Translatome Profiling Research Articles

Perinuclear damage from nuclear envelope deterioration elicits stress responses that contribute to LMNA cardiomyopathy.

Mutations in the LMNA gene encoding lamins A/C cause an array of tissue-selective diseases, with the heart being the most commonly affected organ. Despite progress in understanding the perturbations emanating from LMNA mutations, an integrative understanding of the pathogenesis underlying cardiac dysfunction remains elusive. Using a novel conditional deletion model capable of translatome profiling, we observed that cardiomyocyte-specific Lmna deletion in adult mice led to rapid cardiomyopathy with pathological remodeling. Before cardiac dysfunction, Lmna-deleted cardiomyocytes displayed nuclear abnormalities, Golgi dilation/fragmentation, and CREB3-mediated stress activation. Translatome profiling identified MED25 activation, a transcriptional cofactor that regulates Golgi stress. Autophagy is disrupted in the hearts of these mice, which can be recapitulated by disrupting the Golgi. Systemic administration of modulators of autophagy or ER stress significantly delayed cardiac dysfunction and prolonged survival. These studies support a hypothesis wherein stress responses emanating from the perinuclear space contribute to the LMNA cardiomyopathy development.

Abstract 435: A key regulatory role of the translation initiation factor DAP5 in the metabolic reprogramming of metastatic breast cancer

Abstract Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one of the most aggressive subtypes of breast cancer, accounting for 10-15% of all breast cancers in women. The frequency of metastasis in TNBC is disproportionally high compared to other subtypes of breast cancer and is the primary cause of patient mortality. At the cellular level, TNBC's aggressive nature demands rapid adaptation of the tumor cells to navigate cellular stressors for survival and metastatic transformation. These survival adaptations include a cancer cell’s ability to reprogram its metabolism and regulate mRNA translation control, coordinating alternative pathways to retain a selective proteome and metabolites that will aid in survival, proliferation, and migration. Advanced cancers, including TNBC, are generally highly glycolytic, and have lower rates of mitochondrial respiration (OXPHOS), a phenomenon known as the Warburg effect. This metabolic shift prioritizes the generation of essential metabolic intermediates, to facilitate the production of cellular biomass and fuel proliferation. Another notable alternative pathway is mediated by the ubiquitously expressed translation initiation factor, Death Associated Protein 5 (DAP5). DAP5 is a homolog of eIF4G and mediates translation independently of the canonical mTORC1/eIF4E pathway. Our findings suggest that this alternative translation initiation plays a crucial role in regulating the metabolic reprogramming of metastatic breast cancer. This non-canonical pathway via DAP5 facilitates the selective translation of 20-30% cap-dependent mRNAs, many of which are essential in cancer cell survival, migration, and metabolism. Importantly, it has recently been shown that DAP5 is critical for breast cancer metastasis but not in primary tumor development. Furthermore, TNBC patient data shows that elevated levels of DAP5 mRNA are correlated with poor survival and metastasis. Our data, using the highly metastatic TNBC cell line, MDA-MB-231, demonstrated that silencing DAP5 significantly reduced glycolytic rate and glycolytic capacity. Consistent with these findings, translatome profiling, showed that DAP5 silencing reduced numerous metabolic targets including glycolytic enzymes and metabolite transporters. Calcium (Ca2+) signaling, which has an important role in cancer progression, migration, and cellular bioenergetics is also affected by DAP5 in TNBC cells. Collectively, our findings indicate that breast cancer cells utilize the translation initiation factor DAP5 to selectively translate mRNAs that support metabolic reprogramming and cell migration, suggesting that DAP5 has a key regulatory role in the cancer’s transformation. Citation Format: Erna Mitaishvili, Guilherme Henrique Souza Bomfim, Anna Zou, Moira Sauane, Rodrigo Lacruz, Columba de la Parra. A key regulatory role of the translation initiation factor DAP5 in the metabolic reprogramming of metastatic breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 435.

