Heat shock protein 90 promotes RNA helicase DDX5 accumulation and exacerbates hepatocellular carcinoma by inhibiting autophagy

Objective:Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),the main type of liver cancer,has a high morbidity and mortality,and a poor prognosis.RNA helicase DDX5,which acts as a transcriptional co-regulator,is overexpressed in most malignant tumors and promotes cancer cell growth.Heat shock protein 90(HSP90)is an important molecular chaperone in the conformational maturation and stabilization of numerous proteins involved in cell growth or survival.Methods:DDX5 m RNA and protein expression in surgically resected HCC tissues from 24 Asian patients were detected by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot,respectively.The interaction of DDX5-HSP90 was determined by molecular docking,immunoprecipitation,and laser scanning confocal microscopy.The autophagy signal was detected by Western blot.The cell functions and signaling pathways of DDX5 were determined in 2 HCC cell lines.Two different murine HCC xenograft models were used to determine the function of DDX5 and the therapeutic effect of an HSP90 inhibitor.Results:HSP90 interacted directly with DDX5 and inhibited DDX5 protein degradation in the AMPK/ULK1-regulated autophagy pathway.The subsequent accumulation of DDX5 protein induced the malignant phenotype of HCC by activating theβ-catenin signaling pathway.The silencing of DDX5 or treatment with HSP90 inhibitor both blocked in vivo tumor growth in a murine HCC xenograft model.High levels of HSP90 and DDX5 protein were associated with poor prognoses.Conclusions:HSP90 interacted with DDX5 protein and subsequently protected DDX5 protein from AMPK/ULK1-regulated autophagic degradation.DDX5 and HSP90 are therefore potential therapeutic targets for HCC.

P68 RNA helicase is a nucleocytoplasmic shuttling protein

P68 RNA helicase is a prototypical DEAD box RNA helicase. The protein plays a very important role in early organ development and maturation. Consistent with the function of the protein in transcriptional regulation and pre-mRNA splicing, p68 was found to predominately localize in the cell nucleus. However, recent experiments demon- strate a transient cytoplasmic localization of the protein. We report here that p68 shuttles between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. The nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of p68 is mediated by two nuclear localization signal and two nuclear exporting signal sequence elements. Our experiments reveal that p68 shuttles via a classical RanGTPase-dependent pathway.

Identification of the DEAD-box RNA helicase family members in grapevine reveals that VviDEADRH25a confers tolerance to drought stress

Grapevine growing areas are increasingly affected by drought,which has greatly limited global wine production and quality.DEAD-box is one of the largest subfamilies of the RNA helicase family,and its members play key roles in the growth and development of plants and their stress responses.Previous studies have shown the potential of DEAD-box genes in the drought stress responses of Arabidopsis and tomato,rice,and other crop species.However,information about DEAD-box genes in grapevine remains limited.In this report,a total of 40 DEAD-box genes were identified in grapevine and their protein sequence characteristics and gene structures were analyzed.By comparing the expression profiles of VviDEADRHs in response to drought stress in different grapevine varieties,nine candidate genes(VviDEADRH10c,-13,-22,-25a,-25b,-33,-34,-36,and-39)were screened based on expression profiling data.Combined with qRTPCR results,Vvi DEADRH25a was selected for functional verification.Heterologous overexpression of Vvi DEADRH25a in Arabidopsis showed the transgenic plants were more sensitive to drought stress than the control.Both electrolyte permeability and malondialdehyde content were significantly increased in transgenic plants,whereas the chlorophyll content and superoxide dismutase(SOD),peroxidase(POD),catalase(CAT),and ascorbate peroxidase(APX)enzyme activities were significantly decreased.Furthermore,VviDEADRH25a-overexpressing plants showed down-regulated expression levels of several drought stress-related marker genes,namely At COR15a,At RD29A,At ERD15,and At P5CS1,which indicated that they participated in the drought stress response.In summary,this study provides new insights into the structure,evolution,and participation of DEAD-box RNA helicase genes in the response to drought stress in grapevines.

