• Molecules and Cells
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• 제46권1호
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• pp.10-20
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• 2023

Antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) technology has become an attractive therapeutic modality for various diseases, including Mendelian disorders. ASOs can modulate the expression of a target gene by promoting mRNA degradation or changing pre-mRNA splicing, nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, or translation. Advances in medicinal chemistry and a deeper understanding of post-transcriptional mechanisms have led to the approval of several ASO drugs for diseases that had long lacked therapeutic options. For instance, an ASO drug called nusinersen became the first approved drug for spinal muscular atrophy, improving survival and the overall disease course. Mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene cause cystic fibrosis (CF). Although Trikafta and other CFTR-modulation therapies benefit most CF patients, there is a significant unmet therapeutic need for a subset of CF patients. In this review, we introduce ASO therapies and their mechanisms of action, describe the opportunities and challenges for ASO therapeutics for CF, and discuss the current state and prospects of ASO therapies for CF.

• Molecules and Cells
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• 제20권2호
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• pp.167-172
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• 2005

Ceruloplasmin (Cp) is a copper protein with important functions in iron homeostasis and in inflammation. Cp mRNA expression is induced by interferon (IFN)-${\gamma}$ in U937 monocytic cells, but synthesis of Cp protein is halted after about 12 h by transcript-specific translational silencing. The silencing mechanism requires binding of a 4-component cytosolic inhibitor complex, IFN-gamma-activated inhibitor of translation (GAIT), to a defined structural element (GAIT element) in the Cp 3'-UTR. Translational silencing of Cp mRNA requires the essential proteins of mRNA circularization, suggesting that the translational inhibition requires end-to-end mRNA closure. These studies describe a new mechanism of translational control, and may shed light on the role that macrophage-derived Cp plays at the intersection of iron homeostasis and inflammation.

• BMB Reports
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• 제49권4호
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• pp.199-200
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• 2016

Gene regulation in the brain is essential for long-term plasticity and memory formation. Despite this established notion, the quantitative translational map in the brain during memory formation has not been reported. To systematically probe the changes in protein synthesis during memory formation, our recent study exploited ribosome profiling using the mouse hippocampal tissues at multiple time points after a learning event. Analysis of the resulting database revealed novel types of gene regulation after learning. First, the translation of a group of genes was rapidly suppressed without change in mRNA levels. At later time points, the expression of another group of genes was downregulated through reduction in mRNA levels. This reduction was predicted to be downstream of inhibition of ESR1 (Estrogen Receptor 1) signaling. Overexpressing Nrsn1, one of the genes whose translation was suppressed, or activating ESR1 by injecting an agonist interfered with memory formation, suggesting the functional importance of these findings. Moreover, the translation of genes encoding the translational machineries was found to be suppressed, among other genes in the mouse hippocampus. Together, this unbiased approach has revealed previously unidentified characteristics of gene regulation in the brain and highlighted the importance of repressive controls.

• Animal cells and systems
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• 제14권3호
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• pp.147-154
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• 2010

It is well-established that phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) regulates myogenesis by inducing transcription of myogenin, a key muscle regulatory factor, at the initiation of myoblast differentiation. In this study, we investigated the role of PI3-kinase in cells that have committed to differentiation. PI3-kinase activity increases during myogenesis, and this increase is sustained during the myogenic process; however, its function after the induction of differentiation has not been investigated. We show that LY294002, a PI3-kinase inhibitor, blocked myoblast fusion even after myogenin expression initially increased. In contrast to the inhibitory effects of LY294002 on myogenin mRNA levels during the initiation of differentiation, LY294002 blocked the accumulation of myogenin protein without affecting its mRNA level after differentiation was induced. Treatment with cycloheximide, a translation inhibitor, or actinomycin D, a transcription inhibitor, indicated that the stability of myogenin protein is lower than that of its mRNA. LY294002 inhibited the activities of several important translation factors, including eukaryotic elongation factor-2(eEF2), by altering their phosphorylation status. In addition, LY294002 blocked the incorporation of [$^{35}S$]methionine into newly synthesized proteins. Since myogenin has a relatively short half-life, LY294002-mediated inhibition of post-transcriptional processes resulted in a rapid depletion of myogenin protein. In summary, these results suggest that PI3-kinase plays an important role in regulating the expression of myogenin through post-transcriptional mechanisms after differentiation has been induced.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• 제5권4호
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• pp.184-188
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• 2000

