Dang Thi Tuong Vi, Colin Jessie, Janbon Guilhem
Unité Biologie des ARN des Pathogènes Fongiques, Département de Mycologie, Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris Cité, F-75015 Paris, France.
Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, PSL Research University, F-75014 Paris, France.
J Fungi (Basel). 2022 Oct 3;8(10):1044. doi: 10.3390/jof8101044.
Pathogenic fungi require delicate gene regulation mechanisms to adapt to diverse living environments and escape host immune systems. Recent advances in sequencing technology have exposed the complexity of the fungal genome, thus allowing the gradual disentanglement of multiple layers of gene expression control. Alternative transcription start site (aTSS) usage, previously reported to be prominent in mammals and to play important roles in physiopathology, is also present in fungi to fine-tune gene expression. Depending on the alteration in their sequences, RNA isoforms arising from aTSSs acquire different characteristics that significantly alter their stability and translational capacity as well as the properties and biologic functions of the resulting proteins. Disrupted control of aTSS usage has been reported to severely impair growth, virulence, and the infectious capacity of pathogenic fungi. Here, we discuss principle concepts, mechanisms, and the functional implication of aTSS usage in fungi.
致病真菌需要精细的基因调控机制来适应多样的生存环境并逃避宿主免疫系统。测序技术的最新进展揭示了真菌基因组的复杂性，从而使得多层基因表达调控得以逐步厘清。替代转录起始位点（aTSS）的使用此前报道在哺乳动物中较为突出且在生理病理学中发挥重要作用，在真菌中也存在以微调基因表达。根据其序列变化，由aTSS产生的RNA异构体获得不同特性，这些特性会显著改变其稳定性和翻译能力以及所产生蛋白质的特性和生物学功能。据报道，aTSS使用的调控紊乱会严重损害致病真菌的生长、毒力和感染能力。在此，我们讨论真菌中aTSS使用的主要概念、机制及其功能意义。
