OsPRMT6a-mediated arginine methylation of OsJAZ1 regulates jasmonate signaling and spikelet development in rice

Although both protein arginine methylation(PRMT)and jasmonate(JA)signaling are crucial for regulating plant development,the relationship between these processes in the control of spikelet development remains unclear.In this study,we used the CRISPR/Cas9 technology to generate two OsPRMT6a loss-of-function mutants that exhibit various abnormal spikelet structures.Interestingly,we found that OsPRMT6a can methylate arginine residues in JA signal repressors OsJAZ1 and OsJAZ7.We showed that arginine methylation of OsJAZ1 enhances the binding affinity of OsJAZ1 with the JA receptors OsCOI1a and OsCOI1b in the presence of JAs,thereby promoting the ubiquitination of OsJAZ1 by the SCF^(OsCOI1a/OsCOI1b) complex and degradation via the 26S proteasome.This process ultimately releases OsMYC2,a core transcriptional regulator in the JA signaling pathway,to activate or repress JA-responsive genes,thereby maintaining normal plant(spikelet)development.However,in the osprmt6a-1 mutant,reduced arginine methylation of OsJAZ1 impaires the interaction between OsJAZ1 and OsCOI1a/OsCOI1b in the presence of JAs.As a result,OsJAZ1 proteins become more stable,repressing JA responses,thus causing the formation of abnormal spikelet structures.Moreover,we discovered that JA signaling reduces the OsPRMT6a mRNA level in an OsMYC2-dependent manner,thereby establishing a negative feedback loop to balance JA signaling.We further found that OsPRMT6a-mediated arginine methylation of OsJAZ1 likely serves as a switch to tune JA signaling to maintain normal spikelet development under harsh environmental conditions such as high temperatures.Collectively,our study establishes a direct molecular link between arginine methylation and JA signaling in rice.

Deficiency of betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase activates glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase(G6PD)by decreasing arginine methylation of G6PD in hepatocellular carcinogenesis

Betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase(BHMT)regulates protein methylation and is correlated with tumorigenesis;however,the effects and regulation of BHMT in hepatocarcinogenesis remain largely unexplored.Here,we determined the clinical significance of BHMT in the occurrence and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)using tissue samples from 198 patients.BHMT was to be frequently found(86.6%)expressed at relatively low levels in HCC tissues and was positively correlated with the overall survival of patients with HCC.Bhmt overexpression effectively suppressed several malignant phenotypes in hepatoma cells in vitro and in vivo,whereas complete knockout of Bhmt(Bhmt^(−/−))produced the opposite effect.We combined proteomics,metabolomics,and molecular biological strategies and detected that Bhmt^(−/−)promoted hepatocarcinogenesis and tumor progression by enhancing the activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase(G6PD)and PPP metabolism in DEN-induced HCC mouse and subcutaneous tumor-bearing models.In contrast,restoration of Bhmt with an AAV8-Bhmt injection or pharmacological inhibition of G6PD attenuated hepatocarcinogenesis.Additionally,coimmunoprecipitation identified monomethylated modifications of the G6PD,and BHMT regulated the methylation of G6PD.Protein sequence analysis,generation and application of specific antibodies,and site-directed mutagenesis indicated G6PD methylation at the arginine residue 246.Furthermore,we established bidirectionally regulated BHMT cellular models combined with methylation-deficient G6PD mutants to demonstrate that BHMT potentiated arginine methylation of G6PD,thereby inhibiting G6PD activity,which in turn suppressed hepatocarcinogenesis.Taken together,this study reveals a new methylation-regulatory mechanism in hepatocarcinogenesis owing to BHMT deficiency,suggesting a potential therapeutic strategy for HCC treatment.

Plant PRMTs Broaden the Scope of Arginine Methylation

Post-translational methylation at arginine residues is one of the most important covalent modifications of proteins, involved in a myriad of essential cellular processes in eukaryotes, such as transcriptional regulation, RNA processing, signal transduction, and DNA repair. Methylation at arginine residues is catalyzed by a family of enzymes called protein arginine methyltransferases （PRMTs）. PRMTs have been extensively studied in various taxa and there is a growing tendency to unveil their functional importance in plants. Recent studies in plants revealed that this evolutionarily conserved family of enzymes regulates essential traits including vegetative growth, flowering time, circadian cycle, and response to high medium salinity and ABA. In this review, we highlight recent advances in the field of post- translational arginine methylation with special emphasis on the roles and future prospects of this modification in plants.

Arginine methylation of ribose-5-phosphate isomerase A senses glucose to promote human colorectal cancer cell survival

Cancer cells remodel their metabolic network to adapt to variable nutrient availability. Pentose phosphate pathway(PPP) plays protective and biosynthetic roles by oxidizing glucose to generate reducing power and ribose. How cancer cells modulate PPP activity in response to glucose supply remains unclear. Here we show that ribose-5-phosphate isomerase A(RPIA), an enzyme in PPP, directly interacts with co-activator associated arginine methyltransferase 1(CARM1) and is methylated at arginine 42(R42). R42 methylation up-regulates the catalytic activity of RPIA. Furthermore, glucose deprivation strengthens the binding of CARM1 with RPIA to induce R42 hypermethylation. Insufficient glucose supply links to RPIA hypermethylation at R42, which increases oxidative PPP flux. RPIA methylation supports ROS clearance by enhancing NADPH production and fuels nucleic acid synthesis by increasing ribose supply. Importantly, RPIA methylation at R42 significantly potentiates colorectal cancer cell survival under glucose starvation. Collectively, RPIA methylation connects glucose availability to nucleotide synthesis and redox homeostasis.

