Disruption of PABPN1 phase separation by SNRPD2 drives colorectal cancer cell proliferation and migration through promoting alternative polyadenylation of CTNNBIP1

Generally shortened 3′UTR due to alternative polyadenylation(APA)is widely observed in cancer,but its regulation mechanisms for cancer are not well characterized.Here,with profiling of APA in colorectal cancer tissues and poly(A)signal editing,we firstly identified that the shortened 3′UTR of CTNNIBP1 in colorectal cancer promotes cell proliferation and migration.We found that liquid-liquid phase separation(LLPS)of PABPN1 is reduced albeit with higher expression in cancer,and the reduction of LLPS leads to the shortened 3′UTR of CTNNBIP1and promotes cell proliferation and migration.Notably,the splicing factor SNRPD2 upregulated in colorectal cancer,can interact with glutamic-proline(EP)domain of PABPN1,and then disrupt LLPS of PABPN1,which attenuates the repression effect of PABPN1 on the proximal poly(A)sites.Our results firstly reveal a new regulation mechanism of APA by disruption of LLPS of PABPN1,suggesting that regulation of APA by interfering LLPS of 3′end processing factor may have the potential as a new way for the treatment of cancer.

Animal models for COVID-19:advances,gaps and perspectives

COVID-19,caused by SARS-CoV-2,is the most consequential pandemic of this century.Since the outbreak in late 2019,animal models have been playing crucial roles in aiding the rapid development of vaccines/drugs for prevention and therapy,as well as understanding the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and immune responses of hosts.However,the current animal models have some deficits and there is an urgent need for novel models to evaluate the virulence of variants of concerns(VOC),antibodydependent enhancement(ADE),and various comorbidities of COVID-19.This review summarizes the clinical features of COVID-19 in different populations,and the characteristics of the major animal models of SARS-CoV-2,including those naturally susceptible animals,such as non-human primates,Syrian hamster,ferret,minks,poultry,livestock,and mouse models sensitized by genetically modified,AAV/adenoviral transduced,mouse-adapted strain of SARS-CoV-2,and by engraftment of human tissues or cells.Since understanding the host receptors and proteases is essential for designing advanced genetically modified animal models,successful studies on receptors and proteases are also reviewed.Several improved alternatives for future mouse models are proposed,including the reselection of alternative receptor genes or multiple gene combinations,the use of transgenic or knock-in method,and different strains for establishing the next generation of genetically modified mice.

U1 snRNP proteins promote proximal alternative polyadenylation sites by directly interacting with 3'end processing core factors

In eukaryotic cells,both alternative splicing and alternative polyadenylation(APA)play essential roles in the gene regulation network.U1 small ribonucleoprotein particle(U1 snRNP)is a major component of spliceosome,and U1 snRNP complex can suppress proximal APA sites through crosstalking with 3end processing factors.However,here we show that both knockdown and overexpression of SNRPA,SNRPC,SNRNP70,and SNRPD2,the U1 snRNP proteins,promote the usage of proximal APA sites at the transcriptome level.SNRNP70 can drive the phase transition of PABPN1 from droplet to aggregate,which may reduce the repressive effects of PABPN1 on the proximal APA sites.Additionally,SNRNP70 can also promote the proximal APA sites by recruiting CPSF6,suggesting that the function of CPSF6 on APA is related with other RNA-binding proteins and cell context-dependent.Consequently,these results reveal that,on the contrary to U1 snRNP complex,the free proteins of U1 snRNP complex can promote proximal APA sites through the interaction with 3end processing machinery.