JOURNAL ARTICLE
RESEARCH SUPPORT, N.I.H., EXTRAMURAL
RESEARCH SUPPORT, NON-U.S. GOV'T
Add like
Add dislike
Add to saved papers

mRNA pseudouridylation affects RNA metabolism in the parasite Toxoplasma gondii .

RNA 2017 December
RNA contains over 100 modified nucleotides that are created post-transcriptionally, among which pseudouridine (Ψ) is one of the most abundant. Although it was one of the first modifications discovered, the biological role of this modification is still not fully understood. Recently, we reported that a pseudouridine synthase (TgPUS1) is necessary for differentiation of the single-celled eukaryotic parasite Toxoplasma gondii from active to chronic infection. To better understand the biological role of pseudouridylation, we report here gel-based and deep-sequencing methods to identify TgPUS1-dependent Ψ's in Toxoplasma RNA, and the use of TgPUS1 mutants to examine the effect of this modification on mRNAs. In addition to identifying conserved sites of pseudouridylation in Toxoplasma rRNA, tRNA, and snRNA, we also report extensive pseudouridylation of Toxoplasma mRNAs, with the Ψ's being relatively depleted in the 3'-UTR but enriched at position 1 of codons. We show that many Ψ's in tRNA and mRNA are dependent on the action of TgPUS1 and that TgPUS1-dependent mRNA Ψ's are enriched in developmentally regulated transcripts. RNA-seq data obtained from wild-type and TgPUS1-mutant parasites shows that genes containing a TgPUS1-dependent Ψ are relatively more abundant in mutant parasites, while pulse/chase labeling of RNA with 4-thiouracil shows that mRNAs containing TgPUS1-dependent Ψ have a modest but statistically significant increase in half-life in the mutant parasites. These data are some of the first evidence suggesting that mRNA Ψ's play an important biological role.

Full text links

We have located links that may give you full text access.
Can't access the paper?
Try logging in through your university/institutional subscription. For a smoother one-click institutional access experience, please use our mobile app.

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

Mobile app image

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app

All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.

By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.

Your Privacy Choices Toggle icon

You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now

Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university

For the best experience, use the Read mobile app