Tissue-specific ramp sequences correspond with increased gene expression in humans and SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

Translational ramp sequences are essential regulatory elements that have yet to be characterized in specific tissues. Ramp sequences increase gene expression by evenly spacing ribosomes and slowing initial translation. Therefore, the relative codon adaptiveness within different tissues changes the existence of a ramp sequence without altering the underlying genetic code. Here, we present the first comprehensive analysis of tissue and cell type-specific ramp sequences, and report 3,108 genes with ramp sequences that change between tissues and cell types. The Ramp Atlas (https://ramps.byu.edu/) is an accompanying web portal that allows researchers to query ramp sequences in 18,388 genes across 62 tissues and 66 cell types. We also identified seven SARS-CoV-2 genes and seven human SARS-CoV-2 entry factor genes with tissue-specific ramp sequences that may help explain viral proliferation within those tissues. We anticipate that The Ramp Atlas will facilitate future tissue-specific ramp sequence analyses to develop targeted therapeutics for human disease.