@article {68752, title = {ZCCHC8 is required for the degradation of pervasive transcripts originating from multiple genomic regulatory features}, journal = {bioRxiv}, year = {2021}, month = {02/2021}, abstract = {

The vast majority of mammalian genomes are transcribed as non-coding RNA in what is referred to as {\textquotedblleft}pervasive transcription.{\textquotedblright} Recent studies have uncovered various families of non-coding RNA transcribed upstream of transcription start sites. In particular, highly unstable promoter upstream transcripts known as PROMPTs have been shown to be targeted for exosomal degradation by the nuclear exosome targeting complex (NEXT) consisting of the RNA helicase MTR4, the zinc-knuckle scaffold ZCCHC8, and the RNA binding protein RBM7. Here, we report that in addition to its known RNA substrates, ZCCHC8 is required for the targeted degradation of pervasive transcripts produced at CTCF binding sites, open chromatin regions, promoters, promoter flanking regions, and transcription factor binding sites. Additionally, we report that a significant number of RIKEN cDNAs and predicted genes display the hallmarks of PROMPTs and are also substrates for ZCCHC8 and/or NEXT complex regulation suggesting these are unlikely to be functional genes. Our results suggest that ZCCHC8 and/or the NEXT complex may play a larger role in the global regulation of pervasive transcription than previously reported.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.

}, doi = {10.1101/2021.01.29.428898}, url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/02/06/2021.01.29.428898}, author = {Joshua W. Collins and Daniel Martin and Genomics and Computational Biology Core and Shaohe Wang and Kenneth M. Yamada} } @article {65213, title = {Zebrafish neuroscience: Using artificial neural networks to help understand brains.}, journal = {Current Biology}, volume = {29}, year = {2019}, month = {2019 Nov 04}, pages = {R1138-R1140}, abstract = {

Brains are notoriously hard to understand, and neuroscientists need all the tools they can get their hands on to have a realistic shot at it. Advances in machine learning are proving instrumental, illustrated by their recent use to shed light on navigational strategies implemented by zebrafish brains.

}, issn = {1879-0445}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2019.09.039}, author = {Ahrens, Misha B} } @article {48305, title = {Zyxin regulates endothelial von Willebrand factor secretion by reorganizing actin filaments around exocytic granules.}, journal = {Nature Communications}, volume = {8}, year = {2017}, month = {2017 Mar 03}, pages = {14639}, abstract = {

Endothelial exocytosis of Weibel-Palade body (WPB) is one of the first lines of defence against vascular injury. However, the mechanisms that control WPB exocytosis in the final stages (including the docking, priming and fusion of granules) are poorly understood. Here we show that the focal adhesion protein zyxin is crucial in this process. Zyxin downregulation inhibits the secretion of von Willebrand factor (VWF), the most abundant cargo in WPBs, from human primary endothelial cells (ECs) induced by cAMP agonists. Zyxin-deficient mice exhibit impaired epinephrine-stimulated VWF release, prolonged bleeding time and thrombosis, largely due to defective endothelial secretion of VWF. Using live-cell super-resolution microscopy, we visualize previously unappreciated reorganization of pre-existing actin filaments around WPBs before fusion, dependent on zyxin and an interaction with the actin crosslinker α-actinin. Our findings identify zyxin as a physiological regulator of endothelial exocytosis through reorganizing local actin network in the final stage of exocytosis.

}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/ncomms14639}, author = {Han, Xiaofan and Li, Pin and Yang, Zhenghao and Huang, Xiaoshuai and Wei, Guoqin and Sun, Yujie and Kang, Xuya and Hu, Xueting and Deng, Qiuping and Chen, Liangyi and He, Aibin and Huo, Yingqing and Li, Dong and Betzig, Eric and Luo, Jincai} }