Role of 3'-untranslated region translational control in cancer development, diagnostics and treatment

The messenger RNA 3'-untranslated region(3'UTR)plays an important role in regulation of gene expres-sion on the posttranscriptional level. The 3'UTR con-trols gene expression via orchestrated interactionbetween the structural components of mRNAs(cis-ele-ment) and the specific trans-acting factors(RNA bind-ing proteins and non-coding RNAs). The crosstalk ofthese factors is based on the binding sequences and/or direct protein-protein interaction, or just functionalinteraction. Much new evidence that has accumulatedsupports the idea that several RNA binding factors canbind to common mRNA targets: to the non-overlappingbinding sites or to common sites in a competitive fash-ion. Various factors capable of binding to the sameRNA can cooperate or be antagonistic in their actions.The outcome of the collective function of all factorsbound to the same mRNA 3'UTR depends on manycircumstances, such as their expression levels, affinity to the binding sites, and localization in the cell, which can be controlled by various physiological conditions. Moreover, the functional and/or physical interactions of the factors binding to 3'UTR can change the character of their actions. These interactions vary during the cell cycle and in response to changing physiological condi-tions. Abnormal functioning of the factors can lead to disease. In this review we will discuss how alterations of these factors or their interaction can affect cancer development and promote or enhance the malignant phenotype of cancer cells. Understanding these altera-tions and their impact on 3'UTR-directed posttran-scriptional gene regulation will uncover promising new targets for therapeutic intervention and diagnostics. We will also discuss emerging new tools in cancer di-agnostics and therapy based on 3'UTR binding factors and approaches to improve them.

Translation machinery: the basis of translational control

Messenger RNA(mRNA)translation consists of initiation,elongation,termination,and ribosome recycling,carried out by the translation machinery,primarily including tRNAs,ribosomes,and translation factors(TrFs).Translational regulators transduce signals of growth and development,as well as biotic and abiotic stresses,to the translation machinery,where global or selective translational control occurs to modulate mRNA translation efficiency(TrE).As the basis of translational control,the translation machinery directly determines the quality and quantity of newly synthesized peptides and,ultimately,the cellular adaption.Thus,regulating the availability of diverse machinery components is reviewed as the central strategy of translational control.We provide classical signaling pathways(e.g.,integrated stress responses)and cellular behaviors(e.g.,liquideliquid phase separation)to exemplify this strategy within different physiological contexts,particularly during hostemicrobe interactions.With new technologies developed,further understanding this strategy will speed up translational medicine and translational agriculture.

L13a-dependent translational control in macrophages imits the pathogenesis of colitis

Sustained inflammation from infiltrated immune cells plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis （UC）. Previously, we established the role of ribosomal protein L13a in the regulation of an inflammation-responsive post-transcriptional operon in myeloid cells. However, the role of this protein as a molecular cue to control the severity of colitis is not known. Here, we examined whether L13a-dependent translational control in macrophages could serve as an endogenous defense against colitis. The administration of dextran sodium sulfate induced experimental colitis in myeloid-specific L13a-knockout （KO） and control mice. Pathological scoring and injury to the colon mucosa evaluated the severity of colitis. The steady-state levels of several pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines were determined through ELISA and polyribosome profile analysis. Rapid weight loss, severe rectal bleeding, shortening of the colon, and significantly reduced survival rate were observed in the KO mice. Histopathological analysis of the colons of KO mice showed a severe disruption of epithelial crypts with immune cell infiltrates. Elevated levels of several inflammatory cytokines and chemokines and abrogation of their naturally imposed translational silencing were observed in the colons of the KO mice. Higher serum levels of several pro-inflammatory cytokines and the release of gut bacteria and endotoxins into the blood streams of KO mice were detected, suggesting the amplification of the inflammatory response to septicemia. Taken together, these results reveal an essential role for L13a in the endogenous protection against UC and demonstrate the potential for new therapeutic opportunities through the deliberate promotion of this mechanism.

Autophagy-related protein ATG5 regulates histone H2B mono-ubiquitylation by translational control of RNF20

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved lysosome-mediated catabolic process（Klionsky,2007）.Autophagy is believed to be essential for cell survival,especially when cells were exposed to stresses,such as nutrient starvation.

Particle Swarm-Based Translation Control for Immersed Tunnel Element in the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge Project

Immersed tunnel is an important part of the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge(HZMB) project. In immersed tunnel floating, translation which includes straight and transverse movements is the main working mode. To decide the magnitude and direction of the towing force for each tug, a particle swarm-based translation control method is presented for non-power immersed tunnel element. A sort of linear weighted logarithmic function is exploited to avoid weak subgoals. In simulation, the particle swarm-based control method is evaluated and compared with traditional empirical method in the case of the HZMB project. Simulation results show that the presented method delivers performance improvement in terms of the enhanced surplus towing force.

mRNA-specific translational regulation in yeast

The expression of a gene is governed at various levels,from transcriptional to translational level.The translational control is widely used to regulate gene expression,especially when a rapid,local,and selective control over protein synthesis is required.The present review describes instructive examples of translational regulation in yeast,together with regulatory elements within mRNAs.The review also outlines the important contributions of mRNA-binding proteins that act in harmony with several translational elements to generate appropriate translational signals and responses.

