Browsing by Author "Barriga, Francisco M."

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    Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Modulate Mouse ENT1 Activity and Protect Leukemia Cells from Cytarabine Induced Apoptosis
    (PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE, 2012) Macanas Pirard, Patricia; Leisewitz, Andrea; Broekhuizen, Richard; Cautivo, Kelly; Barriga, Francisco M.; Leisewitz, Francisco; Gidi, Victoria; Riquelme, Erick; Montecinos, Viviana P.; Swett, Pilar; Besa, Pelayo; Ramirez, Pablo; Ocqueteau, Mauricio; Kalergis, Alexis M.; Holt, Matthew; Rettig, Michael; DiPersio, John F.; Nervi, Bruno
    Background: Despite a high response rate to chemotherapy, the majority of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are destined to relapse due to residual disease in the bone marrow (BM). The tumor microenvironment is increasingly being recognized as a critical factor in mediating cancer cell survival and drug resistance. In this study, we propose to identify mechanisms involved in the chemoprotection conferred by the BM stroma to leukemia cells.
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    The viral nucleocapsid protein and the human RNA-binding protein Mex3A promote translation of the Andes orthohantavirus small mRNA
    (2021) Vera-Otarola, Jorge; Castillo-Vargas, Estefania; Angulo, Jenniffer; Barriga, Francisco M.; Batlle, Eduard; Lopez-Lastra, Marcelo
    The capped Small segment mRNA (SmRNA) of the Andes orthohantavirus (ANDV) lacks a poly(A) tail. In this study, we characterize the mechanism driving ANDV-SmRNA translation. Results show that the ANDV-nucleocapsid protein (ANDV-N) promotes in vitro translation from capped mRNAs without replacing eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 4G. Using an RNA affinity chromatography approach followed by mass spectrometry, we identify the human RNA chaperone Mex3A (hMex3A) as a SmRNA-3'UTR binding protein. Results show that hMex3A enhances SmRNA translation in a 3'UTR dependent manner, either alone or when co-expressed with the ANDV-N. The ANDV-N and hMex3A proteins do not interact in cells, but both proteins interact with eIF4G. The hMex3A-eIF4G interaction showed to be independent of ANDV-infection or ANDV-N expression. Together, our observations suggest that translation of the ANDV SmRNA is enhanced by a 5'-3' end interaction, mediated by both viral and cellular proteins.