The nonstructural protein 2C of Coxsackie B virus has RNA helicase and chaperoning activities

RNA-remodeling proteins,including RNA helicases and chaperones,play vital roles in the remodeling of structured RNAs.During viral replication,viruses require RNA-remodeling proteins to facilitate proper folding and/or re-folding the viral RNA elements.Coxsackieviruses B3(CVB3)and Coxsackieviruses B5(CVB5),belonging to the genus Enterovirus in the family Picornaviridae,have been reported to cause various infectious diseases such as hand-foot-and-mouth disease,aseptic meningitis,and viral myocarditis.However,little is known about whether CVB3 and CVB5 encode any RNA remodeling proteins.In this study,we showed that 2C proteins of CVB3 and CVB5 contained the conserved SF3 helicase A,B,and C motifs,and functioned not only as RNA helicase that unwound RNA helix bidirectionally in an NTP-dependent manner,but also as RNA chaperone that remodeled structured RNAs and facilitated RNA strand annealing independently of NTP.In addition,we determined that the NTPase activity and RNA helicase activity of 2C proteins of CVB3 and CVB5 were dependent on the presence of divalent metallic ions.Our findings demonstrate that 2C proteins of CVBs possess RNA-remodeling activity and underline the functional importance of 2C protein in the life cycle of CVBs.

Post-transcriptional regulation of DEAD-box RNA helicases in hematopoietic malignancies

Hematopoiesis represents a meticulously regulated and dynamic biological process.Genetic aberrations affecting blood cells,induced by various factors,frequently give rise to hematological tumors.These instances are often accompanied by a multitude of abnormal post-transcriptional regulatory events,including RNA alternative splicing,RNA localization,RNA degradation,and storage.Notably,post-transcriptional regulation plays a pivotal role in preserving hematopoietic homeostasis.The DEAD-Box RNA helicase genes emerge as crucial post-transcriptional regulatory factors,intricately involved in sustaining normal hematopoiesis through diverse mechanisms such as RNA alternative splicing,RNA modification,and ribosome assembly.This review consolidates the existing knowledge on the role of DEAD-box RNA helicases in regulating normal hematopoiesis and underscores the pathogenicity of mutant DEADBox RNA helicases in malignant hematopoiesis.Emphasis is placed on elucidating both the positive and negative contributions of DEAD-box RNA helicases within the hematopoietic system.

Functional interplay among the flavivirus NS3 protease, helicase, and cofactors

Flaviviruses are positive-sense RNA viruses, and many are important human pathogens. Nonstructural protein 2B and 3 of the flaviviruses(NS2BNS3) form an endoplasmic reticulum(ER) membrane-associated hetero-dimeric complex through the NS2B transmembrane region. The NS2BNS3 complex is multifunctional. The N-terminal region of NS3, and its cofactor NS2B fold into a protease that is responsible for viral polyprotein processing, and the C-terminal domain of NS3 possesses NTPase/RNA helicase activities and is involved in viral RNA replication and virus particle formation. In addition, NS2BNS3 complex has also been shown to modulate viral pathogenesis and the host immune response. Because of the essential functions that the NS2BNS3 complex plays in the flavivirus life cycle, it is an attractive target for antiviral development. This review focuses on the recent biochemical and structural advances of NS2BNS3 and provides a brief update on the current status of drug development targeting this viral protein complex.

DEAD-box RNA helicases with special reference to p68:Unwinding their biology,versatility,and therapeutic opportunity in cancer

In the era of advancement,the entire world continues to remain baffled by the increased rate of progression of cancer.There has been an unending search for novel thera-peutic targets and prognostic markers to curb the oncogenic scenario.The DEAD-box RNA he-licases are a large family of proteins characterized by their evolutionary conserved D-E-A-D(Asp-Glu-Ala-Asp)domain and merit consideration in the oncogenic platform.They perform multidimensional functions in RNA metabolism and also in the pathology of cancers.Their bio-logical role ranges from ribosome biogenesis,RNA unwinding,splicing,modification of second-ary and tertiary RNA structures to acting as transcriptional coactivators/repressors of various important oncogenic genes.They also play a crucial role in accelerating oncogenesis by pro-moting cell proliferation and metastasis.DDX5(p68)is one of the archetypal members of this family of proteins and has gained a lot of attention due to its oncogenic attribute.It is found to be overexpressed in major cancer types such as colon,brain,breast,and prostate cancer.It exhibits its multifaceted nature by not only coactivating genes implicated in cancers but also mediating crosstalk across major signaling pathways in cancer.Therefore,in this review,we aim to illustrate a comprehensive overview of DEAD-box RNA helicases especially p68 by focusing on their multifaceted roles in different cancers and the various signaling pathways affected by them.Further,we have also briefly discoursed the therapeutic interventional approaches with the DEAD-box RNA helicases as the pharmacological targets for designing in-hibitors to pave way for cancer therapy.

