1. Cytoplasmic Rbfox1 Regulates the Expression of Synaptic and Autism-Related Genes
- Author
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Douglas L. Black, Erik S. Anderson, Mariana M. Fontes, Ji-Ann Lee, Neelroop N. Parikshak, Chia-Ho Lin, Andrey Damianov, Kelsey C. Martin, and Daniel H. Geschwind
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Cytoplasm ,Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) ,Autism ,1.1 Normal biological development and functioning ,Neuroscience(all) ,Messenger ,RNA-binding protein ,RBFOX1 ,MiRNA binding ,Biology ,Inbred C57BL ,Article ,03 medical and health sciences ,Mice ,Underpinning research ,Genetics ,2.1 Biological and endogenous factors ,Psychology ,Animals ,Humans ,RNA, Messenger ,Aetiology ,Autistic Disorder ,Gene ,Neurons ,Neurology & Neurosurgery ,Estriol ,General Neuroscience ,Gene Expression Profiling ,Alternative splicing ,Human Genome ,Intron ,Neurosciences ,RNA ,Brain ,RNA-Binding Proteins ,Molecular biology ,Brain Disorders ,Mice, Inbred C57BL ,Alternative Splicing ,030104 developmental biology ,Mental Health ,RNA splicing ,Neurological ,Cognitive Sciences ,RNA Splicing Factors - Abstract
Summary Human genetic studies have identified the neuronal RNA binding protein, Rbfox1, as a candidate gene for autism spectrum disorders. While Rbfox1 functions as a splicing regulator in the nucleus, it is also alternatively spliced to produce cytoplasmic isoforms. To investigate the function of cytoplasmic Rbfox1, we knocked down Rbfox proteins in mouse neurons and rescued with cytoplasmic or nuclear Rbfox1. Transcriptome profiling showed that nuclear Rbfox1 rescued splicing changes, whereas cytoplasmic Rbfox1 rescued changes in mRNA levels. iCLIP-seq of subcellular fractions revealed that Rbfox1 bound predominantly to introns in nascent RNA, while cytoplasmic Rbox1 bound to 3ʹ UTRs. Cytoplasmic Rbfox1 binding increased target mRNA stability and translation, and Rbfox1 and miRNA binding sites overlapped significantly. Cytoplasmic Rbfox1 target mRNAs were enriched in genes involved in cortical development and autism. Our results uncover a new Rbfox1 regulatory network and highlight the importance of cytoplasmic RNA metabolism to cortical development and disease. Video Abstract
- Published
- 2016
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