Translatome profiling reveals Itih4 as a novel smooth muscle cell-specific gene in atherosclerosis.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and their derivatives are key contributors to the development of atherosclerosis. However, studying changes in SMC gene expression in heterogeneous vascular tissues is challenging due to the technical limitations and high cost associated with current approaches. In this paper, we apply translating ribosome affinity purification sequencing to profile SMC-specific gene expression directly from tissue. To facilitate SMC-specific translatome analysis, we generated SMCTRAP mice, a transgenic mouse line expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-tagged ribosomal protein L10a (EGFP-L10a) under the control of the SMC-specific αSMA promoter. These mice were further crossed with the atherosclerosis model Ldlr-/-, ApoB100/100 to generate SMCTRAP-AS mice and used to profile atherosclerosis-associated SMCs in thoracic aorta samples of 15-month-old SMCTRAP and SMCTRAP-AS mice. Our analysis of SMCTRAP-AS mice showed that EGFP-L10a expression was localized to SMCs in various tissues, including the aortic wall and plaque. The TRAP fraction demonstrated high enrichment of known SMC-specific genes, confirming the specificity of our approach. We identified several genes, including Cemip, Lum, Mfge8, Spp1, and Serpina3, which are known to be involved in atherosclerosis-induced gene expression. Moreover, we identified several novel genes not previously linked to SMCs in atherosclerosis, such as Anxa4, Cd276, inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor-4 (Itih4), Myof, Pcdh11x, Rab31, Serpinb6b, Slc35e4, Slc8a3, and Spink5. Among them, we confirmed the SMC-specific expression of Itih4 in atherosclerotic lesions using immunofluorescence staining of mouse aortic roots and spatial transcriptomics of human carotid arteries. Furthermore, our more detailed analysis of Itih4 showed its link to coronary artery disease through the colocalization of genome-wide association studies, splice quantitative trait loci (QTL), and protein QTL signals. We generated a SMC-specific TRAP mouse line to study atherosclerosis and identified Itih4 as a novel SMC-expressed gene in atherosclerotic plaques, warranting further investigation of its putative function in extracellular matrix stability and genetic evidence of causality.

Molecular Profile of the HepG2 Tumor Cell Line

Cell lines are widely used in scientific research due to their accessibility, stability, and functional similarity to the original cells. The HepG2 line, being the fourth most popular cell culture, is often used in toxicological and metabolic studies due to its partial retention of hepatocyte properties.In our study, the molecular portrait of the HepG2 cell culture was constructed for the first time. To build this portrait, we used previously obtained data for a single sample, including results of whole-genome sequencing (WGS), whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS), transcriptome (RNA-seq), translatome (Polysome-seq), and proteome (LC-MS/MS) profiling. For the assessment of HepG2 cell line heterogeneity, we analyzed whole-genome and transcriptome data published in the NCBI SRA database, as well as proteome research results available in the PRIDE resource.Our study showed that the HepG2 cell line generally demonstrates a high degree of stability at the genomic and transcriptomic levels; however, samples from China require closer attention when transferring the results of transcriptomic and proteomic experiments. The HepG2 genotype is characterized by stable chromosomal rearrangements, such as translocation between the short arms of chromosomes 1p and 21p, tetrasomy of chromosome 20, loss of the short arm of all SAT chromosomes, and the long arm of the Y chromosome. Despite the absence of 1216 protein-coding genes at the genomic level, 12,602 genes are expressed at the transcriptomic level, of which only 10,461 are detected at the translatome level, and only 1027 genes are identified at the proteome level, which is related to the limitations of mass spectrometry sensitivity. As a result of the omics data analysis, we presented a detailed molecular portrait of the HepG2 cell culture, illustrating the omics profile at various levels for each gene.

Small but mighty: the rise of microprotein biology in neuroscience.