The DEAD-box RNA helicase ZmRH48 is required for the splicing of multiple mitochondrial introns,mitochondrial complex biosynthesis,and seed development in maize

RNA helicases participate in nearly all aspects of RNA metabolism by rearranging RNAs or RNA–protein complexes in an adenosine triphosphatedependent manner.Due to the large RNA helicase families in plants,the precise roles of many RNA helicases in plant physiology and development remain to be clarified.Here,we show that mutations in maize(Zea mays)DEAD-box RNA helicase48(Zm RH48)impair the splicing of mitochondrial introns,mitochondrial complex biosynthesis,and seed development.Loss of Zm RH48 function severely arrested embryogenesis and endosperm development,leading to defective kernel formation.Zm RH48 is targeted to mitochondria,where its deficiency dramatically reduced the splicing efficiency of five cis-introns(nad5 intron 1;nad7 introns 1,2,and 3;and ccm Fc intron 1)and one trans-intron(nad2 intron 2),leading to lower levels of mitochondrial complexes I andⅢ.Zm RH48 interacts with two unique pentatricopeptide repeat(PPR)proteins,PPR-SMR1 and SPR2,which are required for the splicing of over half of all mitochondrial introns.PPR-SMR1 interacts with SPR2,and both proteins interact with P-type PPR proteins and Zm-m CSF1 to facilitate intron splicing.These results suggest that Zm RH48 is likely a component of a splicing complex and is critical for mitochondrial complex biosynthesis and seed development.

The interferon inducing pathways and the hepatitis C virus

The innate immune response is triggered by a variety of pathogens, including viruses, and requires rapid induction of typeⅠ?interferons (IFN), such as IFNβ and IFNα. IFN induction occurs when specific pathogen motifs bind to specific cellular receptors. In non-professional immune, virally-infected cells, IFN induction is essentially initiated after the binding of dsRNA structures to TLR3 receptors or to intracytosolic RNA helicases, such as RIG-Ⅰ/MDA5. This leads to the recruitment of specific adaptors, such as TRIF for TLR3 and the mitochondrial-associated IPS-1/VISA/MAVS/CARDIF adapter protein for the RNA helicases, and the ultimate recruitment of kinases, such as MAPKs, the canonical IKK complex and the TBK1/IKKε kinases, which activate the transcription factors ATF-2/ c-jun, NF-κB and IRF3, respectively. The coordinated action of these transcription factors leads to induction of IFN and of pro-inflammatory cytokines and to the establishment of the innate immune response. HCV can cleave both the adapters TRIF and IPS-1/VISA/MAVS/ CARDIF through the action of its NS3/4A protease. This provokes abrogation of the induction of the IFN and cytokine pathways and favours viral propagation and presumably HCV chronic infection.

Dhx33 promotes B-cell growth and proliferation by controlling activation-induced rRNA upregulation

Upon recognition of foreign antigens,naïve B cells undergo rapid activation,growth,and proliferation.How B-cell growth and proliferation are coupled with activation remains poorly understood.Combining CRISPR/Cas9-mediated functional analysis and mouse genetics approaches,we found that Dhx33,an activation-induced RNA helicase,plays a critical role in coupling B-cell activation with growth and proliferation.Mutant mice with B-cell-specific deletion of Dhx33 exhibited impaired B-cell development,germinal center reactions,plasma cell differentiation,and antibody production.Dhx33-deficient B cells appeared normal in the steady state and early stage of activation but were retarded in growth and proliferation.Mechanistically,Dhx33 played an indispensable role in activation-induced upregulation of ribosomal DNA(rDNA)transcription.In the absence of Dhx33,activated B cells were compromised in their ability to ramp up 47S ribosomal RNA(rRNA)production and ribosome biogenesis,resulting in nucleolar stress,p53 accumulation,and cellular death.Our findings demonstrate an essential role for Dhx33 in coupling B-cell activation with growth and proliferation and suggest that Dhx33 inhibition is a potential therapy for lymphoma and antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases.

The DEAD-Box RNA Helicase DDX1 Interacts with the Viral Protein 3D and Inhibits Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Replication

Foot-and-mouth disease virus(FMDV)can infect domestic and wild cloven-hoofed animals.The non-structural protein 3D plays an important role in FMDV replication and pathogenesis.However,the interaction partners of 3D,and the effects of those interactions on FMDV replication,remain incompletely elucidated.In the present study,using the yeast two-hybrid system,we identified a porcine cell protein,DEAD-box RNA helicase 1(DDX1),which interacted with FMDV 3D.The DDX1-3D interaction was further confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation experiments and an indirect immunofluorescence assay(IFA)in porcine kidney 15(PK-15)cells.DDX1 was reported to either inhibit or facilitate viral replication and regulate host innate immune responses.However,the roles of DDX1 during FMDV infection remain unclear.Our results revealed that DDX1 inhibited FMDV replication in an ATPase/helicase activity-dependent manner.In addition,DDX1 stimulated IFN-p activation in FMDV-infected cells.Together,our results expand the body of knowledge regarding the role of DDX1 in FMDV infection.

