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Seminars in Cancer Biology Apr 2020Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) represents one of the most lethal human cancers and although this tumor type is rare, ATC accounts for the majority of deaths from...
Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) represents one of the most lethal human cancers and although this tumor type is rare, ATC accounts for the majority of deaths from thyroid cancer. Due to the rarity of ATC, a comprehensive genomic characterization of this tumor type has been challenging, and thus the development of new therapies has been lacking. To date, there is only one mutation-driven targeted therapy for BRAF-mutant ATC. Recent genomic studies have used next generation sequencing to define the genetic landscape of ATC in order to identify new therapeutic targets. Together, these studies have confirmed the role of oncogenic mutations of MAPK pathway as key drivers of differentiated thyroid cancer (BRAF, RAS), and that additional genetic alterations in the PI3K pathway, TP53, and the TERT promoter are necessary for anaplastic transformation. Recent novel findings have linked the high mutational burden associated with ATC with mutations in the Mismatch Repair (MMR) pathway and overactivity of the AID/APOBEC family of cytidine deaminases. Additional novel mutations include cell cycle genes, SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex, and histone modification genes. Mutations in RAC1 were also identified in ATC, which have important implications for BRAF-directed therapies. In this review, we summarize these novel findings and the new genetic landscape of ATC. We further discuss the development of therapies targeting these pathways that are being tested in clinical and preclinical studies.
Topics: Biomarkers, Tumor; Disease Management; Disease Susceptibility; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; Genomics; Humans; Models, Biological; Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf; Thyroid Carcinoma, Anaplastic
PubMed: 31991166
DOI: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2020.01.005 -
Molecular Therapy. Nucleic Acids Jun 2023APOBEC/AID cytidine deaminases play an important role in innate immunity and antiviral defenses and were shown to suppress hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication by...
APOBEC/AID cytidine deaminases play an important role in innate immunity and antiviral defenses and were shown to suppress hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication by deaminating and destroying the major form of HBV genome, covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), without toxicity to the infected cells. However, developing anti-HBV therapeutics based on APOBEC/AID is complicated by the lack of tools for activating and controlling their expression. Here, we developed a CRISPR-activation-based approach (CRISPRa) to induce APOBEC/AID transient overexpression (>4-800,000-fold increase in mRNA levels). Using this new strategy, we were able to control APOBEC/AID expression and monitor their effects on HBV replication, mutation, and cellular toxicity. CRISPRa prominently reduced HBV replication (∼90%-99% decline of viral intermediates), deaminated and destroyed cccDNA, but induced mutagenesis in cancer-related genes. By coupling CRISPRa with attenuated sgRNA technology, we demonstrate that APOBEC/AID activation can be precisely controlled, eliminating off-site mutagenesis in virus-containing cells while preserving prominent antiviral activity. This study untangles the differences in the effects of physiologically expressed APOBEC/AID on HBV replication and cellular genome, provides insights into the molecular mechanisms of HBV cccDNA mutagenesis, repair, and degradation, and, finally, presents a strategy for a tunable control of APOBEC/AID expression and for suppressing HBV replication without toxicity.
PubMed: 37187708
DOI: 10.1016/j.omtn.2023.04.016 -
Current Issues in Molecular Biology 2020As intracellular parasites, viruses hijack the cellular machinery to facilitate their replication and spread. This includes favouring the expression of their viral genes... (Review)
Review
As intracellular parasites, viruses hijack the cellular machinery to facilitate their replication and spread. This includes favouring the expression of their viral genes over host genes, appropriation of cellular molecules, and manipulation of signalling pathways, including the post-translational machinery. HIV, the causative agent of AIDS, is notorious for using post-translational modifications to generate infectious particles. Here, we discuss the mechanisms by which HIV usurps the ubiquitin and SUMO pathways to modify both viral and host factors to achieve a productive infection, and also how the host innate sensing system uses these post-translational modifications to hinder HIV replication.
