Showing papers by "Karla Kirkegaard published in 2019"

An RNA-centric dissection of host complexes controlling flavivirus infection.

Abstract: Flaviviruses, including dengue virus (DENV) and Zika virus (ZIKV), cause severe human disease. Co-opting cellular factors for viral translation and viral genome replication at the endoplasmic reticulum is a shared replication strategy, despite different clinical outcomes. Although the protein products of these viruses have been studied in depth, how the RNA genomes operate inside human cells is poorly understood. Using comprehensive identification of RNA-binding proteins by mass spectrometry (ChIRP-MS), we took an RNA-centric viewpoint of flaviviral infection and identified several hundred proteins associated with both DENV and ZIKV genomic RNA in human cells. Genome-scale knockout screens assigned putative functional relevance to the RNA–protein interactions observed by ChIRP-MS. The endoplasmic-reticulum-localized RNA-binding proteins vigilin and ribosome-binding protein 1 directly bound viral RNA and each acted at distinct stages in the life cycle of flaviviruses. Thus, this versatile strategy can elucidate features of human biology that control the pathogenesis of clinically relevant viruses. A survey of the cellular RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) that interact with dengue virus and Zika virus genomic RNA identifies ribosome-binding protein 1 and vigilin as bona fide RBPs able to promote viral RNA translation, replication and stability.

Differential and convergent utilization of autophagy components by positive-strand RNA viruses.

Abstract: Many viruses interface with the autophagy pathway, a highly conserved process for recycling cellular components. For three viral infections in which autophagy constituents are proviral (poliovirus, dengue, and Zika), we developed a panel of knockouts (KOs) of autophagy-related genes to test which components of the canonical pathway are utilized. We discovered that each virus uses a distinct set of initiation components; however, all three viruses utilize autophagy-related gene 9 (ATG9), a lipid scavenging protein, and LC3 (light-chain 3), which is involved in membrane curvature. These results show that viruses use noncanonical routes for membrane sculpting and LC3 recruitment. By measuring viral RNA abundance, we also found that poliovirus utilizes these autophagy components for intracellular growth, while dengue and Zika virus only use autophagy components for post-RNA replication processes. Comparing how RNA viruses manipulate the autophagy pathway reveals new noncanonical autophagy routes, explains the exacerbation of disease by starvation, and uncovers common targets for antiviral drugs.

Long non-coding RNA gene regulation and trait associations across human tissues

Abstract: Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) genes are known to have diverse impacts on gene regulation. However, it is still a major challenge to distinguish functional lncRNAs from those that are byproducts of surrounding transcriptional activity. To systematically identify hallmarks of biological function, we used the GTEx v8 data to profile the expression, regulation, network relationships and trait associations of lncRNA genes across 49 tissues encompassing 87 distinct traits. In addition to revealing widespread differences in regulatory patterns between lncRNA and protein-coding genes, we identified novel disease-associated lncRNAs, such as C6orf3 for psoriasis and LINC01475/RP11-129J12.1 for ulcerative colitis. This work provides a comprehensive resource to interrogate lncRNA genes of interest and annotate cell type and human trait relevance. One Sentence Summary lncRNA genes have distinctive regulatory patterns and unique trait associations compared to protein-coding genes.