The mammalian central nervous system coordinates a network of signaling pathways and cellular interactions, which enable a myriad of complex cognitive and physiological functions. While traditional efforts to understand the molecular basis of brain function have focused on well-characterized proteins, recent advances in high-throughput translatome profiling have revealed a staggering number of proteins translated from non-canonical open reading frames (ncORFs) such as 5' and 3' untranslated regions of annotated proteins, out-of-frame internal ORFs, and previously annotated non-coding RNAs. Of note, microproteins < 100 amino acids (AA) that are translated from such ncORFs have often been neglected due to computational and biochemical challenges. Thousands of putative microproteins have been identified in cell lines and tissues including the brain, with some serving critical biological functions. In this perspective, we highlight the recent discovery of microproteins in the brain and describe several hypotheses that have emerged concerning microprotein function in the developing and mature nervous system.

Abstract P1157: Perinuclear Damage From Nuclear Envelope Deterioration Elicits Stress Responses That Contribute To Lmna Cardiomyopathy

Mutations in the LMNA gene encoding nuclear lamins A/C cause a diverse array of tissue-selective diseases, with the heart being the most commonly affected organ. Despite progress in understanding the molecular perturbations emanating from LMNA mutations, an integrative understanding of the pathogenesis leading to cardiac dysfunction remains elusive. Nuclear envelope damage resulting from LMNA mutations is widely observed and accepted to be involved in the disease pathogenesis but how it contributes is not well understood. To this end, we performed a detailed kinetic study using a temporally controlled, cardiomyocyte-specific deletion model of Lmna to elucidate the progression of the disease. We found that cardiomyocyte-specific Lmna deletion in 12 weeks-old adult mice led to rapid cardiomyopathy with pathological remodeling. Prior to the onset of cardiac dysfunction, lamin A/C-depleted cardiomyocytes displayed nuclear envelope deterioration and extensive damage to the perinuclear space. Perinuclear mitochondria and golgi are particularly affected, leading to mitochondrial loss as well as golgi dilation/fragmentation and CREB3-mediated golgi stress activation. Translatome profiling identified upregulation of Med25, a transcriptional co-factor that can selectively dampen UPR axes. Autophagy is disrupted in the hearts of these mice, which can be recapitulated by disrupting the golgi or inducing nuclear damage by increased matrix stiffness. Systemic administration of pharmacological modulators of autophagy or ER stress significantly improved the cardiac function. These studies support a hypothesis wherein stress responses emanating from the perinuclear space contribute to the development of LMNA cardiomyopathy.

Smooth muscle cell-specific translatome profiling of mouse atherosclerosis uncovers SMC-derived microenvironmental factor in atherosclerotic plaques

Smooth muscle cell-specific translatome profiling of mouse atherosclerosis uncovers SMC-derived microenvironmental factor in atherosclerotic plaques

Transcriptional and translational landscape fine-tune genome annotation and explores translation control in cotton

IntroductionThe unavailability of intergenic region annotation in whole genome sequencing and pan-genomics hinders efforts to enhance crop improvement. ObjectivesDespite advances in research, the impact of post-transcriptional regulation on fiber development and translatome profiling at different stages of fiber growth in cotton (G. hirsutum) remains unexplored. MethodsWe utilized a combination of reference-guided de novo transcriptome assembly and ribosome profiling techniques to uncover the hidden mechanisms of translational control in eight distinct tissues of upland cotton. ResultsOur study identified P-site distribution at three-nucleotide periodicity and dominant ribosome footprint at 27 nucleotides. Specifically, we have detected 1,589 small open reading frames (sORFs), including 1,376 upstream ORFs (uORFs) and 213 downstream ORFs (dORFs), as well as 552 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) with potential coding functions, which fine-tune the annotation of the cotton genome. Further, we have identified novel genes and lncRNAs with strong translation efficiency (TE), while sORFs were found to affect mRNA transcription levels during fiber elongation. The reliability of these findings was confirmed by the high consistency in correlation and synergetic fold change between RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and Ribosome-sequencing (Ribo-seq) analyses. Additionally, integrated omics analysis of the normal fiber ZM24 and short fiber pag1 cotton mutant revealed several differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and fiber-specific expressed (high/low) genes associated with sORFs (uORFs and dORFs). These findings were further supported by the overexpression and knockdown of GhKCS6, a gene associated with sORFs in cotton, and demonstrated the potential regulation of the mechanism governing fiber elongation on both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. ConclusionReference-guided transcriptome assembly and the identification of novel transcripts fine-tune the annotation of the cotton genome and predicted the landscape of fiber development. Our approach provided a high-throughput method, based on multi-omics, for discovering unannotated ORFs, hidden translational control, and complex regulatory mechanisms in crop plants.