Topics: APOBEC-3G Deaminase; Antiviral Restriction Factors; HIV; HIV Infections; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; Membrane Proteins; Protein Processing, Post-Translational; SAM Domain and HD Domain-Containing Protein 1; Signal Transduction; Sumoylation; Tripartite Motif Proteins; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; Ubiquitination; Virus Replication
PubMed: 31422939
DOI: 10.21775/cimb.035.159 -
Science (New York, N.Y.) Nov 2023Historically, mpox has been characterized as an endemic zoonotic disease that transmits through contact with the reservoir rodent host in West and Central Africa....
Historically, mpox has been characterized as an endemic zoonotic disease that transmits through contact with the reservoir rodent host in West and Central Africa. However, in May 2022, human cases of mpox were detected spreading internationally beyond countries with known endemic reservoirs. When the first cases from 2022 were sequenced, they shared 42 nucleotide differences from the closest mpox virus (MPXV) previously sampled. Nearly all these mutations are characteristic of the action of APOBEC3 deaminases, host enzymes with antiviral function. Assuming APOBEC3 editing is characteristic of human MPXV infection, we developed a dual-process phylogenetic molecular clock that-inferring a rate of ~6 APOBEC3 mutations per year-estimates that MPXV has been circulating in humans since 2016. These observations of sustained MPXV transmission present a fundamental shift to the perceived paradigm of MPXV epidemiology as a zoonosis and highlight the need for revising public health messaging around MPXV as well as outbreak management and control.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Africa, Central; Africa, Western; APOBEC Deaminases; Disease Outbreaks; Mpox (monkeypox); Monkeypox virus; Mutation; Phylogeny; Viral Zoonoses; RNA Editing
PubMed: 37917680
DOI: 10.1126/science.adg8116 -
Viruses Mar 2021lipoprotein mRNA diting atalytic polypeptide-like (APOBEC) proteins belong to a family of deaminase proteins that can catalyze the deamination of cytosine to uracil on... (Review)
Review
lipoprotein mRNA diting atalytic polypeptide-like (APOBEC) proteins belong to a family of deaminase proteins that can catalyze the deamination of cytosine to uracil on single-stranded DNA or/and RNA. APOBEC proteins are involved in diverse biological functions, including adaptive and innate immunity, which are critical for restricting viral infection and endogenous retroelements. Dysregulation of their functions can cause undesired genomic mutations and RNA modification, leading to various associated diseases, such as hyper-IgM syndrome and cancer. This review focuses on the structural and biochemical data on the multimerization status of individual APOBECs and the associated functional implications. Many APOBECs form various multimeric complexes, and multimerization is an important way to regulate functions for some of these proteins at several levels, such as deaminase activity, protein stability, subcellular localization, protein storage and activation, virion packaging, and antiviral activity. The multimerization of some APOBECs is more complicated than others, due to the associated complex RNA binding modes.
Topics: APOBEC Deaminases; Humans; Immunity, Innate; Neoplasms; Protein Multimerization; Structure-Activity Relationship; Virus Diseases
PubMed: 33802945
DOI: 10.3390/v13030497 -
Molecular & Cellular Proteomics : MCP May 2024Human APOBEC3 enzymes are a family of single-stranded (ss)DNA and RNA cytidine deaminases that act as part of the intrinsic immunity against viruses and retroelements....
