Biology subjects

Willis, I. M.

Publications and source records attributed to Willis, I. M..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2020

The conserved herpesviral kinase ORF36 activates B2 retrotransposons during murine gammaherpesvirus infection

Short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs) are RNA polymerase III (RNAPIII) transcribed, retrotransposable noncoding RNA (ncRNA) elements ubiquitously spread throughout mammalian genomes. While normally silenced in healthy somatic tissue, SINEs can be induced during infection with DNA viruses, including the model murine gammaherpesvirus MHV68. Here, we explored the mechanisms underlying MHV68 activation of SINE ncRNAs. We demonstrate that lytic MHV68 infection of B cells, macrophages and fibroblasts leads to robust activation of the B2 family of SINEs in a cell autonomous manner. B2 ncRNA induction requires neither host innate immune signaling factors nor involvement of the RNAPIII master regulator Maf1. However, we identify MHV68 ORF36, the conserved herpesviral kinase, as playing a key role in B2 induction during lytic infection. SINE activation is linked to ORF36 kinase activity and can also be induced by HDAC1/2 inhibition, which is one of the known ORF36 functions. Collectively, our data suggest that ORF36-mediated changes in chromatin modification contribute to B2 activation during MHV68 infection, and that this activity is conserved in other herpesviral protein kinase homologs. AUTHOR SUMMARYViral infection dramatically changes the levels of many types of RNA in a cell. In particular, certain oncogenic viruses activate expression of repetitive genes called retrotransposons, which are normally silenced due to their ability to copy and spread throughout the genome. Here, we established that infection with the gammaherpesvirus MHV68 leads to a dramatic induction of a class of noncoding retrotransposons called B2 SINEs in multiple cell types. We then explored how MHV68 activates B2 SINEs, revealing a role for the conserved herpesviral protein kinase ORF36. Both ORF36 kinase-dependent and kinase-independent functions contribute to B2 induction, perhaps through ORF36 targeting of proteins involved in controlling the accessibility of chromatin surrounding SINE loci. Understanding features underlying induction of these elements following MHV68 infection should provide insight into core elements of SINE regulation, as well as dis-regulation of SINE elements associated with disease.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Alteration of the premature tRNA landscape by gammaherpesvirus infection

Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are transcribed by RNA polymerase III (RNAPIII) and play a central role in decoding our genome, yet their expression and non-canonical function remain understudied. Many DNA tumor viruses enhance the activity of RNAPIII, yet whether infection alters tRNA expression is largely unknown. Here, we present the first genome-wide analysis of how viral infection alters the tRNAome. Using a tRNA-specific sequencing method (DM-tRNA-seq), we find that the murine gammaherpesvirus MHV68 induces global changes in pre-tRNA expression with 14% of tRNA genes upregulated more than 3-fold, indicating that differential tRNA gene induction is a characteristic of DNA virus infection. Elevated pre-tRNA expression corresponds to increased RNAPIII occupancy for the subset of tRNA genes tested; additionally, post-transcriptional mechanisms contribute to the accumulation of pre-tRNA species. We find increased abundance of tRNA fragments derived from pre-tRNAs upregulated by viral infection, suggesting that non-canonical tRNA cleavage is also affected. Further, pre-tRNA accumulation, but not RNAPIII recruitment, requires gammaherpesvirus-induced degradation of host mRNAs by the virally encoded mRNA endonuclease muSOX. We hypothesize that depletion of pre-tRNA maturation or turnover machinery contributes to robust accumulation of full-length pre-tRNAs in infected cells. Collectively, these findings reveal pervasive changes to tRNA expression during DNA virus infection and highlight the potential of using viruses to explore tRNA biology. SignificanceViral infection can dramatically change the gene expression landscape of the host cell, yet little is known regarding changes in non-coding gene transcription by RNA polymerase III (RNAPIII). Among these are transfer RNAs (tRNAs), which are fundamental in protein translation, yet whose gene regulatory features remain largely undefined in mammalian cells. Here, we perform the first genome-wide analysis of tRNA expression changes during viral infection. We show that premature tRNAs accumulate during infection with the model gammaherpesvirus MHV68 as a consequence of increased transcription, but that transcripts do not undergo canonical maturation into mature tRNAs. These findings underscore how tRNA expression is a highly-regulated process and that cells have strategies to balance tRNA pools during conditions of elevated RNAPIII activity.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Structural basis of RNA Polymerase III transcription repression by Maf1

Maf1 is a highly conserved central regulator of transcription by RNA polymerase III (Pol III), and Maf1 activity influences a wide range of phenotypes from metabolic efficiency to lifespan. Here, we present a 3.3 [A] cryo-EM structure of yeast Maf1 bound to Pol III, which establishes how Maf1 achieves transcription repression. In the Maf1-bound state, Pol III elements that are involved in transcription initiation are sequestered, and the active site is sealed off due to ordering of the mobile C34 winged helix 2 domain. Specifically, the Maf1 binding site overlaps with the binding site of the Pol III transcription factor TFIIIB and DNA in the pre-initiation complex, rationalizing that binding of Maf1 and TFIIIB to Pol III are mutually exclusive. We validate our structure using variants of Maf1 with impaired transcription-inhibition activity. These results reveal the exact mechanism of Pol III inhibition by Maf1, and rationalize previous biochemical data.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Chronic repression by MAF1 supports futile RNA cycling as a mechanism for obesity resistance

Maf1-/- mice are lean, obesity-resistant and metabolically inefficient. Their increased energy expenditure is thought to be driven by a futile RNA cycle that reprograms metabolism to meet an increased demand for nucleotides stemming from the deregulation of RNA polymerase (pol) III transcription. Metabolic changes consistent with this model have been reported in both fasted and refed mice, however the impact of the fasting-refeeding-cycle on pol III function has not been examined. Here we show that changes in pol III occupancy in the liver of fasted versus refed wild-type mice are largely confined to low and intermediate occupancy genes; high occupancy genes are unchanged. However, in Maf1-/- mice, pol III occupancy of the vast majority of active loci in liver and the levels of specific precursor tRNAs in this tissue and other organs are higher than wild-type in both fasted and refed conditions. Thus, MAF1 functions as a chronic repressor of active pol III loci and can modulate transcription under different conditions. Our findings support the futile RNA cycle hypothesis, elaborate the mechanism of pol III repression by MAF1 and demonstrate a modest effect of MAF1 on global translation via reduced mRNA levels and translation efficiencies for several ribosomal proteins.

molecular biology↗