The long noncoding RNA (LINC-RBE) expression in testicular cells is associated with aging of the rat.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulatory biomolecules responsible for many cellular processes. The aging of mammals is manifested by a slow and gradual decline of physiological functions after adulthood, progressively resulting in age-related diseases. Testis comprises different cell-types with defined functions for producing haploid gametes and androgens in males, contributing gene-pool to the next generation with genetic variations to species for evolutionary advantage.

Cell-type specific and differential expression of LINC-RSAS long noncoding RNA declines in the testes during ageing of the rat.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as major regulators of gene expression, chromatin structure, epigenetic changes, post-transcriptional processing of RNAs, translation of mRNAs into proteins as well as contributing to the process of ageing. Ageing is a universal, slow, progressive change in almost all physiological processes of organisms after attaining reproductive maturity and often associated with age-related diseases. Mammalian testes contain various cell-types, vast reservoir of transcriptome complexity, produce haploid male gametes for reproduction and testosterone for development and maintenance of male sexual characters as well as contribute genetic variation to the species.

Drosha-dependent microRNAs modulate FUS-mediated neurodegeneration in vivo.

Mutations in the Fused in Sarcoma (FUS) gene cause the familial and progressive form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). FUS is a nuclear RNA-binding protein involved in RNA processing and the biogenesis of a specific set of microRNAs. Here we report that Drosha and two previously uncharacterized Drosha-dependent miRNAs are strong modulators of FUS expression and prevent the cytoplasmic segregation of insoluble mutant FUS in vivo.

SMN regulates GEMIN5 expression and acts as a modifier of GEMIN5-mediated neurodegeneration.

GEMIN5 is essential for core assembly of small nuclear Ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs), the building blocks of spliceosome formation. Loss-of-function mutations in GEMIN5 lead to a neurodevelopmental syndrome among patients presenting with developmental delay, motor dysfunction, and cerebellar atrophy by perturbing SMN complex protein expression and assembly. Currently, molecular determinants of GEMIN5-mediated disease have yet to be explored.

NgR1 binding to reovirus reveals an unusual bivalent interaction and a new viral attachment protein.

Nogo-66 receptor 1 (NgR1) binds a variety of structurally dissimilar ligands in the adult central nervous system to inhibit axon extension. Disruption of ligand binding to NgR1 and subsequent signaling can improve neuron outgrowth, making NgR1 an important therapeutic target for diverse neurological conditions such as spinal crush injuries and Alzheimer's disease. Human NgR1 serves as a receptor for mammalian orthoreovirus (reovirus), but the mechanism of virus-receptor engagement is unknown.

Functional and structural deficiencies of Gemin5 variants associated with neurological disorders.

Dysfunction of RNA-binding proteins is often linked to a wide range of human disease, particularly with neurological conditions. Gemin5 is a member of the survival of the motor neurons (SMN) complex, a ribosome-binding protein and a translation reprogramming factor. Recently, pathogenic mutations in have been reported, but the functional consequences of these variants remain elusive.

Autosomal Recessive Cerebellar Atrophy and Spastic Ataxia in Patients With Pathogenic Biallelic Variants in .

The hereditary ataxias are a heterogenous group of disorders with an increasing number of causative genes being described. Due to the clinical and genetic heterogeneity seen in these conditions, the majority of such individuals endure a diagnostic odyssey or remain undiagnosed. Defining the molecular etiology can bring insights into the responsible molecular pathways and eventually the identification of therapeutic targets.

DDX17 is involved in DNA damage repair and modifies FUS toxicity in an RGG-domain dependent manner.

Mutations in the RNA binding protein, Fused in Sarcoma (FUS), lead to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the most frequent form of motor neuron disease. Cytoplasmic aggregation and defective DNA repair machinery are etiologically linked to mutant FUS-associated ALS. Although FUS is involved in numerous aspects of RNA processing, little is understood about the pathophysiological mechanisms of mutant FUS.

Traumatic injury compromises nucleocytoplasmic transport and leads to TDP-43 pathology.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a predisposing factor for many neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Although defects in nucleocytoplasmic transport (NCT) is reported ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases, whether defects in NCT occur in TBI remains unknown. We performed proteomic analysis on exposed to repeated TBI and identified resultant alterations in several novel molecular pathways.

Loss of function mutations in GEMIN5 cause a neurodevelopmental disorder.

GEMIN5, an RNA-binding protein is essential for assembly of the survival motor neuron (SMN) protein complex and facilitates the formation of small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs), the building blocks of spliceosomes. Here, we have identified 30 affected individuals from 22 unrelated families presenting with developmental delay, hypotonia, and cerebellar ataxia harboring biallelic variants in the GEMIN5 gene. Mutations in GEMIN5 perturb the subcellular distribution, stability, and expression of GEMIN5 protein and its interacting partners in patient iPSC-derived neurons, suggesting a potential loss-of-function mechanism.

RNA dependent suppression of C9orf72 ALS/FTD associated neurodegeneration by Matrin-3.