Human APOBEC3 enzymes are a family of single-stranded (ss)DNA and RNA cytidine deaminases that act as part of the intrinsic immunity against viruses and retroelements. These enzymes deaminate cytosine to form uracil which can functionally inactivate or cause degradation of viral or retroelement genomes. In addition, APOBEC3s have deamination-independent antiviral activity through protein and nucleic acid interactions. If expression levels are misregulated, some APOBEC3 enzymes can access the human genome leading to deamination and mutagenesis, contributing to cancer initiation and evolution. While APOBEC3 enzymes are known to interact with large ribonucleoprotein complexes, the function and RNA dependence are not entirely understood. To further understand their cellular roles, we determined by affinity purification mass spectrometry (AP-MS) the protein interaction network for the human APOBEC3 enzymes and mapped a diverse set of protein-protein and protein-RNA mediated interactions. Our analysis identified novel RNA-mediated interactions between APOBEC3C, APOBEC3H Haplotype I and II, and APOBEC3G with spliceosome proteins, and APOBEC3G and APOBEC3H Haplotype I with proteins involved in tRNA methylation and ncRNA export from the nucleus. In addition, we identified RNA-independent protein-protein interactions with APOBEC3B, APOBEC3D, and APOBEC3F and the prefoldin family of protein-folding chaperones. Interaction between prefoldin 5 (PFD5) and APOBEC3B disrupted the ability of PFD5 to induce degradation of the oncogene cMyc, implicating the APOBEC3B protein interaction network in cancer. Altogether, the results uncover novel functions and interactions of the APOBEC3 family and suggest they may have fundamental roles in cellular RNA biology, their protein-protein interactions are not redundant, and there are protein-protein interactions with tumor suppressors, suggesting a role in cancer biology. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with the identifier PXD044275.
Topics: Humans; Cytidine Deaminase; Protein Interaction Maps; Deamination; APOBEC Deaminases; Aminohydrolases; HEK293 Cells; Cytosine Deaminase; APOBEC-3G Deaminase; Spliceosomes; Protein Binding; Mass Spectrometry; RNA; Minor Histocompatibility Antigens
PubMed: 38548018
DOI: 10.1016/j.mcpro.2024.100755 -
Protein Science : a Publication of the... Feb 2020Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retroviral pathogen that targets human immune cells such as CD4 T cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells. The human... (Review)
Review
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retroviral pathogen that targets human immune cells such as CD4 T cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells. The human apolipoprotein B mRNA- editing catalytic polypeptide 3 (APOBEC3 or A3) cytidine deaminases are a key class of intrinsic restriction factors that inhibit replication of HIV. When HIV-1 enters the cell, the immune system responds by inducing the activation of the A3 family proteins, which convert cytosines to uracils in single-stranded DNA replication intermediates, neutralizing the virus. HIV counteracts this intrinsic immune response by encoding a protein termed viral infectivity factor (Vif). Vif targets A3 to an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex for poly-ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Vif is unique in that it can recognize and counteract multiple A3 restriction factor substrates. Structural biology studies have provided significant insights into the overall architectures and functions of Vif and A3 proteins; however, a structure of the Vif-A3 complex has remained elusive. In this review, we summarize and reanalyze experimental data from recent structural, biochemical, and functional studies to provide key perspectives on the residues involved in Vif-A3 protein-protein interactions.
Topics: APOBEC Deaminases; Crystallography, X-Ray; Cytidine Deaminase; Humans; Models, Molecular; Protein Binding; vif Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
PubMed: 31518043
DOI: 10.1002/pro.3729 -
Journal of Medical Virology Jan 2020Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA is vulnerable to editing by human apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide-like (APOBEC) cytidine deaminases. However, the...
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA is vulnerable to editing by human apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide-like (APOBEC) cytidine deaminases. However, the distribution of APOBEC-induced mutations on HBV DNA is not well characterized. To this end, we obtained the HBV DNA sequence of HBV-infected individuals with and without hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC and non-HCC groups, respectively) from NCBI database and calculated the r values of APOBEC-induced TpCpW→TpKpW mutation prevalence in HBV DNA. The results showed that the APOBEC-induced mutations were mainly distributed in the minus strand of non-HCC-derived HBV DNA (r = 2.04), while the mutation on the plus-strand was weaker (r = 0.99). There were high APOBEC-induced mutation regions in the minus strand of HBV DNA 1 to 1000 nucleotides (nts) region and in the plus-strand of HBV DNA 1000 to 1500 nts region; the mutations in the 1 to 1000 nts region were mainly TpCpW→TpTpW mutation types (total T/G: 111/18) and a number of these were missense mutations (missense/synonymous: 35/94 in P gene, 17/15 in S gene, and 5/10 in X gene). The difference between minus to plus-strand r of HCC-derived HBV DNA (1.96) was greater than that of the non-HCC group (1.05). The minus-strand r of HCC-derived HBV DNA regions 1000 to1500nts and 1500 to 2000 nts (r = 4.2 and 4.2) was also higher than that of the same regions of non-HCC-derived HBV DNA (r = 1.2 and 1.1). Finally, the ratio of minus to plus-strand r was used to distinguish HCC-derived HBV DNA from non-HCC-derived HBV DNA. This study unraveled the distribution characteristics of APOBEC-induced mutations on double strands of HBV DNA from HCC and non-HCC samples. Our findings would help understand the mechanism of APOBECs on HBV DNA and may provide important insights for the screening of HCC.