Identification of Ribosomal Footprints on the Electrophoretic Gel in Translatome Profiling: on the Use of DNA Size Standards

The commercial DNA ladder was tested as a substitute for RNA size standards to identify ribosomal footprints (RNA fragments of about 30 nucleotides long) on an electrophoretic polyacrylamide gel for the purposes of translatome profiling. It has been found that 25 and 35 nucleotides long synthetic RNA oligonucleotides do migrate slower than the synthetic DNA oligonucleotides of the matching length and sequences and their positions on the gel coincide with those of 30 and 40 nucleotides long DNA oligonucleotides, correspondingly, of the commercial IDT 20/100 DNA oligo length standards. By using this DNA ladder and RNA isolated from the preparation enriched in ribosomes (obtained by fractionating on MicroSpin S-400 columns the HepG2 cell lysate treated with RNase I), the position of a band of putative ribosomal footprints can be identified on a gel that has been verified by measuring in an RNA-seq experiment the length of RNA fragments extracted from the band.

Cognate microglia-T cell interactions shape the functional regulatory T cell pool in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis pathology.

Microglia, the parenchymal brain macrophages of the central nervous system, have emerged as critical players in brain development and homeostasis. The immune functions of these cells, however, remain less well defined. We investigated contributions of microglia in a relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis paradigm, experimental autoimmune encephalitis in C57BL/6 x SJL F1 mice. Fate mapping-assisted translatome profiling during the relapsing-remitting disease course revealed the potential of microglia to interact with T cells through antigen presentation, costimulation and coinhibition. Abundant microglia-T cell aggregates, as observed by histology and flow cytometry, supported the idea of functional interactions of microglia and T cells during remission, with a bias towards regulatory T cells. Finally, microglia-restricted interferon-γ receptor and major histocompatibility complex mutagenesis significantly affected the functionality of the regulatory T cell compartment in the diseased central nervous system and remission. Collectively, our data establish critical non-redundant cognate and cytokine-mediated interactions of microglia with CD4+ T cells during autoimmune neuroinflammation.

SeedTransNet: a directional translational network revealing regulatory patterns during seed maturation and germination.

Seed maturation is the developmental process that prepares the embryo for the desiccated waiting period before germination. It is associated with a series of physiological changes leading to the establishment of seed dormancy, seed longevity, and desiccation tolerance. We studied translational changes during seed maturation and observed a gradual reduction in global translation during seed maturation. Transcriptome and translatome profiling revealed specific reduction in the translation of thousands of genes. By including previously published data on germination and seedling establishment, a regulatory network based on polysome occupancy data was constructed: SeedTransNet. Network analysis predicted translational regulatory pathways involving hundreds of genes with distinct functions. The network identified specific transcript sequence features suggesting separate translational regulatory circuits. The network revealed several seed maturation-associated genes as central nodes, and this was confirmed by specific seed phenotypes of the respective mutants. One of the regulators identified, an AWPM19 family protein, PM19-Like1 (PM19L1), was shown to regulate seed dormancy and longevity. This putative RNA-binding protein also affects the translational regulation of its target mRNA, as identified by SeedTransNet. Our data show the usefulness of SeedTransNet in identifying regulatory pathways during seed phase transitions.