The RNA helicase DDX46 inhibits innate immunity by entrapping m^6 A-demethylated antiviral transcripts in the nucleus

With the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,the research team directed by Prof.Cao Xuetao(曹雪涛)at the National Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology&Department of Immunology,Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences,and the National Key Laboratory of Medical Immunology,Second Military Medical University,recently reported that RNA helicase DDX46is

Pan-cancer analysis identifies RNA helicase DDX1 as a prognostic marker

The DEAD-box RNA helicase(DDX)family plays a critical role in the growth and development of multiple organisms.DDX1 is involved in mRNA/rRNA processing and mature,virus replication and transcription,hormone metabolism,tumo-rigenesis,and tumor development.However,how DDX1 functions in various cancers remains unclear.Here,we explored the potential oncogenic roles of DDX1 across 33 tumors with The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)and the Genotype-Tissue Expression(GTEx)databases.DDX1 is highly expressed in breast cancer(BRCA),cholangiocarcinoma(CHOL),and colon adenocarcinoma(COAD),but it is lowly expressed in renal cancers,including kidney renal clear cell carcinoma(KIRC),kidney chromophobe(KICH),and kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma(KIRP).Low expression of DDX1 in KIRC is cor-related with a good prognosis of overall survival(OS)and disease-free survival(DFS).Highly expressed DDX1 is linked to a poor prognosis of OS for adrenocortical carcinoma(ACC),bladder urothelial carcinoma(BLCA),KICH,and liver hepatocellular carcinoma(LIHC).Also,the residue Ser481 of DDX1 had an enhanced phosphorylation level in BRCA and ovarian cancer(OV)but decreased in KIRC.Immune infiltration analysis exhibited that DDX1 expression affected CD8+T cells,and it was significantly associated with MSI(microsatellite instability),TMB(tumor mutational burden),and ICT(immune checkpoint blockade therapy)in tumors.In addition,the depletion of DDX1 dramatically affected the cell viability of human tumor-derived cell lines.DDX1 could affect the DNA repair pathway and the RNA transport/DNA replication processes during tumorigenesis by analyzing the CancerSEA database.Thus,our pan-cancer analysis revealed that DDX1 had complicated impacts on different cancers and might act as a prognostic marker for cancers such as renal cancer.

Emerging relationship between RNA helicases and autophagy

RNA helicases,the largest family of proteins that participate in RNA metabolism,stabilize the intracellular environment through various processes,such as translation and pre-RNA splicing.These proteins are also involved in some diseases,such as cancers and viral diseases.Autophagy,a self-digestive and cytoprotective trafficking process in which superfluous organelles and cellular garbage are degraded to stabilize the internal environment or maintain basic cellular survival,is associated with human diseases.Interestingly,similar to autophagy,RNA helicases play important roles in maintaining cellular homeostasis and are related to many types of diseases.According to recent studies,RNA helicases are closely related to autophagy,participate in regulating autophagy,or serve as a bridge between autophagy and other cellular activities that widely regulate some pathophysiological processes or the development and progress!on of diseases.Here,we summarize the most recent studies to understand how RNA helicases function as regulatory proteins and determine their association with autophagy in various diseases.

Involvement of RNA helicase p68 in skin wound healing process in rats

Purpose： RNA helicase p68 plays an important role in organ development and maturation through tuning cell proliferation. However, the character and role of p68 in the whole wound healing process need more study. Methods： First, we characterize expression of p68 in normal rat skin development postnatal. Then, we assayed dynamic change of p68 in rat skin from different stage after injury, and explored the role of p68 in proliferation and migration of three types of wound healing related cells. Results： p68 was down-regulated during skin developmental and maturation process, up-regulated after wound, peaked on day 14 and then significantly decreased. Wound fluid enhanced wound healing related cell proliferation and up-regulated expression of p68. Conversely, reducing p68 expression by RNA interference resulted in significantly slower proliferation and migration. Conclusion： Our results define an important role of RNA helicase p68 in skin wound healing process.