Intra-axonal protein synthesis–a new target for neural repair?

Although initially argued to be a feature of immature neurons with incomplete polarization, there is clear evidence that neurons in the peripheral nervous system retain the capacity for intra-axonal protein synthe- sis well into adulthood. This localized protein synthesis has been shown to contribute to injury signaling and axon regeneration in peripheral nerves. Recent works point to potential for protein synthesis in axons of the vertebrate central nervous system, mRNAs and protein synthesis machinery have now been docu- mented in lamprey, mouse, and rat spinal cord axons. Intra-axonal protein synthesis appears to be activated in adult vertebrate spinal cord axons when they are regeneration-competent. Rat spinal cord axons regen- erating into a peripheral nerve graft contain mRNAs and markers of activated translational machinery. Indeed, levels of some growth-associated mRNAs in these spinal cord axons are comparable to the regen- erating sciatic nerve. Markers of active translation tend to decrease when these axons stop growing, but can be reactivated by a second axotomy. These emerging observations raise the possibility that mRNA transport into and translation within axons could be targeted to facilitate regeneration in both the peripheral and central nervous systems.

Prospects for inhibiting the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in hepatitis B virus

There is a continuing need for novel antivirals to treat hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, as it remains a major health problem worldwide. Ideally new classes of antivirals would target multiple steps in the viral lifecycle. In this review, we consider the steps in which HBV RNAs are processed, exported from the nucleus and translated. These are often overlooked steps in the HBV life-cycle. HBV, like retroviruses, incorporates a number of unusual steps in these processes, which use a combination of viral and host cellular machinery. Some of these unusual steps deserve a closer scrutiny. They may provide alternative targets to existing antiviral therapies, which are associated with increasing drug resistance. The RNA post-transcriptional regulatory element identified 20 years ago promotes nucleocytoplasmic export of all unspliced HBV RNAs. There is evidence that inhibition of this step is part of the antiviral action of interferon. Similarly, the structured RNA epsilon element situated at the 5’ end of the polycistronic HBV pregenomic RNA also performs key roles during HBV replication. The pregenomic RNA, which is the template for translation of both the viral core and polymerase proteins, is also encapsidated and used in replication. This complex process, regulated at the epsilon element, also presents an attractive antiviral target. These RNA elements that mediate and regulate gene expression are highly conserved and could be targeted using novel strategies employing RNAi, miRNAs or aptamers. Such approaches targeting these functionally constrained genomic regions should avoid escape mutations. Therefore understanding these regulatory elements, along with providing potential targets, may also facilitate the development of other new classes of antiviral drugs.

Interferon-γ mRNA attenuates its own translation by activating PKR： A molecular basis for the therapeutic effect of interferon-β in multiple sclerosis

PKR, the interferon （IFN）-inducible protein kinase activated by double-stranded RNA, inhibits translation by phosphorylating the initiation factor eIF2α chain. Uniquely, human IFN-γ mRNA uses local activation of PKR in the cell to control its own translation yield. IFN-γ mRNA activates PKR through a structure in its 5＇- region harboring a pseudoknot which is critical for PKR activation. Mutations that impair pseudoknot stability reduce the ability of IFN-γ mRNA to activate PKR and strongly increase its translation efficiency. The cis-acting RNA element in IFN-γ mRNA functions as a biological sensor of intracellular PKR levels. During an immune response, as IFN-γ and other inflammatory cytokines build up in the cell＇s microenvironment, they act to induce higher levels of PKR in the cell, resulting in a more extensive activation of PKR by IFN-γ mRNA. With the resulting phosphorylation of eIF2α, a negative feedback loop is created and the production of IFN-γ is progressively attenuated. We propose that the therapeutic effect of IFN-β in multiple sclerosis may rest, at least in part, on its exquisite ability to induce high levels of PKR in the cell and thereby to limit IFN-γ mRNA translation through this negative feedback loop, blocking the excessive IFN-γ gene expression that precedes clinical attacks.

Subversion of cellular stress responses by poxviruses

Cellular stress responses are powerful mechanisms that prevent and cope with the accumulation of macromolecular damage in the cells and also boost host defenses against pathogens. Cells can initiate either protective or destructive stress responses depending, to a large extent, on the nature and duration of the stressing stimulus as well as the cell type. The productive replication of a virus within a given cell places inordinate stress on the metabolism machinery of the host and, to assure the continuity of its replication, many viruses have developed ways to modulate the cell stress responses. Poxviruses are among the viruses that have evolved a large number of strategies to manipulate host stress responses in order to control cell fate and enhance their replicative success. Remarkably, nearly every step of the stress responses that is mounted during infection can be targeted by virally encoded functions. The fine-tuned interactions between poxviruses and the host stress responses has aided virologists to understand specific aspects of viral replication; has helped cell biologists to evaluate the role of stress signaling in the uninfected cell; and has tipped immunologists on how these signals contribute to alert the cells against pathogen invasionand boost subsequent immune responses. This review discusses the diverse strategies that poxviruses use to subvert host cell stress responses.

