Fan‐Yan Wei

The worldwide prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D), which is caused by a combination of environmental and genetic factors, is increasing. With regard to genetic factors, variations in the gene encoding Cdk5 regulatory associated protein 1-like 1 (Cdkal1) have been associated with an impaired insulin response and increased risk of T2D across different ethnic populations, but the molecular function of this protein has not been characterized. Here, we show that Cdkal1 is a mammalian methylthiotransf

Bacterial and eukaryotic transfer RNAs have been shown to contain hypermodified adenosine, 2-methylthio-N(6)-threonylcarbamoyladenosine, at position 37 (A(37)) adjacent to the 3'-end of the anticodon, which is essential for efficient and highly accurate protein translation by the ribosome. Using a combination of bioinformatic sequence analysis and in vivo assay coupled to HPLC/MS technique, we have identified, from distinct sequence signatures, two methylthiotransferase (MTTase) subfamilies, des

N⁶-Methyladenosine (m⁶A) modification is the major chemical modification in mRNA that controls fundamental biological processes, including cell proliferation. Herein, we demonstrate that fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) demethylates m⁶A modification of cyclin D1, the key regulator for G1 phase progression and controls cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. FTO depletion upregulates cyclin D1 m⁶A modification, which in turn accelerates the degrad

Although the roles of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) in neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration have been studied extensively, regulation of Cdk5 activity has remained largely unexplored. We report here that glutamate, acting via NMDA or kainate receptors, can induce a transient Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent activation of Cdk5 that results in enhanced autophosphorylation and proteasome-dependent degradation of a Cdk5 activator p35, and thus ultimately down-regulation of Cdk5 activity. The relevan

A number of whole-genome association studies show the cdk5 regulatory associated protein 1-like 1 (cdkal1) gene to be one of the most reproducible risk genes in type 2 diabetes (T2D). Variations in the gene are associated with impaired insulin secretion but not insulin resistance or obesity. Although the physiological functions of Cdkal1 had been unclear, recent studies show that it is a tRNA modification enzyme, a mammalian methylthiotransferase that biosynthesizes 2-methylthio-N(6)-threonylcar

<i>FtsJ RNA 2'-O-methyltransferase 1</i> (<i>FTSJ1</i>) gene has been implicated in X-linked intellectual disability (XLID), but the molecular pathogenesis is unknown. We show that Ftsj1 is responsible for 2'-<i>O</i>-methylation of 11 species of cytosolic transfer RNAs (tRNAs) at the anticodon region, and these modifications are abolished in Ftsj1 knockout (KO) mice and XLID patient-derived cells. Loss of 2'-<i>O</i>-methylation in Ftsj1 KO mouse selectively reduced the steady-state level of tR

Phosphorylation of the neurofilament-H subunit (NF-H) was investigated in rat embryonic brain neurons in culture. A portion of the NF-H was phosphorylated in vivo at embryonic day 17 when brain neurons were prepared. When the neurons were isolated and cultured, the NF proteins disappeared once and then reappeared over the next several days in the following order: (1) NF-L/NF-M, (2) dephosphorylated NF-H and (3) phosphorylated NF-H. Phosphorylation of NF-H began around 4 days after cell plating,

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is a serine/threonine protein kinase, which forms active complexes with p35 or p39 expressed predominantly in neurons. Cdk5 is indispensable for the development of the central nervous system through regulation of neuronal migration. In mature neurons, Cdk5 has been implicated in various signaling transduction pathways, which contribute to functional neuronal activity. It has been widely accepted that aberrant Cdk5 activity induced by the conversion of p35 to p25

A fundamental aspect of mitochondria is that they possess DNA and protein translation machinery. Mitochondrial DNA encodes 22 tRNAs that translate mitochondrial mRNAs to 13 polypeptides of respiratory complexes. Various chemical modifications have been identified in mitochondrial tRNAs via complex enzymatic processes. A growing body of evidence has demonstrated that these modifications are essential for translation by regulating tRNA stability, structure and mRNA binding, and can be dynamically