by PUS7, or by site-specifically targeted pseudouridylation through dCas13b-guided system. Hypo-pseudouridylation on 7SK with PUS7 depletion promotes KLF6/DDIT3-mediated cell apoptosis and sensitizes CRC cells to 5-FU.
Project description:Pseudouridine is the first discovered and the most frequent modification in RNA. However, its biological functions in physiology and human diseases are largely unknown. Here, we show that pseudouridine synthase PUS7 is differentially expressed in glioblastoma patient tissues verse non-tumor brain tissues, and highly expressed in patient brain-derived cancer stem cells, compared to normal brain-derived neural stem cells. Upregulated expression of PUS7 predicts worse survival in glioblastoma patients in multiple databases. Indeed, we show that PUS7 plays an important role in regulating the self-renewal and tumorigenesis of glioblastoma stem cells. Overexpression of the wild type but not the catalytically inactive PUS7 increases the growth and self-renewal of GSCs. In contrast, knockdown of PUS7 dramatically suppresses GSC growth, self-renewal and tumorigenesis. Mechanistically, knockdown of PUS7 activates interferon pathway through translational control of TYK2 via PUS7-regulated tRNAs. Moreover, we have identified chemical inhibitors for PUS7 in this study. These chemical compounds target pseudouridine modification and suppress GSC growth and tumorigenesis, providing a potential therapeutic tool for GBM treatment.
Project description:The transition from transcription initiation into elongation at promoters of primary response genes (PRG) in metazoan cells is controlled by inducible transcription factors, which utilize P-TEFb to phosphorylate RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) in response to stimuli. Prior to stimulation, a fraction of P-TEFb is recruited to promoters in a catalytically inactive state bound to the 7SK small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP). However, it remains unclear how and why the 7SK snRNP is assembled at promoters. Here we report that the transcriptional regulator KAP1 directly recruits the 7SK snRNP to facilitate localized release of P-TEFb, promoting rapid Pol II elongation and PRG synthesis in response to stimuli. Collectively, we have discovered and characterized a novel complex, which we term the KEC, which dictates rapid and robust PRG induction upon stimuli.
Project description:We describe six patients from three families with three homozygous protein truncating variants in PUS7: c.89_90del, p.(Thr30Lysfs20*); c.1348C>T, p.(Arg450*); and a deletion of the penultimate exon 15. All patients have intellectual disability with speech delay, short stature, microcephaly, and aggressive behavior. PUS7 encodes the RNA-independent pseudouridylate synthase 7. Pseudouridylation is the most abundant post-transcriptional modification in RNA, which is primarily thought to stabilize secondary structures of RNA. We show that the disease-related variants lead to abolishment of PUS7 activity on both tRNA and mRNA substrates. Moreover, Pus7 knockout in Drosophila melanogaster results in a number of behavioral defects, including increased activity with slower walking speed and disorientation supporting that neurological defects are caused by PUS7 variants. Our findings demonstrate that RNA pseudouridylation by PUS7 is essential for proper neuronal development and function.
Project description:Eukaryotic genomes are extensively transcribed, but unfettered transcription alters gene expression and leads to genome damage by several means. Divergent transcription occurs at active enhancers and promoters, distinct classes of cis-regulatory elements critical for precise control of gene expression. A key step in RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) transcription is promoter-proximal pausing, which occurs bidirectionally ~25-60 nucleotides downstream of transcription start sites (TSS). Promoter-proximal pause release is gated by the positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb)-7SK snRNA pathway; release from 7SK allows P-TEFb phosphorylation of Pol II and subsequent elongation. The 7SK small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) is thought to reside in the nucleoplasm, but it has been suggested that 7SK could operate physically on chromatin. Notably, while enhancer transcription is one of the earliest steps of gene activation and some enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) participate in gene regulation, far less is known about the control of eRNA transcription. Here we show that 7SK inhibits enhancer transcription by modulating nucleosome position. 7SK occupies enhancers and super enhancers genome-wide, and 7SK is required to limit eRNA initiation and synthesis in a manner distinct from promoter pausing. Clustered elements at super enhancers uniquely require 7SK to prevent convergent transcription of colliding polymerases that lead to DNA damage. 7SK inhibits enhancer transcription by modulating chromatin structure, physically interacts with the BAF chromatin remodeling complex, and is required to recruit BAF to enhancers. In turn, 7SK occupancy at enhancers coincides with Brd4 and is exquisitely sensitive to the bromodomain inhibitor JQ1. Thus, 7SK employs distinct mechanisms to counteract diverse consequences of pervasive transcription that distinguish super enhancers, enhancers, and promoters.
