Feng Jiang

All Publications

• Secondary structures that regulate mRNA translation provide insights for ASO-mediated modulation of cardiac hypertrophy NATURE COMMUNICATIONS Hedaya, O. M., Subbaiah, K., Jiang, F., Xie, L., Wu, J., Khor, E., Zhu, M., Mathews, D. H., Proschel, C., Yao, P. 2023; 14 (1)

  View details for DOI 10.1038/s41467-023-41799-1

  View details for Web of Science ID 001084392600011

• RNA binding protein PRRC2B mediates translation of specific mRNAs and regulates cell cycle progression. Nucleic acids research Jiang, F., Hedaya, O. M., Khor, E., Wu, J., Auguste, M., Yao, P. 2023; 51 (11): 5831-5846

  Abstract

  Accumulating evidence suggests that posttranscriptional control of gene expression, including RNA splicing, transport, modification, translation and degradation, primarily relies on RNA binding proteins (RBPs). However, the functions of many RBPs remain understudied. Here, we characterized the function of a novel RBP, Proline-Rich Coiled-coil 2B (PRRC2B). Through photoactivatable ribonucleoside-enhanced crosslinking and immunoprecipitation and sequencing (PAR-CLIP-seq), we identified transcriptome-wide CU- or GA-rich PRRC2B binding sites near the translation initiation codon on a specific cohort of mRNAs in HEK293T cells. These mRNAs, including oncogenes and cell cycle regulators such as CCND2 (cyclin D2), exhibited decreased translation upon PRRC2B knockdown as revealed by polysome-associated RNA-seq, resulting in reduced G1/S phase transition and cell proliferation. Antisense oligonucleotides blocking PRRC2B interactions with CCND2 mRNA decreased its translation, thus inhibiting G1/S transition and cell proliferation. Mechanistically, PRRC2B interactome analysis revealed RNA-independent interactions with eukaryotic translation initiation factors 3 (eIF3) and 4G2 (eIF4G2). The interaction with translation initiation factors is essential for PRRC2B function since the eIF3/eIF4G2-interacting defective mutant, unlike wild-type PRRC2B, failed to rescue the translation deficiency or cell proliferation inhibition caused by PRRC2B knockdown. Altogether, our findings reveal that PRRC2B is essential for efficiently translating specific proteins required for cell cycle progression and cell proliferation.

  View details for DOI 10.1093/nar/gkad322

  View details for PubMedID 37125639

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC10287950

• MicroRNA-574 regulates FAM210A expression and influences pathological cardiac remodeling. EMBO molecular medicine Wu, J., Venkata Subbaiah, K. C., Jiang, F., Hedaya, O., Mohan, A., Yang, T., Welle, K., Ghaemmaghami, S., Tang, W. H., Small, E., Yan, C., Yao, P. 2021; 13 (2): e12710

  Abstract

  Aberrant expression of mitochondrial proteins impairs cardiac function and causes heart disease. The mechanism of regulation of mitochondria encoded protein expression during cardiac disease, however, remains underexplored. Here, we show that multiple pathogenic cardiac stressors induce the expression of miR-574 guide and passenger strands (miR-574-5p/3p) in both humans and mice. miR-574 knockout mice exhibit severe cardiac disorder under different pathogenic cardiac stresses while miR-574-5p/3p mimics that are delivered systematically using nanoparticles reduce cardiac pathogenesis under disease insults. Transcriptomic analysis of miR-574-null hearts uncovers family with sequence similarity 210 member A (FAM210A) as a common target mRNA of miR-574-5p and miR-574-3p. The interactome capture analysis suggests that FAM210A interacts with mitochondrial translation elongation factor EF-Tu. Manipulating miR-574-5p/3p or FAM210A expression changes the protein expression of mitochondrial-encoded electron transport chain (ETC) genes but not nuclear-encoded mitochondrial ETC genes in both human AC16 cardiomyocyte cells and miR-574-null murine hearts. Together, we discovered that miR-574 regulates FAM210A expression and modulates mitochondrial-encoded protein expression, which may influence cardiac remodeling in heart failure.

  View details for DOI 10.15252/emmm.202012710

  View details for PubMedID 33369227

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC7863409

• Glutamyl-Prolyl-tRNA Synthetase Regulates Proline-Rich Pro-Fibrotic Protein Synthesis During Cardiac Fibrosis. Circulation research Wu, J., Subbaiah, K. C., Xie, L. H., Jiang, F., Khor, E. S., Mickelsen, D., Myers, J. R., Tang, W. H., Yao, P. 2020; 127 (6): 827-846

  Abstract

  Increased protein synthesis of profibrotic genes is a common feature in cardiac fibrosis and heart failure. Despite this observation, critical factors and molecular mechanisms for translational control of profibrotic genes during cardiac fibrosis remain unclear.To investigate the role of a bifunctional ARS (aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase), EPRS (glutamyl-prolyl-tRNA synthetase) in translational control of cardiac fibrosis.Results from reanalyses of multiple publicly available data sets of human and mouse heart failure, demonstrated that EPRS acted as an integrated node among the ARSs in various cardiac pathogenic processes. We confirmed that EPRS was induced at mRNA and protein levels (≈1.5-2.5-fold increase) in failing hearts compared with nonfailing hearts using our cohort of human and mouse heart samples. Genetic knockout of one allele of Eprs globally (Eprs+/-) using CRISPR-Cas9 technology or in a Postn-Cre-dependent manner (Eprsflox/+; PostnMCM/+) strongly reduces cardiac fibrosis (≈50% reduction) in isoproterenol-, transverse aortic constriction-, and myocardial infarction (MI)-induced heart failure mouse models. Inhibition of EPRS using a PRS (prolyl-tRNA synthetase)-specific inhibitor, halofuginone, significantly decreases translation efficiency (TE) of proline-rich collagens in cardiac fibroblasts as well as TGF-β (transforming growth factor-β)-activated myofibroblasts. Overexpression of EPRS increases collagen protein expression in primary cardiac fibroblasts under TGF-β stimulation. Using transcriptome-wide RNA-Seq and polysome profiling-Seq in halofuginone-treated fibroblasts, we identified multiple novel Pro-rich genes in addition to collagens, such as Ltbp2 (latent TGF-β-binding protein 2) and Sulf1 (sulfatase 1), which are translationally regulated by EPRS. SULF1 is highly enriched in human and mouse myofibroblasts. In the primary cardiac fibroblast culture system, siRNA-mediated knockdown of SULF1 attenuates cardiac myofibroblast activation and collagen deposition. Overexpression of SULF1 promotes TGF-β-induced myofibroblast activation and partially antagonizes anti-fibrotic effects of halofuginone treatment.Our results indicate that EPRS preferentially controls translational activation of proline codon rich profibrotic genes in cardiac fibroblasts and augments pathological cardiac remodeling. Graphical Abstract: A graphical abstract is available for this article.

  View details for DOI 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.119.315999

  View details for PubMedID 32611237

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC7484271