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Chen et al. (2021) have identified many internal ribosome entry site-like elements that can potentially drive circRNA translation. Dozens of such element-containing circRNAs-encoded peptides are validated, among which a circFGFR1-encoded protein acts as an antagonist of FGFR1.

Exon back-splicing-generated circular RNAs, as a group, can suppress double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-activated protein kinase R (PKR) in cells. We have sought to synthesize immunogenicity-free, short dsRNA-containing RNA circles as PKR inhibitors. Here, we report that RNA circles synthesized by permuted self-splicing thymidylate synthase (td) introns from T4 bacteriophage or by Anabaena pre-tRNA group I intron could induce an immune response. Autocatalytic splicing introduces ∼74 nt td or ∼186 nt Anabaena extraneous fragments that can distort the folding status of original circular RNAs or form structures themselves to provoke innate immune responses. In contrast, synthesized RNA circles produced by T4 RNA ligase without extraneous fragments exhibit minimized immunogenicity. Importantly, directly ligated circular RNAs that form short dsRNA regions efficiently suppress PKR activation 10

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Fibrillar centers (FCs) and dense fibrillar components (DFCs) are essential morphologically distinct sub-regions of mammalian cell nucleoli for rDNA transcription and pre-rRNA processing. Here, we report that a human nucleolus consists of several dozen FC/DFC units, each containing 2-3 transcriptionally active rDNAs at the FC/DFC border. Pre-rRNA processing factors, such as fibrillarin (FBL), form 18-24 clusters that further assemble into the DFC surrounding the FC. Mechanistically, the 5' end of nascent 47S pre-rRNA binds co-transcriptionally to the RNA-binding domain of FBL. FBL diffuses to the DFC, where local self-association via its glycine- and arginine-rich (GAR) domain forms phase-separated clusters to immobilize FBL-interacting pre-rRNA, thus promoting directional traffic of nascent pre-rRNA while facilitating pre-rRNA processing and DFC formation. These results unveil FC/DFC ultrastructures in nucleoli and suggest a conceptual framework for considering nascent RNA sorting using multivalent interactions of their binding proteins.

Visualizing the location and dynamics of RNAs in live cells is key to understanding their function. Here, we identify two endonuclease-deficient, single-component programmable RNA-guided and RNA-targeting Cas13 RNases (dCas13s) that allow robust real-time imaging and tracking of RNAs in live cells, even when using single 20- to 27-nt-long guide RNAs. Compared to the aptamer-based MS2-MCP strategy, an optimized dCas13 system is user friendly, does not require genetic manipulation, and achieves comparable RNA-labeling efficiency. We demonstrate that the dCas13 system is capable of labeling NEAT1, SatIII, MUC4, and GCN4 RNAs and allows the study of paraspeckle-associated NEAT1 dynamics. Applying orthogonal dCas13 proteins or combining dCas13 and MS2-MCP allows dual-color imaging of RNAs in single cells. Further combination of dCas13 and dCas9 systems allows simultaneous visualization of genomic DNA and RNA transcripts in living cells.

We describe the identification and characterization of circular intronic long noncoding RNAs in human cells, which accumulate owing to a failure in debranching. The formation of such circular intronic RNAs (ciRNAs) can be recapitulated using expression vectors, and their processing depends on a consensus motif containing a 7 nt GU-rich element near the 5' splice site and an 11 nt C-rich element close to the branchpoint site. In addition, we show that ciRNAs are abundant in the nucleus and have little enrichment for microRNA target sites. Importantly, knockdown of ciRNAs led to the reduced expression of their parent genes. One abundant such RNA, ci-ankrd52, largely accumulates to its sites of transcription, associates with elongation Pol II machinery, and acts as a positive regulator of Pol II transcription. This study thus suggests a cis-regulatory role of noncoding intronic transcripts on their parent coding genes.

Summary We identify a type of polycistronic transcript-derived long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) that are 5′ small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA) capped and 3′ polyadenylated ( SPA s). SPA processing is associated with nascent mRNA 3′ processing and kinetic competition between XRN2 trimming and Pol II elongation. Following cleavage/polyadenylation of its upstream gene, the downstream uncapped pre-SPA is trimmed by XRN2 until this exonuclease reaches the co-transcriptionally assembled snoRNP. This snoRNP complex prevents further degradation, generates a snoRNA 5′ end, and allows continuous Pol II elongation. The imprinted 15q11-q13 encodes two SPA s that are deleted in Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) patients. These lncRNAs form a nuclear accumulation that is enriched in RNA binding proteins (RBPs) including TDP43, RBFOX2, and hnRNP M. Generation of a human PWS cellular model by depleting these lncRNAs results in altered patterns of RBPs binding and alternative splicing. Together, these results expand the diversity of lncRNAs and provide additional insights into PWS pathogenesis.