Project description:RNAP II is frequently paused near gene promoters in mammals and its transition to productive elongation requires active recruitment of P-TEFb, a cyclin-dependent kinase for RNAP II and other key transcription elongation factors. A fraction of P-TEFb is sequestered in an inhibitory complex containing the 7SK noncoding RNA, but it has been unclear how P-TEFb is switched from the 7SK complex to RNAP II during transcription activation. We report that SRSF2 (also known as SC35, an SR splicing factor) is part of the 7SK complex assembled at gene promoters and plays a direct role in transcription pause release. We demonstrate RNA-dependent, coordinated release of SRSF2 and P-TEFb from the 7SK complex and transcription activation via SRSF2 binding to promoter-associated nascent RNA. These findings reveal an unanticipated SR protein function, a role for promoter-proximal nascent RNA in gene activation, and an analogous mechanism to HIV Tat/TAR for activating cellular genes. SR ChIP-seq, Pol II ChIP-seq, and Gro-seq
Project description:Eukaryotic genomes are extensively transcribed, but unfettered transcription alters gene expression and leads to genome damage by several means. Divergent transcription occurs at active enhancers and promoters, distinct classes of cis-regulatory elements critical for precise control of gene expression. A key step in RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) transcription is promoter-proximal pausing, which occurs bidirectionally ~25-60 nucleotides downstream of transcription start sites (TSS). Promoter-proximal pause release is gated by the positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb)-7SK snRNA pathway; release from 7SK allows P-TEFb phosphorylation of Pol II and subsequent elongation. The 7SK small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) is thought to reside in the nucleoplasm, but it has been suggested that 7SK could operate physically on chromatin. Notably, while enhancer transcription is one of the earliest steps of gene activation12 and some enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) participate in gene regulation, far less is known about the control of eRNA transcription. Here we show that 7SK inhibits enhancer transcription by modulating nucleosome position. 7SK occupies enhancers and super enhancers genome-wide, and 7SK is required to limit eRNA initiation and synthesis in a manner distinct from promoter pausing. Clustered elements at super enhancers uniquely require 7SK to prevent convergent transcription of colliding polymerases. 7SK inhibits enhancer transcription by modulating chromatin structure, physically interacts with the BAF chromatin remodeling complex, and is required to recruit BAF to enhancers. Thus, 7SK employs distinct mechanisms to counteract diverse consequences of pervasive transcription that distinguish super enhancers, enhancers, and promoters
Project description:Eukaryotic genomes are extensively transcribed, but unfettered transcription alters gene expression and leads to genome damage by several means. Divergent transcription occurs at active enhancers and promoters, distinct classes of cis-regulatory elements critical for precise control of gene expression. A key step in RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) transcription is promoter-proximal pausing, which occurs bidirectionally ~25-60 nucleotides downstream of transcription start sites (TSS). Promoter-proximal pause release is gated by the positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb)-7SK snRNA pathway; release from 7SK allows P-TEFb phosphorylation of Pol II and subsequent elongation. The 7SK small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) is thought to reside in the nucleoplasm, but it has been suggested that 7SK could operate physically on chromatin. Notably, while enhancer transcription is one of the earliest steps of gene activation12 and some enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) participate in gene regulation, far less is known about the control of eRNA transcription. Here we show that 7SK inhibits enhancer transcription by modulating nucleosome position. 7SK occupies enhancers and super enhancers genome-wide, and 7SK is required to limit eRNA initiation and synthesis in a manner distinct from promoter pausing. Clustered elements at super enhancers uniquely require 7SK to prevent convergent transcription of colliding polymerases. 7SK inhibits enhancer transcription by modulating chromatin structure, physically interacts with the BAF chromatin remodeling complex, and is required to recruit BAF to enhancers. Thus, 7SK employs distinct mechanisms to counteract diverse consequences of pervasive transcription that distinguish super enhancers, enhancers, and promoters
Project description:Eukaryotic genomes are extensively transcribed, but unfettered transcription alters gene expression and leads to genome damage by several means. Divergent transcription occurs at active enhancers and promoters, distinct classes of cis-regulatory elements critical for precise control of gene expression. A key step in RNA Polymerase II (Pol II) transcription is promoter-proximal pausing, which occurs bidirectionally ~25-60 nucleotides downstream of transcription start sites (TSS). Promoter-proximal pause release is gated by the positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb)-7SK snRNA pathway; release from 7SK allows P-TEFb phosphorylation of Pol II and subsequent elongation. The 7SK small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (snRNP) is thought to reside in the nucleoplasm, but it has been suggested that 7SK could operate physically on chromatin. Notably, while enhancer transcription is one of the earliest steps of gene activation12 and some enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) participate in gene regulation, far less is known about the control of eRNA transcription. Here we show that 7SK inhibits enhancer transcription by modulating nucleosome position. 7SK occupies enhancers and super enhancers genome-wide, and 7SK is required to limit eRNA initiation and synthesis in a manner distinct from promoter pausing. Clustered elements at super enhancers uniquely require 7SK to prevent convergent transcription of colliding polymerases. 7SK inhibits enhancer transcription by modulating chromatin structure, physically interacts with the BAF chromatin remodeling complex, and is required to recruit BAF to enhancers. Thus, 7SK employs distinct mechanisms to counteract diverse consequences of pervasive transcription that distinguish super enhancers, enhancers, and promoters