| 1 | Hum. Mol. Genet. 2012 Jan 21: 311-21 |
|---|
| PMID | 21984433 |
| Title | Deregulation of the A-to-I RNA editing mechanism in psychiatric disorders. |
| Abstract | schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (BPD) are common neurodevelopmental disorders, characterized by various life-crippling symptoms and high suicide rates. Multiple studies support a strong genetic involvement in the etiology of these disorders, although patterns of inheritance are variable and complex. Adenosine-to-inosine RNA editing is a cellular mechanism, which has been implicated in mental disorders and suicide. To examine the involvement of altered RNA editing in these disorders, we: (i) quantified the mRNA levels of the adenosine deaminase acting on RNA (ADAR) editing enzymes by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and (ii) measured the editing levels in transcripts of several neuroreceptors using 454 high-throughput sequencing, in dorsolateral-prefrontal cortices of schizophrenics, BPD patients and controls. Increased expression of specific ADAR2 variants with diminished catalytic activity was observed in schizophrenia. Our results also indicate that the I/V editing site in the glutamate receptor, ionotropic kainate 2 (GRIK2) transcript is under-edited in BPD (type I) patients (45.8 versus 53.9%, P= 0.023). GRIK2 has been implicated in mood disorders, and editing of its I/V site can modulate Ca(+2) permeability of the channel, consistent with numerous observations of elevated intracellular Ca(+2) levels in BPD patients. Our findings may therefore, at least partly, explain a molecular mechanism underlying the disorder. In addition, an intriguing correlation was found between editing events on separate exons of GRIK2. Finally, multiple novel editing sites were detected near previously known sites, albeit most with very low editing rates. This supports the hypothesis raised previously regarding the existence of wide-spread low-level 'background' editing as a mechanism that enhances adaptation and evolvability. |
| SCZ Keywords | schizophrenia, schizophrenics |
| 2 | Hum. Mol. Genet. 2012 Jan 21: 311-21 |
|---|
| PMID | 21984433 |
| Title | Deregulation of the A-to-I RNA editing mechanism in psychiatric disorders. |
| Abstract | schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (BPD) are common neurodevelopmental disorders, characterized by various life-crippling symptoms and high suicide rates. Multiple studies support a strong genetic involvement in the etiology of these disorders, although patterns of inheritance are variable and complex. Adenosine-to-inosine RNA editing is a cellular mechanism, which has been implicated in mental disorders and suicide. To examine the involvement of altered RNA editing in these disorders, we: (i) quantified the mRNA levels of the adenosine deaminase acting on RNA (ADAR) editing enzymes by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and (ii) measured the editing levels in transcripts of several neuroreceptors using 454 high-throughput sequencing, in dorsolateral-prefrontal cortices of schizophrenics, BPD patients and controls. Increased expression of specific ADAR2 variants with diminished catalytic activity was observed in schizophrenia. Our results also indicate that the I/V editing site in the glutamate receptor, ionotropic kainate 2 (GRIK2) transcript is under-edited in BPD (type I) patients (45.8 versus 53.9%, P= 0.023). GRIK2 has been implicated in mood disorders, and editing of its I/V site can modulate Ca(+2) permeability of the channel, consistent with numerous observations of elevated intracellular Ca(+2) levels in BPD patients. Our findings may therefore, at least partly, explain a molecular mechanism underlying the disorder. In addition, an intriguing correlation was found between editing events on separate exons of GRIK2. Finally, multiple novel editing sites were detected near previously known sites, albeit most with very low editing rates. This supports the hypothesis raised previously regarding the existence of wide-spread low-level 'background' editing as a mechanism that enhances adaptation and evolvability. |
| SCZ Keywords | schizophrenia, schizophrenics |
| 3 | RNA Biol 2013 Feb 10: 192-204 |
|---|
| PMID | 23353575 |
| Title | A high-throughput screen to identify enhancers of ADAR-mediated RNA-editing. |
| Abstract | Adenosine to inosine deamination of RNA is widespread in metazoa. Inosines are recognized as guanosines and, therefore, this RNA-editing can influence the coding potential, localization and stability of RNAs. Therefore, RNA editing contributes to the diversification of the transcriptome in a flexible manner. The editing reaction is performed by adenosine deaminases that act on RNA (ADARs), which are essential for normal life and development in many organisms. Changes in editing levels are observed during development but also in neurological pathologies like schizophrenia, depression or tumors. Frequently, changes in editing levels are not reflected by changes in ADAR levels suggesting a regulation of enzyme activity. Until now, only a few factors are known that influence the activity of ADARs. Here we present a two-stage in vivo editing screen aimed to isolate enhancers of editing. A primary, high-throughput yeast-screen is combined with a more accurate secondary screen in mammalian cells that uses a fluorescent read-out to detect minor differences in RNA-editing. The screen was successfully employed to identify DSS1/SHFM1, the RNA binding protein hnRNP A2/B1 and a 3' UTR as enhancers of editing. By varying intracellular DSS1/SHFM1 levels, we can modulate A to I editing by up to 30%. Proteomic analysis indicates an interaction of DSS1/SHFM1 and hnRNP A2/B1 suggesting that both factors may act by altering the cellular RNP landscape. An extension of this screen to cDNAs from different tissues or developmental stages may prove useful for the identification of additional enhancers of RNA-editing. |
| SCZ Keywords | schizophrenia, schizophrenics |