Capture, release, and identification of newly synthesized proteins for improved translatome profiling

Capture, release, and identification of newly synthesized proteins for improved translatome profiling

Ciliogenesis requires sphingolipid-dependent membrane and axoneme interaction

Cilium formation and regeneration requires new protein synthesis, but the underlying cytosolic translational reprogramming remains largely unknown. Using ribosome footprinting, we performed global translatome profiling during cilia regeneration in Chlamydomonas and uncovered that flagellar genes undergo an early transcriptional activation but late translational repression. This pattern guided our identification of sphingolipid metabolism enzymes, including serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT), as essential regulators for ciliogenesis. Cryo-electron tomography showed that ceramide loss abnormally increased the membrane-axoneme distance and generated bulged cilia. We found that ceramides interact with intraflagellar transport (IFT) particle proteins that IFT motors transport along axoneme microtubules (MTs), suggesting that ceramide-IFT particle-IFT motor-MT interactions connect the ciliary membrane with the axoneme to form rod-shaped cilia. SPT-deficient vertebrate cells were defective in ciliogenesis, and SPT mutations from patients with hereditary sensory neuropathy disrupted cilia, which could be restored by sphingolipid supplementation. These results reveal a conserved role of sphingolipid in cilium formation and link compromised sphingolipid production with ciliopathies.

Gut microbiota dysbiosis-derived macrophage pyroptosis causes polycystic ovary syndrome via steroidogenesis disturbance and apoptosis of granulosa cells

Gut microbiota dysbiosis is critical in the etiology of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). However, the mechanisms of gut microbiota in PCOS pathogenesis have not been fully elucidated. We aimed to explore the role of gut microbiota-derived macrophage pyroptosis in PCOS. This study conducted dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) induced PCOS mice model, 16S rDNA sequencing, western blot, genetic knocking out, transcriptome and translatome profiling, et al. to evaluate the underlying mechanisms. 16S rDNA sequencing showed reduced gut Akkermansia and elevated gram-negative bacteria (Desulfovibrio and Burkholderia) abundances in DHEA induced PCOS mice, which was accompanied by increased serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS). LPS could induce macrophage pyroptosis in mice ovaries, also activated in PCOS. Gasdermin D (GSDMD) is the final executor of macrophage pyroptosis. We demonstrated that Gsdmd knockout in mice could dramatically ameliorate PCOS. Mechanistically, transcriptome and translatome profiling revealed that macrophage pyroptosis disrupted estrogen production and promoted apoptosis of granulosa cells. Interferon (IFN)-γ, which was elevated in PCOS mice serum and ovaries, enhanced macrophage pyroptosis and exacerbated its effect on estrogen receptor in granulosa cells. Inspiringly, we identified that disulfiram and metformin could augment gut Akkermansia abundance, reduce serum IFN-γ level, inhibit macrophage pyroptosis in ovaries, therefore ameliorating PCOS. Collectively, this study emphasizes that macrophage pyroptosis, which was induced by gut microbiota dysbiosis and enhanced by IFN-γ, plays a key role in PCOS pathogenesis through estrogen synthesis dysfunction and apoptosis of granulosa cells. Disulfiram and metformin, which enhanced gut Akkermansia abundance and suppressed macrophage pyroptosis, may be considered as potential therapeutic strategies for PCOS.

The Identity of the Constriction Region of the Ribosomal Exit Tunnel Is Important to Maintain Gene Expression in Escherichia coli.