SUMMARY We describe the discovery of sno-lncRNAs, a class of nuclear-enriched intron-derived long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) that are processed on both ends by the snoRNA machinery. During exonucleolytic trimming, the sequences between the snoRNAs are not degraded, leading to the accumulation of lncRNAs flanked by snoRNA sequences but lacking 5 0 caps and 3 0 poly(A) tails. Such RNAs are widely expressed in cells and tissues and can be produced by either box C/D or box H/ACA snoRNAs. Importantly, the genomic region encoding one abundant class of sno-lncRNAs (15q11-q13) is specifically deleted in Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS). The PWS region sno-lncRNAs do not colocalize with nucleoli orCajalbodies,butratheraccumulateneartheirsites of synthesis. These sno-lncRNAs associate strongly with Fox family splicing regulators and alter patterns of splicing. These results thus implicate a previously unannotated class of lncRNAs in the molecular pathogenesis of PWS.

Two studies published in this issue of Molecular Cell (Rybak-Wolf et al., 2015) and in the April issue of Nature Neuroscience (You et al., 2015) independently report the upregulated expression of back-spliced circular RNAs (circRNAs) in brains and suggest that they have a potential to regulate synaptic function.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) editing are two of the most abundant RNA modifications, both at adenosines. Yet, the interaction of these two types of adenosine modifications is largely unknown. Here we show a global A-to-I difference between m6A-positive and m6A-negative RNA populations. Both the presence and extent of A-to-I sites in m6A-negative RNA transcripts suggest a negative correlation between m6A and A-to-I. Suppression of m6A-catalyzing enzymes results in global A-to-I RNA editing changes. Further depletion of m6A modification increases the association of m6A-depleted transcripts with adenosine deaminase acting on RNA (ADAR) enzymes, resulting in upregulated A-to-I editing on the same m6A-depleted transcripts. Collectively, the effect of m6A on A-to-I suggests a previously underappreciated interplay between two distinct and abundant RNA modifications, highlighting a complex epitranscriptomic landscape.

Many eukaryotic genes generate linear mRNAs and circular RNAs, but it is largely unknown how the ratio of linear to circular RNA is controlled or modulated. Using RNAi screening in Drosophila cells, we identify many core spliceosome and transcription termination factors that control the RNA outputs of reporter and endogenous genes. When spliceosome components were depleted or inhibited pharmacologically, the steady-state levels of circular RNAs increased while expression of their associated linear mRNAs concomitantly decreased. Upon inhibiting RNA polymerase II termination via depletion of the cleavage/polyadenylation machinery, circular RNA levels were similarly increased. This is because readthrough transcripts now extend into downstream genes and are subjected to backsplicing. In total, these results demonstrate that inhibition or slowing of canonical pre-mRNA processing events shifts the steady-state output of protein-coding genes towards circular RNAs. This is in part because nascent RNAs become directed into alternative pathways that lead to circular RNA production.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) generated via back-splicing are enhanced by flanking complementary sequences. Expression levels of circRNAs vary under different conditions, suggesting participation of protein factors in their biogenesis. Using genome-wide siRNA screening that targets all human unique genes and an efficient circRNA expression reporter, we identify double-stranded RNA-binding domain containing immune factors NF90/NF110 as key regulators in circRNA biogenesis. NF90/NF110 promote circRNA production in the nucleus by associating with intronic RNA pairs juxtaposing the circRNA-forming exon(s); they also interact with mature circRNAs in the cytoplasm. Upon viral infection, circRNA expression is decreased, in part owing to the nuclear export of NF90/NF110 to the cytoplasm. Meanwhile, NF90/NF110 released from circRNP complexes bind to viral mRNAs as part of their functions in antiviral immune response. Our results therefore implicate a coordinated regulation of circRNA biogenesis and function by NF90/NF110 in viral infection.

In many cells, mRNAs containing inverted repeats (Alu repeats in humans) in their 3' untranslated regions (3'UTRs) are inefficiently exported to the cytoplasm. Nuclear retention correlates with adenosine-to-inosine editing and is in paraspeckle-associated complexes containing the proteins p54(nrb), PSF, and PSP1 alpha. We report that robust editing activity in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) does not lead to nuclear retention. p54(nrb), PSF, and PSP1 alpha are all expressed in hESCs, but paraspeckles are absent and only appear upon differentiation. Paraspeckle assembly and function depend on expression of a long nuclear-retained noncoding RNA, NEAT1. This RNA is not detectable in hESCs but is induced upon differentiation. Knockdown of NEAT1 in HeLa cells results both in loss of paraspeckles and in enhanced nucleocytoplasmic export of mRNAs containing inverted Alu repeats. Taken together, these results assign a biological function to a large noncoding nuclear RNA in the regulation of mRNA export.