Topics: APOBEC-1 Deaminase; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular; DNA, Viral; Genotype; Hepatitis B virus; Humans; Liver Neoplasms; Mutation; Sequence Analysis, DNA
PubMed: 31429946
DOI: 10.1002/jmv.25572 -
Clinical Immunology (Orlando, Fla.) May 2021RNA editing is a fundamental biological process with 2 major forms, namely adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I, recognized as A-to-G) and cytosine-to-uracil (C-to-U)... (Review)
Review
RNA editing is a fundamental biological process with 2 major forms, namely adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I, recognized as A-to-G) and cytosine-to-uracil (C-to-U) deamination, mediated by ADAR and APOBEC enzyme families, respectively. A-to-I RNA editing has been shown to directly affect the genome/transcriptome of RNA viruses with significant repercussions for viral protein synthesis, proliferation and infectivity, while it also affects recognition of double-stranded RNAs by cytosolic receptors controlling the host innate immune response. Recent evidence suggests that RNA editing may be present in SARS-CoV-2 genome/transcriptome. The majority of mapped mutations in SARS-CoV-2 genome are A-to-G/U-to-C(opposite strand) and C-to-U/G-to-A(opposite strand) substitutions comprising potential ADAR-/APOBEC-mediated deamination events. A single nucleotide substitution can have dramatic effects on SARS-CoV-2 infectivity as shown by the D614G(A-to-G) substitution in the spike protein. Future studies utilizing serial sampling from patients with COVID-19 are warranted to delineate whether RNA editing affects viral replication and/or the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2.
Topics: APOBEC Deaminases; Adenosine Deaminase; COVID-19; Humans; Immunity, Innate; Mutation; RNA Editing; RNA Viruses; RNA, Double-Stranded; RNA-Binding Proteins; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 33639276
DOI: 10.1016/j.clim.2021.108699 -
Nature Communications Jul 2023The emergence and reemergence of mosquito-borne diseases in Brazil such as yellow fever, zika, chikungunya, and dengue have had serious impacts on public health....
The emergence and reemergence of mosquito-borne diseases in Brazil such as yellow fever, zika, chikungunya, and dengue have had serious impacts on public health. Concerns have been raised due to the rapid dissemination of the chikungunya virus across the country since its first detection in 2014 in Northeast Brazil. In this work, we carried out on-site training activities in genomic surveillance in partnership with the National Network of Public Health Laboratories that have led to the generation of 422 chikungunya virus genomes from 12 Brazilian states over the past two years (2021-2022), a period that has seen more than 312 thousand chikungunya fever cases reported in the country. These genomes increased the amount of available data and allowed a more comprehensive characterization of the dispersal dynamics of the chikungunya virus East-Central-South-African lineage in Brazil. Tree branching patterns revealed the emergence and expansion of two distinct subclades. Phylogeographic analysis indicated that the northeast region has been the leading hub of virus spread towards other regions. Increased frequency of C > T transitions among the new genomes suggested that host restriction factors from the immune system such as ADAR and AID/APOBEC deaminases might be driving the genetic diversity of the chikungunya virus in Brazil.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Chikungunya virus; Brazil; Chikungunya Fever; Yellow Fever; Zika Virus; Nucleotides; Zika Virus Infection
PubMed: 37479700
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40099-y