Protein arginine methyltransferase 6 is a novel substrate of protein arginine methyltransferase 1

BACKGROUND Post-translational modifications play key roles in various biological processes.Protein arginine methyltransferases(PRMTs)transfer the methyl group to specific arginine residues.Both PRMT1 and PRMT6 have emerges as crucial factors in the development and progression of multiple cancer types.We posit that PRMT1 and PRMT6 might interplay directly or in-directly in multiple ways accounting for shared disease phenotypes.AIM To investigate the mechanism of the interaction between PRMT1 and PRMT6.METHODS Gel electrophoresis autoradiography was performed to test the methyltranferase activity of PRMTs and characterize the kinetics parameters of PRMTs.Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometryanalysis was performed to detect the PRMT6 methylation sites.RESULTS In this study we investigated the interaction between PRMT1 and PRMT6,and PRMT6 was shown to be a novel substrate of PRMT1.We identified specific arginine residues of PRMT6 that are methylated by PRMT1,with R106 being the major methylation site.Combined biochemical and cellular data showed that PRMT1 downregulates the enzymatic activity of PRMT6 in histone H3 methylation.CONCLUSION PRMT6 is methylated by PRMT1 and R106 is a major methylation site induced by PRMT1.PRMT1 methylation suppresses the activity of PRMT6.

PRMT5 regulates Golgi apparatus structure through methylation of the golgin GM130

Maintenance of the Golgi apparatus （GA） structure and function depends on Golgi matrix proteins. The posttranslational modification of Golgi proteins such as phosphorylation of members of the golgin and GRASP families is important for determining Golgi architecture. Some Golgi proteins including golgin-84 are also known to be methylated, but the function of golgin methylation remains unclear. Here, we show that the protein arginine methyltransferase 5 （PRMT5） localizes to the GA and forms complexes with several components involved in GA ribbon formation and vesicle tethering. PRMT5 interacts with the golgin GM130, and depletion of PRMT5 causes defects in Golgi ribbon formation. Furthermore, PRMT5 methylates N-terminal arginines in GM130, and such arginine methylation appears critical for GA ribbon formation. Our findings reveal a molecular mechanism by which PRMT5-dependent arginine methylation of GM130 controls the maintenance of GA architecture.

Coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1: A versatile player in cell differentiation and development

Protein arginine methylation is a common post-translational modification involved in the regulation of various cellular functions. Coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (CARM1) is a protein arginine methyltransferase that asymmetrically dimethylates histone H3 and non-histone proteins to regulate gene transcription. CARM1 has been found to play important roles in cell differentiation and development, cell cycle progression, autophagy, metabolism, pre-mRNA splicing and transportation, and DNA replication. In this review, we describe the molecular characteristics of CARM1 and summarize its roles in the regulation of cell differentiation and development in mammals.

AtPRMT5 Regulates Shoot Regeneration through Mediating Histone H4R3 Dimethylation on KRPs and Pre-mRNA Splicing of RKP in Arabidopsis

Protein arginine methylation plays important roles in diverse biological processes, but its role in regulating shoot regeneration remains elusive. In this study, we characterized the function of the protein arginine methyltransferase AtPRMT5 during de novo shoot regeneration in Arabidopsis. AtPRMT5 encodes a type II protein arginine methyltransferase that methylates proteins, including histories and RNA splicing factors. The frequency of shoot regeneration and the number of shoots per callus were decreased in the atprmt5 mutant compared with those in the wild type. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis revealed that AtPRMT5 targets KIP-RELATED PROTEINs （KRPs）, which encode the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors that repress the cell cycle. During shoot regeneration, the KRP transcript level increased in the atprmt5 mutant, which resulted from reduced histone H4R3 methylation in the KRP promoter. Overexpression of KRP significantly reduced the frequency of shoot regeneration and shoot number per callus. Furthermore, abnormal pre-mRNA splicing in the gene RELATED TO KPC1 （RKP）, which encodes an ubiquitin E3 ligase, was detected in the atprmt5 mutant. RKP functions in regulating KRP protein degradation, and mutation in RKP inhibited shoot regeneration. Thus, AtPRMT5 regulated shoot regeneration through histone modification-mediated KRP transcription and RKP pre-mRNA splicing. Our findings provide new insights into the function of protein arginine methylation in de novo shoot regeneration.

PRMT6 physically associates with nuclear factor Y to regulate photoperiodic flowering in Arabidopsis

The timing of floral transition is critical for reproductive success in flowering plants.In long-day(LD)plant Arabidopsis,the floral regulator gene FLOWERING LOCUS T(FT)is a major component of the mobile florigen.FT expression is rhythmically activated by CONSTANS(CO),and specifically accumu-lated at dusk of LDs.However;the underlying mechanism of adequate regulation of FT transcription in response to day-length cues to warrant flowering time still remains to be investigated.Here,we identify a homolog of human protein arginine methyltransferases 6(HsPRMT6)in Arabidopsis,and confirm AtPRMT6 physically interacts with three positive regulators of flowering Nuclear Factors YC3(NF-YC3),NF-YC9,and NF-YB3.Further investigations find that AtPRMT6 and its encoding protein accumulate at dusk of LDs.PRMT6-mediated H3 R2me2a modification enhances the promotion of NF-YCs on FT transcription in response to inductive LD signals.Moreover,AtPRMT6 and its homologues proteins AtPRMT4a and AtPRMT4b coordinately inhibit the expression of FLOWERING LOCUS C,a suppressor of FT.Taken together,our study reveals the role of arginine methylation in photoperiodic pathway and how the PRMT6-mediating H3R2me2a system interacts with NF-CO module to dynamically control FT expression and facilitate flowering time.