Decapping factor Dcp2 controls mRNA abundance and translation to adjust metabolism and filamentation to nutrient availability

  1. Anil Kumar Vijjamarri
  2. Xiao Niu
  3. Matthew D Vandermeulen
  4. Chisom Onu
  5. Fan Zhang
  6. Hongfang Qiu
  7. Neha Gupta
  8. Swati Gaikwad
  9. Miriam L Greenberg
  10. Paul J Cullen
  11. Zhenguo Lin
  12. Alan G Hinnebusch  Is a corresponding author
  1. Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, United States
  2. Saint Louis University, United States
  3. State University of New York, United States
  4. Wayne State University, United States

Abstract

Degradation of most yeast mRNAs involves decapping by Dcp1/Dcp2. DEAD-box protein Dhh1 has been implicated as an activator of decapping, in coupling codon non-optimality to enhanced degradation, and as a translational repressor, but its functions in cells are incompletely understood. RNA-Seq analyses coupled with CAGE sequencing of all capped mRNAs revealed increased abundance of hundreds of mRNAs in dcp2Δ cells that appears to result directly from impaired decapping rather than elevated transcription. Interestingly, only a subset of mRNAs requires Dhh1 for targeting by Dcp2, and also generally requires the other decapping activators Pat1, Edc3 or Scd6; whereas most of the remaining transcripts utilize NMD factors for Dcp2-mediated turnover. Neither inefficient translation initiation nor stalled elongation appears to be a major driver of Dhh1-enhanced mRNA degradation. Surprisingly, ribosome profiling revealed that dcp2Δ confers widespread changes in relative translational efficiencies (TEs) that generally favor well-translated mRNAs. Because ribosome biogenesis is reduced while capped mRNA abundance is increased by dcp2&Delta, we propose that an increased ratio of mRNA to ribosomes increases competition among mRNAs for limiting ribosomes to favor efficiently translated mRNAs in dcp2Δ cells. Interestingly, genes involved in respiration or utilization of alternative carbon or nitrogen sources are up-regulated, and both mitochondrial function and cell filamentation are elevated in dcp2Δ cells, suggesting that decapping sculpts gene expression post-transcriptionally to fine-tune metabolic pathways and morphological transitions according to nutrient availability.

Data availability

Sequencing data have been deposited in GEO under accession codes GSE220578. All other data generated or analysed during this study are included in the manuscript and supporting files; Source Data files have been provided for all figures.

The following data sets were generated
The following previously published data sets were used

Article and author information

Author details

  1. Anil Kumar Vijjamarri

    Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, United States
    Competing interests
    No competing interests declared.
  2. Xiao Niu

    Department of Biology, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, United States
    Competing interests
    No competing interests declared.
  3. Matthew D Vandermeulen

    Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York, Buffalo, United States
    Competing interests
    No competing interests declared.
  4. Chisom Onu

    Department of Biological Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, United States
    Competing interests
    No competing interests declared.
    ORCID icon "This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0002-3338-5141
  5. Fan Zhang

    Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, United States
    Competing interests
    No competing interests declared.
  6. Hongfang Qiu

    Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, United States
    Competing interests
    No competing interests declared.
  7. Neha Gupta

    Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, United States
    Competing interests
    No competing interests declared.
  8. Swati Gaikwad

    Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, United States
    Competing interests
    No competing interests declared.
    ORCID icon "This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0002-1438-9497
  9. Miriam L Greenberg

    Department of Biological Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, United States
    Competing interests
    No competing interests declared.
  10. Paul J Cullen

    Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York, Buffalo, United States
    Competing interests
    No competing interests declared.
  11. Zhenguo Lin

    Department of Biological Sciences, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, United States
    Competing interests
    No competing interests declared.
  12. Alan G Hinnebusch

    Division of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, United States
    For correspondence
    ahinnebusch@nih.gov
    Competing interests
    Alan G Hinnebusch, Reviewing editor, eLife.
    ORCID icon "This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0002-1627-8395

Funding

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (HL117880)

  • Miriam L Greenberg

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (HL117880)

  • Chisom Onu

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (GM098629)

  • Matthew D Vandermeulen

National Institute of General Medical Sciences (GM098629)

  • Paul J Cullen

National Science Foundation (1951332)

  • Xiao Niu

National Science Foundation (1951332)

  • Zhenguo Lin

The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.