RNAirport:a deep neural network-based database characterizing representative gene models inplants

A 5'-leader,known initially as the 5'-untranslated region,contains multiple isoforms due to alternative splicing(aS)and alternative transcription start site(aTSS).Therefore,a representative 5'-leader is demanded to examine the embedded RNA regulatory elements in controlling translation efficiency.Here,we develop a ranking algorithm and a deep-learning model to annotate representative 5'-leaders for five plant species.We rank the intra-sample and inter-sample frequency of aS-mediated transcript isoforms using the Kruskal-Wallis test-based algorithm and identify the representative aS-5'-leader.To further assign a representative 5'-end,we train the deep-learning model 5'leaderP to learn aTsS-mediated 5'-end distribution patterns from cap-analysis gene expression data.The model accurately predicts the 5'-end,confirmed experimentally in Arabidopsis and rice.The representative 5'-leader-contained gene models and 5'leaderP can be accessed at RNAirport(http:/www.rnairport.com/leader5P/).The Stage 1 annotation of 5'-leader records 5'-leader diversity and will pave the way to Ribo-Seq open-reading frame annotation,identical to the project recently initiated by human GENCODE.

Oxygen sufficiency controls TOP mRNA translation via the TSC-Rheb-mTOR pathway in a 4E-BP-independent manner

Cells encountering hypoxic stress conserve resources and energy by downregulating the protein synthesis. Here we demonstrate that one mechanism in this response is the translational repression of TOP mRNAs that encode components of the translational apparatus. This mode of regulation involves TSC and Rheb, as knockout of TSC1 or TSC2 or overexpression of Rheb rescued TOP mRNA translation in oxygen-deprived celts. Stress-induced translational repression of these mRNAs closely correlates with the hypophosphorylated state of 4E-BP, a translational repressor. However, a series of 4E-BP loss- and gain-of-function experiments disprove a cause-and- effect relationship between the phosphorylation status of 4E-BP and the translational repression of TOP mRNAs under oxygen or growth factor deprivation. Furthermore, the repressive effect of anoxia is similar to that attained by the very efficient inhibition of mTOR activity by Torin 1, but much more pronounced than roptor or rictor knockouL Likewise, deficiency of raptor or rictor, even though it mildly downregulated basal translation efficiency of TOP mRNAs, failed to suppress the oxygen-mediated translational activation of TOP mRNAs. Finally, co-knockdown of TIA-1 and TIAR, two RNA-binding proteins previously implicated in translational repression of TOP mRNAs in amino acid-starved cells, failed to relieve TOP mRNA translation under other stress conditions. Thus, the nature of the proximal translational regulator of TOP m RNAs remains elusive.

Integrated Relative Position and Attitude Control of Spacecraft in Proximity Operation Missions

This paper addresses an integrated relative position and attitude control strategy for a pursuer spacecraft flying to a space target in proximity operation missions. Relative translation and rotation dynamics are both presented, and further integratedly considered due to mutual couplings, which results in a six degrees-of-freedom (6-DOF) control system. In order to simultaneously achieve relative position and attitude requirements, an adaptive backstepping control law is designed, where a command filter is introduced to overcome 'explosion of terms'. Within the Lyapunov framework, the proposed controller is proved to ensure the ultimate boundedness of relative position and attitude signals, in the presence of external disturbances and unknown system parameters. Numerical simulation demonstrates the effect of the designed control law.

Integration of Carbon Assimilation Modes with Photosynthetic Light Capture in the Green Alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

The unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is capable of using organic and inorganic carbon sources simultaneously, which requires the adjustment of photosynthetic activity to the prevailing mode of carbon assimilation. We obtained novel insights into the regulation of light-harvesting at photosystem II （PSII） following altered carbon source avail- ability. In C. reinhardtii, synthesis of PSll-associated light-harvesting proteins （LHCBMs） is controlled by the cytosolic RNA- binding protein NAB1, which represses translation of particular LHCBM isoform transcripts. This mechanism is fine-tuned via regulation of the nuclear NAB1 promoter, which is activated when linear photosynthetic electron flow is restricted by CO2- limitation in a photoheterotrophic context. In the wild-type, accumulation of NAB1 reduces the functional PSII antenna size, thus preventing a harmful overexcited state of PSII, as observed in a NABl-less mutant. We further demonstrate that trans- lation control as a newly identified long-term response to prolonged CO2-1imitation replaces LHCII state transitions as a fast response to PSII over-excitation. Intriguingly, activation of the long-term response is perturbed in state transition mutant stt7, suggesting a regulatory link between the long- and short-term response. We depict a regulatory circuit operating on distinct timescales and in different cellular compartments to fine-tune light-harvesting in photoheterotrophic eukaryotes.