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Epitranscriptomics and cardioprotective interventions
Benák, Daniel ; Hlaváčková, Markéta (advisor) ; Štengl, Milan (referee) ; Bohuslavová, Romana (referee)
1 Ischemic heart disease stands as the foremost global cause of mortality. Myocardial ischemia results in damage to cardiomyocytes which can further lead to impaired heart function. However, the extent of ischemic injury hinges not only on the intensity and duration of the ischemic stimulus but also on cardiac tolerance to ischemia. Therefore, it is extremely important to unravel the molecular basis of cardioprotective interventions such as adaptation to chronic hypoxia or fasting. We focused on the novel epitranscriptomic mechanisms around RNA modifications - N6 -methyladenosine (m6 A) and N6 ,2'-O-dimethyladenosine (m6 Am). Our findings revealed that while most epitranscriptomic modifiers displayed differential regulation in the heart following hypoxic adaptation and fasting, demethylases (ALKBH5 and FTO) were consistently upregulated after these cardioprotective interventions. Furthermore, we detected a discernible reduction in cardiac total RNA methylation levels after fasting. On the contrary, transcripts Nox4 and Hdac1, both of which play a role in the cytoprotective action of ketone bodies, exhibited increased methylation in hearts of fasting rats. Finally, inhibition of epitranscriptomic demethylases ALKBH5 and FTO decreased the hypoxic tolerance of adult rat primary cardiomyocytes isolated from...
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The function of 2'-O-methylated RNA in the context of viral infection
Potužník, Jiří ; Macíčková Cahová, Hana (advisor) ; Forstová, Jitka (referee)
RNA is subject to a wide array of post-transcriptional modifications. 2'-O-methylation is an essential intrinsic modification of RNA. It affects the structure and reactivity of the molecule as well as its function. 2'-O-methylation is highly conserved, present in all three domains of life. Viral RNA uses this modification to mimic the host and evade detection by the immune system. There are two main mechanisms, through which viral 2'-O-methylated RNA does this. The first is evading detection by a pattern recognition receptor form the RIG-I-like receptor family Mda5. Mda5 is capable of detecting unmethylated RNA and recognising it as non-self, thus initiating an immune response. The second mechanism the evasion and restriction of an effector molecule IFIT. IFIT proteins are capable of detecting the absence of 2'-O- methylation on viral RNAs and inhibiting their translation. They do this by interfering with the formation of the ternary complex, an essential member of ribosomal formation. Using viral 2'- O-methylation as a target for therapy, it is possible to develop attenuated vaccines. Keywords: viral RNA, RNA modifications, 2'-O-methylation, Mda5, IFIT, RIG-I-like receptors, epitranscriptomics, WNV, JEV
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