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      Cellular toxicity of expanded RNA repeats: focus on RNA foci

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      Human Molecular Genetics
      Oxford University Press

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          Abstract

          Discrete and punctate nuclear RNA foci are characteristic molecular hallmarks of pathogenesis in myotonic dystrophy type 1 and type 2. Intranuclear RNA inclusions of distinct morphology have also been found in fragile X-associated tremor ataxia syndrome, Huntington's disease-like 2, spinocerebellar ataxias type 8, type 10 and type 31. These neurological diseases are associated with the presence of abnormally long simple repeat expansions in their respective genes whose expression leads to the formation of flawed transcripts with altered metabolisms. Expanded CUG, CCUG, CGG, CAG, AUUCU and UGGAA repeats are associated with the diseases and accumulate in nuclear foci, as demonstrated in variety of cells and tissues of human and model organisms. These repeat RNA foci differ in size, shape, cellular abundance and protein composition and their formation has a negative impact on cellular functions. This review summarizes the efforts of many laboratories over the past 15 years to characterize nuclear RNA foci that are recognized as important triggers in the mutant repeat RNA toxic gain-of-function mechanisms of pathogenesis in neurological disorders.

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          Most cited references59

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          Molecular basis of myotonic dystrophy: expansion of a trinucleotide (CTG) repeat at the 3' end of a transcript encoding a protein kinase family member.

          Using positional cloning strategies, we have identified a CTG triplet repeat that undergoes expansion in myotonic dystrophy patients. This sequence is highly variable in the normal population. PCR analysis of the interval containing this repeat indicates that unaffected individuals have been 5 and 27 copies. Myotonic dystrophy patients who are minimally affected have at least 50 repeats, while more severely affected patients have expansion of the repeat containing segment up to several kilobase pairs. The CTG repeat is transcribed and is located in the 3' untranslated region of an mRNA that is expressed in tissues affected by myotonic dystrophy. This mRNA encodes a polypeptide that is a member of the protein kinase family.
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            Myotonic dystrophy type 2 caused by a CCTG expansion in intron 1 of ZNF9.

            C Liquori (2001)
            Myotonic dystrophy (DM), the most common form of muscular dystrophy in adults, can be caused by a mutation on either chromosome 19q13 (DM1) or 3q21 (DM2/PROMM). DM1 is caused by a CTG expansion in the 3' untranslated region of the dystrophia myotonica-protein kinase gene (DMPK). Several mechanisms have been invoked to explain how this mutation, which does not alter the protein-coding portion of a gene, causes the specific constellation of clinical features characteristic of DM. We now report that DM2 is caused by a CCTG expansion (mean approximately 5000 repeats) located in intron 1 of the zinc finger protein 9 (ZNF9) gene. Parallels between these mutations indicate that microsatellite expansions in RNA can be pathogenic and cause the multisystemic features of DM1 and DM2.
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              Recruitment of human muscleblind proteins to (CUG)(n) expansions associated with myotonic dystrophy.

              Myotonic dystrophy (DM1) is an autosomal dominant neuromuscular disorder associated with a (CTG)(n) expansion in the 3'-untranslated region of the DM1 protein kinase (DMPK) gene. To explain disease pathogenesis, the RNA dominance model proposes that the DM1 mutation produces a gain-of-function at the RNA level in which CUG repeats form RNA hairpins that sequester nuclear factors required for proper muscle development and maintenance. Here, we identify the triplet repeat expansion (EXP) RNA-binding proteins as candidate sequestered factors. As predicted by the RNA dominance model, binding of the EXP proteins is specific for dsCUG RNAs and proportional to the size of the triplet repeat expansion. Remarkably, the EXP proteins are homologous to the Drosophila muscleblind proteins required for terminal differentiation of muscle and photoreceptor cells. EXP expression is also activated during mammalian myoblast differentiation, but the EXP proteins accumulate in nuclear foci in DM1 cells. We propose that DM1 disease is caused by aberrant recruitment of the EXP proteins to the DMPK transcript (CUG)(n) expansion.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Hum Mol Genet
                hmg
                hmg
                Human Molecular Genetics
                Oxford University Press
                0964-6906
                1460-2083
                1 October 2011
                4 July 2011
                4 July 2011
                : 20
                : 19
                : 3811-3821
                Affiliations
                Laboratory of Cancer Genetics, simpleInstitute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences , Poznan 61-704, Poland
                Author notes
                [* ]To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +48 618528503; Fax: +48 618520532; Email: wlodkrzy@ 123456ibch.poznan.pl
                Article
                ddr299
                10.1093/hmg/ddr299
                3168290
                21729883
                a067c5f6-5f2e-4186-a9f1-2136761cfcd6
                © The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press

                This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.5), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

                History
                : 14 May 2011
                : 29 June 2011
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                Genetics
                Genetics

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