Claudia Carissimi

An emerging player in the adaptive immune response: MicroRNA-146a is a modulator of IL-2 expression and activation-induced cell death in T lymphocytes

Activation of the T cell-mediated immune response has been associated with changes in the expression of specific microRNAs (miRNAs). However, the role of miRNAs in the development of an effective immune response is just beginning to be explored. This study focuses on the functional role of miR-146a in T lymphocyte-mediated immune response and provides interesting clues on the transcriptional regulation of miR-146a during T-cell activation. We show that miR-146a is low in human naive T cells and is abundantly expressed in human memory T cells; consistently, miR-146a is induced in human primary T lymphocytes upon T-cell receptor (TCR) stimulation. Moreover, we identified NF-kB and c-ETS binding sites as required for the induction of miR-146a transcription upon TCR engagement. Our results demonstrate that several signaling pathways, other than inflammation, are influenced by miR-146a. In particular, we provide experimental evidence that miR-146a modulates activation-induced cell death (AICD), acting as an antiapoptotic factor, and that Fas-associated death domain (FADD) is a target of miR-146a. Furthermore, miR-146a enforced expression impairs both activator protein 1 (AP-1) activity and interleukin-2 (IL-2) production induced by TCR engagement, thus suggesting a role of this miRNA in the modulation of adaptive immunity.

MicroRNAs: novel regulators of immunity.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a growing class of evolutionarily conserved small non-coding RNAs that act as key regulators of gene expression at post-transcriptional level by targeting mRNAs for translational repression or degradation. These tiny regulators of gene expression have been shown to have unique tissue-specific, developmental stage-specific and disease-specific patterns. These observations suggest that miRNAs might be essential players in cell differentiation and maintenance of tissue type identity. Indeed, during the last years several studies highlighted that miRNAs play a critical role in the differentiation and function of the adaptive and innate immune systems. This review provides an overview of the miRNAs mode of action and of the important and diverse roles of miRNAs in regulating the development of hematopoietic system and in modulating immune responses. The implications arising in the field of autoimmune diseases will be discussed.

MiR-21 is an Ngf-modulated MicroRNA That supports Ngf signaling and regulates neuronal degeneration in PC12 cells

The neurotrophins Ngf, Bdnf, NT-3, NT4–5 have key roles in development, survival, and plasticity of neuronal cells. Their action involves broad gene expression changes at the level of transcription and translation. MicroRNAs (miRs)—small RNA molecules that control gene expression post-transcriptionally—are increasingly implicated in regulating development and plasticity of neural cells. Using PC12 cells as a model system, we show that Ngf modulates changes in expression of a variety of microRNAs, including miRs known to be modulated by neurotrophins—such as the miR-212/132 cluster—and several others, such as miR-21, miR-29c, miR-30c, miR-93, miR-103, miR-207, miR-691, and miR-709. Pathway analysis indicates that Ngf-modulated miRs may regulate many protein components of signaling pathways involved in neuronal development and disease. In particular, we show that miR-21 enhances neurotrophin signaling and controls neuronal differentiation induced by Ngf. Notably, in a situation mimicking neurodegeneration—differentiated neurons deprived of Ngf—this microRNA is able to preserve the neurite network and to support viability of the neurons. These findings uncover a broad role of microRNAs in regulating neurotrophin signaling and suggest that aberrant expression of one or more Ngf-modulated miRs may be involved in neurodegenerative diseases.

ARGONAUTE2 cooperates with SWI/SNF complex to determine nucleosome occupancy at human Transcription Start Sites

Argonaute (AGO) proteins have a well-established role in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression as key component of the RNA silencing pathways. Recent evidence involves AGO proteins in mammalian nuclear processes such as transcription and splicing, though the mechanistic aspects of AGO nuclear functions remain largely elusive. Here, by SILAC-based interaction proteomics, we identify the chromatin-remodelling complex SWI/SNF as a novel AGO2 interactor in human cells. Moreover, we show that nuclear AGO2 is loaded with a novel class of Dicer-dependent short RNAs (sRNAs), that we called swiRNAs, which map nearby the Transcription Start Sites (TSSs) bound by SWI/SNF. The knock-down of AGO2 decreases nucleosome occupancy at the first nucleosome located downstream of TSSs in a swiRNA-dependent manner. Our findings indicate that in human cells AGO2 binds SWI/SNF and a novel class of sRNAs to establish nucleosome occupancy on target TSSs.