HMG-CoA reductase is th rate-limiting enzyme of cholesterol biosynthesis. As intracellular levels of cholesterol should be regulated elaborately in response to external stimuli an internal needs, the expression of the HMG-CoA reductase gene is regulated intricately at several different levels from transcription to post-translational modification. In this study, we investigated the regulatory mechanism of HMG-CoA reductase gene expression at the post-transcriptional/pre-translational levels in a baby hamster kidney cell line, C100. when 25-hydroxycholesterol was added to cells cultured in medium containing 5% delipidized fetal bovine serum and 25$\mu$M lovastatin, the levels of HMG-CoA reductase mRNA decreased rapidly, which seemed to be due to the increased degradation of reductase mRNA. These suppressive effects of 25-hydroxycholesterol on MG-CoA reductase mRNA levels were blocked by a translation inhibitor, cycloheximide. Similarly, actinomycin D and 5,6-dichloro-1-$\beta$-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole, transcription inhibitors, blocked the 25-hydroxycholesterol-mediated degradation of HMG-CoA reductase mRNA. These results indicate that new protein/RNA synthesis is required for the degradation of HMG-CoA reductase mRNA. In addition, data from the transfection experiments shows that cis-acting determinants, regulating the stability of reductase mRNA, were scattered in the sequence corresponding to 1766-4313 based on the sequence of Syrian hamster HMG-CoA reductase cDNA. Our data suggests that sterol-mediated destabilization of reductase mRNA might be one of the important regulatory mechanism of HMG-CoA reductase gene expression.

• BMB Reports
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• 제56권9호
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• pp.514-519
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• 2023

Methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3), a key component of the m⁶A methyltransferase complex, regulates the splicing, nuclear transport, stability, and translation of its target genes. However, the mechanism underlying the regulation of METTL3 expression by alternative splicing (AS) remains unknown. We analyzed the expression pattern of METTL3 after AS in human tissues and confirmed the expression of an isoform retaining introns 8 and 9 (METTL3-IR). We confirmed the different intracellular localizations of METTL3-IR and METTL3 proteins using immunofluorescence microscopy. Furthermore, the endogenous expression of METTL3-IR at the protein level was different from that at the mRNA level. We found that 3'-UTR generation by intron retention (IR) inhibited the export of METTL3-IR mRNA to the cytoplasm, which in turn suppressed protein expression. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to confirm the regulation of METTL3 gene expression by AS, providing evidence that the suppression of METTL3 protein expression by IR is an integral part of the mechanism by which 3'-UTR generation regulates protein expression via inhibition of RNA export to the cytoplasm.

• 미생물학회지
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• 제30권6호
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• pp.466-471
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• 1992