ABSTRACTMutational changes in bacterial ribosomes often affect gene expression and consequently cellular fitness. Understanding how mutant ribosomes disrupt global gene expression is critical to determining key genetic factors that affect bacterial survival. Here, we describe gene expression and phenotypic changes presented in Escherichia coli cells carrying an uL22(K90D) mutant ribosomal protein, which displayed alterations during growth. Ribosome profiling analyses revealed reduced expression of operons involved in catabolism, indole production, and lysine-dependent acid resistance. In general, translation initiation of proximal genes in several of these affected operons was substantially reduced. These reductions in expression were accompanied by increases in the expression of acid-induced membrane proteins and chaperones, the glutamate-decarboxylase regulon, and the autoinducer-2 metabolic regulon. In agreement with these changes, uL22(K90D) mutant cells had higher glutamate decarboxylase activity, survived better in extremely acidic conditions, and generated more biofilm in static cultures compared to their parental strain. Our work demonstrates that a single mutation in a non-conserved residue of a ribosomal protein affects a substantial number of genes to alter pH resistance and the formation of biofilms.IMPORTANCE All newly synthesized proteins must pass through a channel in the ribosome named the exit tunnel before emerging into the cytoplasm, membrane, and other compartments. The structural characteristics of the tunnel could govern protein folding and gene expression in a species-specific manner but how the identity of tunnel elements influences gene expression is less well-understood. Our global transcriptomics and translatome profiling demonstrate that a single substitution in a non-conserved amino acid of the E. coli tunnel protein uL22 has a profound impact on catabolism, cellular signaling, and acid resistance systems. Consequently, cells bearing the uL22 mutant ribosomes had an increased ability to survive acidic conditions and form biofilms. This work reveals a previously unrecognized link between tunnel identity and bacterial stress adaptation involving pH response and biofilm formation.

Dopamine neuron-specific LRRK2 G2019S effects on gene expression revealed by translatome profiling

Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) mutations are the most common genetic cause of late-onset Parkinson's disease. The pathogenic G2019S mutation enhances LRRK2 kinase activity and induces neurodegeneration in C. elegans, Drosophila and rodent models through unclear mechanisms. Gene expression profiling has the potential to provide detailed insight into the biological pathways modulated by LRRK2 kinase activity. Prior in vivo studies have surveyed the effects of LRRK2 G2019S on genome-wide mRNA expression in complex brain tissues with high cellular heterogeneity, limiting their power to detect more restricted gene expression changes occurring in a cell type-specific manner. Here, we used translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP) coupled to RNA-seq to profile dopamine neuron–specific gene expression changes caused by LRRK2 G2019S in the Drosophila CNS. A number of genes were differentially expressed in the presence of mutant LRRK2 that represent a broad range of molecular functions including DNA repair (RfC3), mRNA metabolism and translation (Ddx1 and lin-28), calcium homeostasis (MCU), and other categories (Ugt37c1, disp, l(1)G0196, CG6602, CG1126 and CG11068). Further analysis on a subset of these genes revealed that LRRK2 G2019S did not alter their expression across the whole brain, consistent with dopamine neuron–specific effects uncovered by the TRAP approach that may yield insight into the neurodegenerative process. To our knowledge, this is the first study to profile the effects of LRRK2 G2019S specifically on DA neuron gene expression in vivo. Beyond providing a set of differentially expressed gene candidates relevant to LRRK2, we demonstrate the effective use of TRAP to perform high-resolution assessment of dopamine neuron gene expression for the study of PD.

Large-scale translatome profiling annotates the functional genome and reveals the key role of genic 3′ untranslated regions in translatomic variation in plants

The translatome, a profile of the translational status of genetic information within cells, provides a new perspective on gene expression. Although many plant genomes have been sequenced, comprehensive translatomic annotations are not available for plants due to a lack of efficient translatome profiling techniques. Here, we developed a new technique termed 3′ ribosome-profiling sequencing (3′Ribo-seq) for reliable, robust translatomic profiling. 3′Ribo-seq combines polysome profiling and 3′ selection with a barcoding and pooling strategy. Systematic translatome profiling of different tissues of Arabidopsis, rice, and maize using conventional ribosome profiling (Ribo-seq) and 3′Ribo-seq revealed many novel translational genomic loci, thereby complementing functional genome annotation in plants. Using the low-cost, efficient 3′Ribo-seq technique and genome-wide association mapping of translatome expression (eGWAS), we performed a population-level dissection of the translatomes of 159 diverse maize inbred lines and identified 1,777 translational expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs). Notably, local eQTLs are significantly enriched in the 3′ untranslated regions of genes. Detailed eQTL analysis suggested that sequence variation around the polyadenylation (polyA) signal motif plays a key role in translatomic variation. Our study provides a comprehensive translatome annotation of plant functional genomes and introduces 3′Ribo-seq, which paves the way for deep translatomic analysis at the population level.