MicroRNA-181a enhances cell proliferation in acute lymphoblastic leukemia by targeting EGR1

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is an aggressive cancer that occurs in both children and adults. Starting from an integrated analysis of miRNA/mRNA expression profiles in 20 ALL patients, we identify a negative correlation between miR-181a and EGR1. Coherently, miR-181a over-expression in Jurkat T-ALL cells decreases EGR1 expression, increasing cell proliferation and enhancing the cell-cycle progression from G1 to S phase. We show that EGR1 is a new direct target of miR-181a. Our findings suggest that miR-181a behaves as an onco-miRNA in ALL by down-regulating EGR1.

MiR-21 is a negative modulator of T-cell activation

microRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs acting as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression and play fundamental roles in regulating immune response and autoimmunity. We show that memory T-lymphocytes express higher levels of miR-21 compared to naïve T-lymphocytes and that miR-21 expression is induced upon TCR engagement of naïve T-cells. We identify bona fide miR-21 targets by direct immuno-purification and profiling of AGO2-associated mRNAs in Jurkat cells over-expressing miR-21. Our analysis shows that, in T-lymphocytes, miR-21 targets genes are involved in signal transduction. Coherently, TCR signalling is dampened upon miR-21 over-expression in Jurkat cells, resulting in lower ERK phosphorylation, AP-1 activation and CD69 expression. Primary human lymphocytes in which we impaired miR-21 activity, display IFN-γ production enhancement and stronger activation in response to TCR engagement as assessed by CD69, OX40, CD25 and CD127 analysis. By intracellular staining of the endogenous protein in primary T-lymphocytes we validate three key regulators of lymphocyte activation as novel miR-21 targets. Our results highlight an unexpected function of miR-21 as a negative modulator of signal transduction downstream of TCR in T-lymphocytes.

TP53 regulates miRNA association with AGO2 to remodel the miRNA-mRNA interaction network.

DNA damage activates TP53-regulated surveillance mechanisms that are crucial in suppressing tumorigenesis. TP53 orchestrates these responses directly by transcriptionally modulating genes, including microRNAs (miRNAs), and by regulating miRNA biogenesis through interacting with the DROSHA complex. However, whether the association between miRNAs and AGO2 is regulated following DNA damage is not yet known. Here, we show that, following DNA damage, TP53 interacts with AGO2 to induce or reduce AGO2s association of a subset of miRNAs, including multiple let-7 family members. Furthermore, we show that specific mutations in TP53 decrease rather than increase the association of let-7 family miRNAs, reducing their activity without preventing TP53 from interacting with AGO2. This is consistent with the oncogenic properties of these mutants. Using AGO2 RIP-seq and PAR-CLIP-seq, we show that the DNA damage-induced increase in binding of let-7 family members to the RISC complex is functional. We unambiguously determine the global miRNA-mRNA interaction networks involved in the DNA damage response, validating them through the identification of miRNA-target chimeras formed by endogenous ligation reactions. We find that the target complementary region of the let-7 seed tends to have highly fixed positions and more variable ones. Additionally, we observe that miRNAs, whose cellular abundance or differential association with AGO2 is regulated by TP53, are involved in an intricate network of regulatory feedback and feedforward circuits. TP53-mediated regulation of AGO2-miRNA interaction represents a new mechanism of miRNA regulation in carcinogenesis.

The role of TP53 in miRNA loading onto AGO2 and in remodelling the miRNA-mRNA interaction network.