MYC-associated protein X binding with the variant rs72780850 in RNA helicase DEAD box 1 for susceptibility to neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma(NB)is one of the most common malignant tumors in children,with variable clinical behaviors and a 15%death rate of all malignancies in childhood.However,genetic susceptibility to sporadic NB in Han Chinese patients is largely unknown.To identify genetic risk factors for NB,we performed an association study on 357 NB patients and 738 control subjects among Han Chinese children.We focused on DEAD box 1(DDX1),a putative RNA helicase,which is involved in NB carcinogenesis.The potential association of DDX1 polymorphisms with NB has not been discovered.Our results demonstrate that rs72780850(NM_004939.2:c.-1555 T>C)located in the DDX1 promoter region is significantly associated with higher expression of DDX1 transcript and increased NB risk(odds ratio=1.64,95%confidence interval=1.03%–2.60%,P=0.004),especially in aggressive NB compared with ganglioneuroma and ganglioneuroblastoma in a dominant model(TC+CC vs.TT).Furthermore,the MYC-associated protein X(MAX)transcription factor showed stronger binding affinity to the DDX1 rs72780850 CC allele compared with the TT allele,explaining the molecular mechanism of the increased NB risk caused by the rs72780850 polymorphism.Our results highlight the involvement of regulatory genetic variants of DDX1 in NB.

Characterization and E protein expression of mutant strains during persistent infection of KN73 cells with Japanese encephalitis virus

OBJECTIVE: To study the character of mutants originating from Japanese encephalitis viruses and the relationship between the characterization of mutant strains and E protein expression. METHODS: Persistent infection was established with standard strains of Japanese encephalitis viruse, known as parental viruse, in a human hepatoma cell line, KN73. Cells were subcultured weekly using trypsinization techniques. Cell-associated viruses of persistently infected cells were collected by a freeze and thaw method. Virus titers were examined by plaque method using baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells. Indirect immunofluorescence assays were used to examine E and NS3 protein antigens. Western blot analysis was used to test expression of E and NS3 proteins. RESULTS: In the early phase (24 - 36 h) post-infection, virus titer in culture fluid from KN73 cells infected with parental viruses were 10(6) PFU/ml. They were 10(3 - 4) PFU/ml in the late phase (3 years) post-infection. The titer of cell-associated viruse was 10(2 - 3) PFU/ml. A virus super-infection assay found that virus titers in culture fluid from persistently infected KN73 cells acutely super- infected with parental viruses were much lower than that of culture fluids in acutely infected normal KN73 at the same phase. Indirect immunoflurescence assay revealed that the quantity of viral antigens in persistently infected KN73 cells was lower than that in acutely infected KN73 cells with parental viruses. Western blot analyses indicated that the molecular weights of E and NS3 proteins were 53 kD and 73 kD, respectively. Expression of NS3 protein in persistently infected KN73 cells was stable but expression of E protein was markedly suppressed. CONCLUSIONS: The virulence and reproduction of viruses obtained from persistently infected KN73 cells, which have some features of DI viruses and were involved in persistent infection, was lower than that of parental viruses. These mutants may have be related to the decrease in E protein expression.

The emerging roles of the DDX41 protein in immunity and diseases

RNA helicases are involved in almost every aspect of RNA, from transcription to RNA decay. DExD/H-box hell- cases compdse the largest SF2 helicase superfamily, which are characterized by two conserved RecA-like domains. In recent years, an increasing number of unexpected functions of these proteins have been discovered. They play important roles not only in innate immune response but also in diseases like cancers and chronic hepatitis C. In this review, we summarize the recant literatures on one member of the SF2 superfamily, the DEAD- box protein DDX41. After bacterial or viral infection, DNA or cyclic-di-GMP is released to cells. After phosphorylation of Tyr414 by BTK kinase, DDX41 will act as a sensor to recognize the invaders, followed by induction of type I interferons （IFN）. After the immune response, DDX41 is degraded by the E3 ligase TRIM21, using Lys9 and Lys115 of DDX41 as the ubiquitination sites. Besides the roles in Innate immunity, DDX41 is also related to diseases. An increasing number of both inherited and acquired mutetions in DDX41 gane are identified from myelodysplastic syndrome and/or acute myeloid leukemia （MDS/AML） patients. The review focuses on DDX41, as well as its homolog Abstrakt in Drosophila, which is important for survlval at all stages throughout the life cycle of the fly.

DEXH-Box protein DHX30 is required for optimal function of the zinc-finger antiviral protein

The zinc-finger antiviral protein(ZAP)is a host factor that specifically inhibits the replication of certain viruses by eliminating viral mRNAs in the cytoplasm.In previous studies,we demonstrated that ZAP directly binds to the viral mRNAs and recruits the RNA exosome to degrade the target RNA.In this article,we provide evidence that a DEXH box RNA helicase,DHX30,is required for optimal antiviral activity of ZAP.Pull-down and co-immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that DHX30 and ZAP interacted with each other via their N terminal domains.Downregulation of DHX30 with shRNAs reduced ZAP’s antiviral activity.These data implicate that DHX30 is a cellular factor involved in the antiviral function of ZAP.