HTLV-I 의 gag-pro 유전자 중첩영역내에서 -1 ribosomal frameshifting 이 일어나는 자리를 결정하기 위하여 gag-pro 중첩영역의 일부를 SP6 promoter 를 가진 백터내에 클로닝하였다. 그 결과 닭의 prelysozyme 에서 유래한 5개의 아미노산을 코드하는 합성유전자와 141 bp 로된 gag-pro 중첩영역의 뒤에 Straphylococcus aureus 의 protein A 유전자단편이 연결된 hybrid 유전자를 보유한 플라스미드를 제작하였다. 이 DNA 클론을 주형으로 SP6 RNA polymerase 의 작용에 의해 한종류의 mRNA 를 다량으로 합성하였다. Invitro 에서 합성된 mRNA 로 무세포계에서 단백질을 합성한 결과 21 kDal 의 단백질이 생성되었고 IgG-Sepharose 를 사용한 affinity chromatography 로 합성된 단백질을 순수하게 정제할 수 있었다. 본연구에서 설명한 in vitro 실험계는 Gag-Pro transframe 단백질의 신속한 정제 및 일차구조의 결정에 유익하게 사용될 것으로 보이며 이와 같은 실험의 결과 mRNA 에서 ribosomal frameshifting 이 일어나는 정확한 site 를 결정할 수 있을 뿐 같은 실험의 결과 mRNA 에서 ribosomal frameshifting 이 일어나는 정확한 site 를 결정할 수 있을 뿐 아니가 pro 유전자의 발현에 필요한 frameshift 를 유도하는 tRNA 의 동정도 가능하게 될 것이다.

• BMB Reports
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• 제53권12호
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• pp.611-621
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• 2020

Bacterial endoribonuclease toxins belong to a protein family that inhibits bacterial growth by degrading mRNA or rRNA sequences. The toxin genes are organized in pairs with its cognate antitoxins in the chromosome and thus the activities of the toxins are antagonized by antitoxin proteins or RNAs during active translation. In response to a variety of cellular stresses, the endoribonuclease toxins appear to be released from antitoxin molecules via proteolytic cleavage of antitoxin proteins or preferential degradation of antitoxin RNAs and cleave a diverse range of mRNA or rRNA sequences in a sequence-specific or codon-specific manner, resulting in various biological phenomena such as antibiotic tolerance and persister cell formation. Given that substrate specificity of each endoribonuclease toxin is determined by its structure and the composition of active site residues, we summarize the biology, structure, and substrate specificity of the updated bacterial endoribonuclease toxins.

• 생명과학회지
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• 제23권11호
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• pp.1311-1316
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• 2013

hnRNP L은 pre-mRNA에 결합하는 단백질들 중에서 핵심이 되는 단백질이다. hnRNP L은 양이 아주 많은 핵 단백질로서 핵과 세포질을 왕복하는 특성을 지니고 있다. 이 단백질은 염색질 변형(chromatin modification), pre-mRNA 스플라이싱, 인트론이 없는 유전자들에서 유래한 mRNA들의 세포질로의 반출(export), IRES-매개성 번역, mRNA의 안정성 조절, 정자형성과정 등, 세포 내의 여러 가지 과정에 관여하고 있는 것으로 알려져 있다. 이 논문에서는 hnRNP L과 결합하는 세포 내 단백질을 찾아내기 위하여 사람의 간세포 cDNA library를 사용하여 이스트 two-hybrid 탐색 실험을 수행하였다. 그 결과 사람의 간세포에서 IGFBP-4가 hnRNP L과 상호결합하는 새로운 파트너라는 것을 발견하였다. 본 연구를 통하여 hnRNP L이 이스트 two-hybrid 시스템에서 IGFBP-4와 특이적으로 상호 결합한다는 것을 처음으로 발견하였다. 본 연구에서는 또한 이스트 two-hybrid 시스템에서 hnRNP L이 IGFBP-4와 상호결합한다는 점을 in vitro pull-down 실험을 통하여 재확인하였다.

• BMB Reports
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• 제56권2호
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• pp.49-55
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• 2023

Aging is characterized by a gradual decline in biological functions, leading to the increased probability of diseases and deaths in organisms. Previous studies have identified biological factors that modulate aging and lifespan, including non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). Here, we review the relationship between aging and tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs), ncRNAs that are generated from the cleavage of tRNAs. We describe age-dependent changes in tsRNA levels and their functions in age-related diseases, such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. We also discuss the association of tsRNAs with aging-regulating processes, including mitochondrial respiration and reduced mRNA translation. We cover recent findings regarding the potential roles of tsRNAs in cellular senescence, a major cause of organismal aging. Overall, our review will provide useful information for understanding the roles of tsRNAs in aging and age-associated diseases.