Nα-terminal acetylation of proteins by NatA and NatB serves distinct physiological roles in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

N-terminal (Nt) acetylation is a highly prevalent co-translational protein modification in eukaryotes, catalyzed by at least five Nt acetyltransferases (Nats) with differing specificities. Nt acetylation has been implicated in protein quality control, but its broad biological significance remains elusive. We investigate the roles of the two major Nats of S.cerevisiae, NatA and NatB, by performing transcriptome, translatome, and proteome profiling of natAΔ and natBΔ mutants. Our results reveal a range of NatA- and NatB-specific phenotypes. NatA is implicated in systemic adaptation control, because natAΔ mutants display altered expression of transposons, sub-telomeric genes, pheromone response genes, and nuclear genes encoding mitochondrial ribosomal proteins. NatB predominantly affects protein folding, because natBΔ mutants, to a greater extent than natA mutants, accumulate protein aggregates, induce stress responses, and display reduced fitness in the absence of the ribosome-associated chaperone Ssb. These phenotypic differences indicate that controlling Nat activities may serve to elicit distinct cellular responses.

Microglia Control CNS T Regulatory Cell Activity During Remission From EAE Pathology

Microglia, the parenchymal brain macrophages of the central nerve system (CNS), have emerged as critical players in brain development and homeostasis. However, immune functions of these cells remain less well defined. We investigated contributions of microglia in a relapsing remitting (RR) multiple sclerosis paradigm, experimental autoimmune encephalitis (RR-EAE) in C57BL/6 / SJL F1 mice. Fate mapping-assisted translatome profiling during the RR disease course revealed the potential of microglia to interact with T cells through antigen presentation, co-stimulation and co-inhibition. Abundant microglia / T cell aggregates, as observed by histology and flow cytometry, supported the notion of functional interactions during remission, with a bias towards T regulatory cells. Finally, microglia ablation and microglia-restricted Ifnγ receptor mutagenesis, while compatible with EAE onset, significantly affected the T cell compartment of the animals and remission. Collectively, our data establish critical interactions of microglia with T cells during autoimmune neuro-degeneration.

Translatome and Transcriptome Profiling of Hypoxic-Induced Rat Cardiomyocytes

Adult cardiac hypoxia as a crucial pathogenesis factor can induce detrimental effects on cardiac injury and dysfunction. The global transcriptome and translatome reflecting the cellular response to hypoxia have not yet been extensively studied in myocardium. In this study, we conducted RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and ribosome profiling technique (polyribo-seq) in rat heart tissues and H9C2 cells exposed to different periods of hypoxia stress in vivo and in vitro. The temporal gene-expression profiling displayed the distinction of transcriptome and translatome, which were mainly concentrated in cell apoptosis, autophagy, DNA repair, angiogenesis, vascular process, and cardiac cell proliferation and differentiation. A large number of genes such as GNAI3, SEPT4, FANCL, BNIP3, TBX3, ESR2, PTGS2, KLF4, and ADRB2, whose transcript and translation levels are closely correlated, were identified to own a common RNA motif “5′-GAAGCUGCC-3′” in 5′ UTR. NCBP3 was further determined to recognize this RNA motif and facilitate translational process in myocardium under hypoxia stress. Taken together, our data show the close connection between alterations of transcriptome and translatome after hypoxia exposure, emphasizing the significance of translational regulation in related studies. The profiled molecular responses in current study may be valuable resources for advanced understanding of the mechanisms underlying hypoxia-induced effect on heart diseases.