BACKGROUND DNA damage transactivates tumour protein p53 (TP53)-regulated surveillance, crucial in suppressing tumorigenesis. TP53 mediates this process directly by transcriptionally modulating gene and microRNA (miRNA) expression and indirectly by regulating miRNA biogenesis. However, the role of TP53 in regulating miRNA-AGO2 loading and global changes in AGO2 binding to its gene targets in response to DNA damage are unknown. These processes might be novel mechanisms by which TP53 regulates miRNAs in response to DNA damage. METHODS To show the network of miRNA-mRNA interactions that occur in response to DNA damage, we stimulated TP53 wild-type and null cell-lines with doxorubicin and performed RNA sequencing from total RNA (RNA-Seq) and AGO2-immunoprecipitated RNA (AGO2-RIP-Seq). We used a combined AGO2 RIP-seq and AGO2 PAR-CLIP-seq (photoactivatable-ribonucleoside-enhanced cross-linking and immunoprecipitation) approach to determine the exact sites of interaction between the AGO2-bound miRNAs and their mRNA targets. FINDINGS TP53 directly associated with AGO2, and induced and reduced loading of a subset of miRNAs, including the lethal 7 (let-7) miRNA family members, onto AGO2 in response to DNA damage. Although mutated TP53 maintained its capacity to interact with AGO2, it mediated unloading instead of loading of let-7 family miRNAs, thereby reducing their activity. We determined the miRNA-mRNA interaction networks involved in the response to DNA damage both in the presence and absence of TP53. Furthermore, we showed that miRNAs whose cellular abundance or differential loading onto AGO2 was regulated by TP53 were involved in an intricate network of regulatory feedback and feedforward circuits that fine-tuned gene expression levels in response to DNA damage to permit the repair of DNA damage or initiation of programmed cell death. INTERPRETATION Control of AGO2 loading by TP53 is a new mechanism of miRNA regulation in carcinogenesis. FUNDING UK Medical Research Council, Action Against Cancer.

Characterization of Transcription Termination-Associated RNAs: New Insights into their Biogenesis, Tailing, and Expression in Primary Tumors

Next-generation sequencing has uncovered novel classes of small RNAs (sRNAs) in eukaryotes, in addition to the well-known miRNAs, siRNAs, and piRNAs. In particular, sRNA species arise from transcription start sites (TSSs) and the transcription termination sites (TTSs) of genes. However, a detailed characterization of these new classes of sRNAs is still lacking. Here, we present a comprehensive study of sRNAs derived from TTSs of expressed genes (TTSa-RNAs) in human cell lines and primary tissues. Taking advantage of sRNA-sequencing, we show that TTSa-RNAs are present in the nuclei of human cells, are loaded onto both AGO1 and AGO2, and their biogenesis does not require DICER and AGO2 endonucleolytic activity. TTSa-RNAs display a strong bias against a G residue in the first position at 5′ end, a known feature of AGO-bound sRNAs, and a peculiar oligoA tail at 3′ end. AGO-bound TTSa-RNAs derive from genes involved in cell cycle progression regulation and DNA integrity checkpoints. Finally, we provide evidence that TTSa-RNAs can be detected by sRNA-Seq in primary human tissue, and their expression increases in tumor samples as compared to nontumor tissues, suggesting that in the future, TTSa-RNAs might be explored as biomarker for diagnosis or prognosis of human malignancies.

Comprehensive RNA dataset of AGO2 associated RNAs in Jurkat cells following miR-21 over-expression

We set out to identify miR-21 targets in Jurkat cells using a high-throughput biochemical approach (10.1016/j.biochi.2014.09.021[1]). Using a specific monoclonal antibody raised against AGO2, RISC complexes were immunopurified in Jurkat cells over-expressing miR-21 following lentiviral trasduction as well as in Jurkat control cells lines. A parallel immunoprecipitation using isotype-matched rat IgG was performed as a control. AGO2 associated mRNAs were profiled by microarray (GEO: GSE37212). AGO2 bound miRNAs were profiled by RNA-seq.