The most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a GGGGCC (G4C2) hexanucleotide repeat expansions in first intron of the C9orf72 gene. The accumulation of repetitive RNA sequences can mediate toxicity potentially through the formation of intranuclear RNA foci that sequester key RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), and non-ATG mediated translation into toxic dipeptide protein repeats. However, the contribution of RBP sequestration to the mechanisms underlying RNA-mediated toxicity remain unknown.

RNA-recognition motif in Matrin-3 mediates neurodegeneration through interaction with hnRNPM.

Background: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an adult-onset, fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive loss of upper and lower motor neurons. While pathogenic mutations in the DNA/RNA-binding protein Matrin-3 (MATR3) are linked to ALS and distal myopathy, the molecular mechanisms underlying MATR3-mediated neuromuscular degeneration remain unclear.

Methods: We generated Drosophila lines with transgenic insertion of human MATR3 wildtype, disease-associated variants F115C and S85C, and deletion variants in functional domains, ΔRRM1, ΔRRM2, ΔZNF1 and ΔZNF2.

Nucleocytoplasmic Proteomic Analysis Uncovers eRF1 and Nonsense-Mediated Decay as Modifiers of ALS/FTD C9orf72 Toxicity.

The most common genetic cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a hexanucleotide repeat expansion in C9orf72 (C9-HRE). While RNA and dipeptide repeats produced by C9-HRE disrupt nucleocytoplasmic transport, the proteins that become redistributed remain unknown. Here, we utilized subcellular fractionation coupled with tandem mass spectrometry and identified 126 proteins, enriched for protein translation and RNA metabolism pathways, which collectively drive a shift toward a more cytosolic proteome in C9-HRE cells.

Muscleblind acts as a modifier of FUS toxicity by modulating stress granule dynamics and SMN localization.

Mutations in fused in sarcoma (FUS) lead to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with varying ages of onset, progression and severity. This suggests that unknown genetic factors contribute to disease pathogenesis. Here we show the identification of muscleblind as a novel modifier of FUS-mediated neurodegeneration in vivo.

FUS pathology in ALS is linked to alterations in multiple ALS-associated proteins and rescued by drugs stimulating autophagy.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a lethal disease characterized by motor neuron degeneration and associated with aggregation of nuclear RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), including FUS. How FUS aggregation and neurodegeneration are prevented in healthy motor neurons remain critically unanswered questions. Here, we use a combination of ALS patient autopsy tissue and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons to study the effects of FUS mutations on RBP homeostasis.

Age-Related Expression of a Repeat-Rich Intergenic Long Noncoding RNA in the Rat Brain.

Genome-wide transcriptome analysis has shown that ∼90 % of the mammalian genome undergoes pervasive transcription into various small and long noncoding RNAs with diverse biological functions and only ∼1.5 % is protein coding. Recent literature suggests that various structurally diverse sense and antisense long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) (>200 nt) are expressed from the intronic, intergenic and repeat-rich regions in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS).

Long noncoding RNAs in aging and age-related diseases.

Aging is the universal, intrinsic, genetically-controlled, evolutionarily-conserved and time-dependent intricate biological process characterised by the cumulative decline in the physiological functions and their coordination in an organism after the attainment of adulthood resulting in the imbalance of neurological, immunological and metabolic functions of the body. Various biological processes and mechanisms along with altered levels of mRNAs and proteins have been reported to be involved in the progression of aging. It is one of the major risk factors in the patho-physiology of various diseases and disorders.

All-Trans Retinoic Acid Induces Expression of a Novel Intergenic Long Noncoding RNA in Adult rat Primary Hippocampal Neurons.

Around 90% of the mammalian genome undergoes pervasive transcription into various types of small and long regulatory noncoding RNAs, whereas only ∼ 1.5% codes for proteins. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) constitute diverse classes of sense- and antisense transcripts that are abundantly expressed in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS) in cell type- and developmental stage-specific manners.

Age-dependent differential expression profile of a novel intergenic long noncoding RNA in rat brain.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are ≥ 200 nt long, abundant class of non-protein coding RNAs that are transcribed in complex, sense- and antisense patterns from the intergenic and intronic regions of mammalian genome. Mammalian central nervous system constitutes the largest repertoire of noncoding transcripts that are known to be expressed in developmentally regulated and cell-type specific manners. Although many lncRNAs, functioning in the brain development and diseases are known, none involved in brain aging has been reported so far.

Age-dependent differential expression profile of a novel intergenic long noncoding RNA in rat brain.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are ≥200 nt long, abundant class of non-protein coding RNAs that are transcribed in complex, sense- and antisense patterns from the intergenic and intronic regions of mammalian genome. Mammalian central nervous system constitutes the largest repertoire of noncoding transcripts that are known to be expressed in developmentally regulated and cell-type specific manners. Although many lncRNAs, functioning in the brain development and diseases are known, none involved in brain aging has been reported so far.