Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27977714›Full record

ArticlePloS one2016

Off Target, but Sequence-Specific, shRNA-Associated Trans-Activation of Promoter Reporters in Transient Transfection Assays.

Tomohiro Masuda, Jun Wan, Anitha Yerrabelli, Cindy Berlinicke, Alyssa Kallman, Jiang Qian, Donald J Zack

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact, top 90% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Tomohiro MasudaDepartment of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6668-1246
Jun WanDepartment of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Anitha YerrabelliDepartment of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Cindy BerlinickeDepartment of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Alyssa KallmanInstitute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Jiang QianDepartment of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Donald J ZackDepartment of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
Johns Hopkins University · USInstitut de la Vision · FR

Funding

Wilmer Core Grant for Vision ResearchP30EY001765 · NEI · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI Jiang Qian · 1985 to 2026
$22.1M
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY CENTER VISION RESEARCHP30EY002687 · NEI · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI Philip Andrew Ruzycki · 1985 to 2026
$18.4M
Vulnerable and Resilient Cells in Retinal DegenerationR01EY012543 · NEI · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI SHIMING CHEN, Philip Raymond Williams · 2000 to 2026
$12.2M
REGULATION OF RHODOPSIN GENE EXPRESSIONR01EY009769 · NEI · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · PI ZACK, DONALD J. · 1992 to 2014
$8.1M
NEI NIH HHS P30 EY001765NEI NIH HHS P30 EY002687NEI NIH HHS R01 EY009769NEI NIH HHS R01 EY012543
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Transient transfection promoter reporter assays are commonly used in the study of transcriptional regulation, and can be used to define and characterize both cis-acting regulatory sequences and trans-acting factors. In the process of using a variety of reporter assays designed to study regulation of the rhodopsin (rho) promoter, we discovered that rhodopsin promoter-driven reporter expression could be activated by certain species of shRNA in a gene-target-independent but shRNA sequence-specific manner, suggesting involvement of a specific shRNA associated pathway. Interestingly, the shRNA-mediated increase of rhodopsin promoter activity was synergistically enhanced by the rhodopsin transcriptional regulators CRX and NRL. Additionally, the effect was cell line-dependent, suggesting that this pathway requires the expression of cell-type specific factors. Since microRNA (miRNA) and interferon response-mediated processes have been implicated in RNAi off-target phenomena, we performed miRNA and gene expression profiling on cells transfected with shRNAs that do target a specific gene but have varied effects on rho reporter expression in order to identify transcripts whose expression levels are associated with shRNA induced rhodopsin promoter reporter activity. We identified a total of 50 miRNA species, and by microarray analysis, 320 protein-coding genes, some of which were predicted targets of the identified differentially expressed miRNAs, whose expression was altered in the presence of shRNAs that stimulated rhodopsin-promoter activity in a non-gene-targeting manner. Consistent with earlier studies on shRNA off-target effects, a number of interferon response genes were among those identified to be upregulated. Taken together, our results confirm the importance of considering off-target effects when interpreting data from RNAi experiments and extend prior results by focusing on the importance of including multiple and carefully designed controls in the design and analysis of the effects of shRNA on transient transfection-based transcriptional assays.

Indexed as

TransfectionAnimalsChlorocebus aethiopsCOS CellsFlow CytometryHEK293 CellsHumansPolymerase Chain ReactionPromoter Regions, GeneticRhodopsinRNA, Small InterferingTranscriptional ActivationRhodopsinRNA, Small Interfering

Identifiers

PMID27977714
PMCPMC5158200
OpenAlexW2564863961

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.