Copyright

This is an open-access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication.

Metrics

  • 1,386
    views
  • 224
    downloads
  • 7
    citations

Views, downloads and citations are aggregated across all versions of this paper published by eLife.

Download links

A two-part list of links to download the article, or parts of the article, in various formats.

Downloads (link to download the article as PDF)

Open citations (links to open the citations from this article in various online reference manager services)

Cite this article (links to download the citations from this article in formats compatible with various reference manager tools)

  1. Anil Kumar Vijjamarri
  2. Xiao Niu
  3. Matthew D Vandermeulen
  4. Chisom Onu
  5. Fan Zhang
  6. Hongfang Qiu
  7. Neha Gupta
  8. Swati Gaikwad
  9. Miriam L Greenberg
  10. Paul J Cullen
  11. Zhenguo Lin
  12. Alan G Hinnebusch
(2023)
Decapping factor Dcp2 controls mRNA abundance and translation to adjust metabolism and filamentation to nutrient availability
eLife 12:e85545.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.85545

Share this article

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.85545

Further reading

    1. Chromosomes and Gene Expression
    2. Microbiology and Infectious Disease
    Maruti Nandan Rai, Qing Lan ... Koon Ho Wong
    Research Article Updated

    Candida glabrata can thrive inside macrophages and tolerate high levels of azole antifungals. These innate abilities render infections by this human pathogen a clinical challenge. How C. glabrata reacts inside macrophages and what is the molecular basis of its drug tolerance are not well understood. Here, we mapped genome-wide RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) occupancy in C. glabrata to delineate its transcriptional responses during macrophage infection in high temporal resolution. RNAPII profiles revealed dynamic C. glabrata responses to macrophages with genes of specialized pathways activated chronologically at different times of infection. We identified an uncharacterized transcription factor (CgXbp1) important for the chronological macrophage response, survival in macrophages, and virulence. Genome-wide mapping of CgXbp1 direct targets further revealed its multi-faceted functions, regulating not only virulence-related genes but also genes associated with drug resistance. Finally, we showed that CgXbp1 indeed also affects fluconazole resistance. Overall, this work presents a powerful approach for examining host-pathogen interaction and uncovers a novel transcription factor important for C. glabrata’s survival in macrophages and drug tolerance.

    1. Chromosomes and Gene Expression
    2. Neuroscience
    Robyn D Moir, Emilio Merheb ... Ian M Willis
    Research Article

    Pathogenic variants in subunits of RNA polymerase (Pol) III cause a spectrum of Polr3-related neurodegenerative diseases including 4H leukodystrophy. Disease onset occurs from infancy to early adulthood and is associated with a variable range and severity of neurological and non-neurological features. The molecular basis of Polr3-related disease pathogenesis is unknown. We developed a postnatal whole-body mouse model expressing pathogenic Polr3a mutations to examine the molecular mechanisms by which reduced Pol III transcription results primarily in central nervous system phenotypes. Polr3a mutant mice exhibit behavioral deficits, cerebral pathology and exocrine pancreatic atrophy. Transcriptome and immunohistochemistry analyses of cerebra during disease progression show a reduction in most Pol III transcripts, induction of innate immune and integrated stress responses and cell-type-specific gene expression changes reflecting neuron and oligodendrocyte loss and microglial activation. Earlier in the disease when integrated stress and innate immune responses are minimally induced, mature tRNA sequencing revealed a global reduction in tRNA levels and an altered tRNA profile but no changes in other Pol III transcripts. Thus, changes in the size and/or composition of the tRNA pool have a causal role in disease initiation. Our findings reveal different tissue- and brain region-specific sensitivities to a defect in Pol III transcription.