TY - JOUR
T1 - Tail characteristics of Trypanosoma brucei mitochondrial transcripts are developmentally altered in a transcript-specific manner
AU - Gazestani, Vahid H.
AU - Hampton, Marshall
AU - Shaw, Aubie K.
AU - Salavati, Reza
AU - Zimmer, Sara L.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Australian Society for Parasitology
PY - 2018/2
Y1 - 2018/2
N2 - The intricate life cycle of Trypanosoma brucei requires extensive regulation of gene expression levels of the mtRNAs for adaptation. Post-transcriptional gene regulatory programs, including unencoded mtRNA 3′ tail additions, potentially play major roles in this adaptation process. Intriguingly, T. brucei mitochondrial transcripts possess two distinct unencoded 3′ tails, each with a differing functional role; i.e., while one type is implicated in RNA stability (in-tails), the other type appears associated with translation (ex-tails). We examined the degree to which tail characteristics differ among cytochrome c oxidase subunits I and III (CO1 and CO3), and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (ND1) transcripts, and to what extent these characteristics differ developmentally. We found that CO1, CO3 and ND1 transcripts possess longer in-tails in the mammalian life stage. By mathematically modelling states of in-tail and ex-tail addition, we determined that the typical length at which an in-tail is extended to become an ex-tail differs by transcript and, in the case of ND1, by life stage. To the best of our knowledge, we provide the first evidence that developmental differences exist in tail length distributions of mtRNAs, underscoring the potential involvement of in-tail and ex-tail populations in mitochondrial post-transcriptional regulation mechanisms.
AB - The intricate life cycle of Trypanosoma brucei requires extensive regulation of gene expression levels of the mtRNAs for adaptation. Post-transcriptional gene regulatory programs, including unencoded mtRNA 3′ tail additions, potentially play major roles in this adaptation process. Intriguingly, T. brucei mitochondrial transcripts possess two distinct unencoded 3′ tails, each with a differing functional role; i.e., while one type is implicated in RNA stability (in-tails), the other type appears associated with translation (ex-tails). We examined the degree to which tail characteristics differ among cytochrome c oxidase subunits I and III (CO1 and CO3), and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (ND1) transcripts, and to what extent these characteristics differ developmentally. We found that CO1, CO3 and ND1 transcripts possess longer in-tails in the mammalian life stage. By mathematically modelling states of in-tail and ex-tail addition, we determined that the typical length at which an in-tail is extended to become an ex-tail differs by transcript and, in the case of ND1, by life stage. To the best of our knowledge, we provide the first evidence that developmental differences exist in tail length distributions of mtRNAs, underscoring the potential involvement of in-tail and ex-tail populations in mitochondrial post-transcriptional regulation mechanisms.
KW - Hidden Markov modelling
KW - Mitochondrion
KW - Polyadenylation
KW - RNA tail
KW - Trypanosoma
KW - Uridylation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85034116972&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85034116972&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ijpara.2017.08.012
DO - 10.1016/j.ijpara.2017.08.012
M3 - Article
C2 - 29100810
AN - SCOPUS:85034116972
SN - 0020-7519
VL - 48
SP - 179
EP - 189
JO - International Journal for Parasitology
JF - International Journal for Parasitology
IS - 2
ER -