Joining the dots: Production, processing and targeting of U snRNP to nuclear bodies

The Integrator complex regulates microRNA abundance through RISC loading

MicroRNA (miRNA) homeostasis is crucial for the posttranscriptional regulation of their target genes during development and in disease states. miRNAs are derived from primary transcripts and are processed from a hairpin precursor intermediary to a mature 22-nucleotide duplex RNA. Loading of the duplex into the Argonaute (AGO) protein family is pivotal to miRNA abundance and its posttranscriptional function. The Integrator complex plays a key role in protein coding and noncoding RNA maturation, RNA polymerase II pause-release, and premature transcriptional termination. Here, we report that loss of Integrator results in global destabilization of mature miRNAs. Enhanced ultraviolet cross-linking and immunoprecipitation of Integrator uncovered an association with duplex miRNAs before their loading onto AGOs. Tracing miRNA fate from biogenesis to stabilization by incorporating 4-thiouridine in nascent transcripts pinpointed a critical role for Integrator in miRNA assembly into AGOs.

TDP-43 and NEAT long non-coding RNA: Roles in neurodegenerative disease

Understanding and ameliorating neurodegenerative diseases represents a key challenge for supporting the health span of the aging population. Diverse protein aggregates have been implicated in such neurodegenerative disorders, including amyloid-β, α-synuclein, tau, fused in sarcoma (FUS), and transactivation response element (TAR) DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43). Recent years have seen significant growth in our mechanistic knowledge of relationships between these proteins and some of the membrane-less nuclear structures that fulfill key roles in the cell function. These include the nucleolus, nuclear speckles, and paraspeckles. The ability of macromolecular protein:RNA complexes to partition these nuclear condensates through biophysical processes that involve liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) has also gained attention recently. The paraspeckle, which is scaffolded by the architectural long-non-coding RNA nuclear enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) plays central roles in RNA processing and metabolism and has been linked dynamically to TDP-43. In this mini-review, we outline essential early and recent insights in relation to TDP-43 proteinopathies. We then appraise the relationships between TDP-43 and NEAT1 in the context of neuronal paraspeckles and neuronal stress. We highlight key areas for investigation based on recent advances in our understanding of how TDP-43 affects neuronal function, especially in relation to messenger ribosomal nucleic acid (mRNA) splicing. Finally, we offer perspectives that should be considered for translational pipelines in order to improve health outcomes for the management of neurodegenerative diseases.

Transcriptome-Wide Detection of Intron/Exon Definition in the Endogenous Pre-mRNA Transcripts of Mammalian Cells and Its Regulation by Depolarization

Pairing of splice sites across an intron or exon is the central point of intron or exon definition in pre-mRNA splicing with the latter mode proposed for most mammalian exons. However, transcriptome-wide pairing within endogenous transcripts has not been examined for the prevalence of each mode in mammalian cells. Here we report such pairings in rat GH3 pituitary cells by measuring the relative abundance of nuclear RNA-Seq reads at the intron start or end (RISE). Interestingly, RISE indexes are positively correlated between 5′ and 3′ splice sites specifically across introns or exons but inversely correlated with the usage of adjacent exons. Moreover, the ratios between the paired indexes were globally modulated by depolarization, which was disruptible by 5-aza-Cytidine. The nucleotide matrices of the RISE-positive splice sites deviate significantly from the rat consensus, and short introns or exons are enriched with the cross-intron or -exon RISE pairs, respectively. Functionally, the RISE-positive genes cluster for basic cellular processes including RNA binding/splicing, or more specifically, hormone production if regulated by depolarization. Together, the RISE analysis identified the transcriptome-wide regulation of either intron or exon definition between weak splice sites of short introns/exons in mammalian cells. The analysis also provides a way to further track the splicing intermediates and intron/exon definition during the dynamic regulation of alternative splicing by extracellular factors.

The nucleolus from a liquid droplet perspective

The nucleolus is a membrane-less organelle sequestered from the nucleus by liquid droplet formation through a liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). It plays important roles in cell homeostasis through its internal thermodynamic changes. Reversible nucleolar transitions between coalescence and dispersion are dependent on the concentrations, conformations, and interactions of its molecular liquid droplet-forming components, including DNA, RNA, and protein. The liquid droplet-like properties of the nucleolus enable its diverse dynamic roles. The liquid droplet formation mechanism, by which the nucleolus is sequestered from the nucleoplasm despite the absence of a membrane, explains a number of complex nucleolar functions.

Core spliceosomal Sm proteins as constituents of cytoplasmic mRNPs in plants

In recent years, research has increasingly focused on the key role of post-transcriptional regulation of messenger ribonucleoprotein (mRNP) function and turnover. As a result of the complexity and dynamic nature of mRNPs, the full composition of a single mRNP complex remains unrevealed and mRNPs are poorly described in plants. Here we identify canonical Sm proteins as part of the cytoplasmic mRNP complex, indicating their function in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in plants. Sm proteins comprise an evolutionarily ancient family of small RNA-binding proteins involved in pre-mRNA splicing. The latest research indicates that Sm could also impact on mRNA at subsequent stages of its life cycle. In this work we show that in the microsporocyte cytoplasm of Larix decidua, the European larch, Sm proteins accumulate within distinct cytoplasmic bodies, also containing polyadenylated RNA. To date, several types of cytoplasmic bodies involved in the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression have been described, mainly in animal cells. Their role and molecular composition in plants remain less well established, however. A total of 222 mRNA transcripts have been identified as cytoplasmic partners for Sm proteins. The specific colocalization of these mRNAs with Sm proteins within cytoplasmic bodies has been confirmed via microscopic analysis. The results from this work support the hypothesis, that evolutionarily conserved Sm proteins have been adapted to perform a whole repertoire of functions related to the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression in Eukaryota. This adaptation presumably enabled them to coordinate the interdependent processes of splicing element assembly, mRNA maturation and processing, and mRNA translation regulation, and its degradation.

XPO1-dependent nuclear export as a target for cancer therapy

Cellular homeostasis requires the proper nuclear-cytoplasmic partitioning of large molecules, which is often deregulated in cancer. XPO1 is an export receptor responsible for the nuclear-cytoplasmic transport of hundreds of proteins and multiple RNA species. XPO1 is frequently overexpressed and/or mutated in human cancers and functions as an oncogenic driver. Suppression of XPO1-mediated nuclear export, therefore, presents a unique therapeutic strategy. In this review, we summarize the physiological functions of XPO1 as well as the development of various XPO1 inhibitors and provide an update on the recent clinical trials of the SINE compounds. We also discuss potential future research directions on the molecular function of XPO1 and the clinical application of XPO1 inhibitors.

Translocatome: a novel resource for the analysis of protein translocation between cellular organelles

Here we present Translocatome, the first dedicated database of human translocating proteins (URL: http://translocatome.linkgroup.hu). The core of the Translocatome database is the manually curated data set of 213 human translocating proteins listing the source of their experimental validation, several details of their translocation mechanism, their local compartmentalized interactome, as well as their involvement in signalling pathways and disease development. In addition, using the well-established and widely used gradient boosting machine learning tool, XGBoost, Translocatome provides translocation probability values for 13 066 human proteins identifying 1133 and 3268 high- and low-confidence translocating proteins, respectively. The database has user-friendly search options with a UniProt autocomplete quick search and advanced search for proteins filtered by their localization, UniProt identifiers, translocation likelihood or data complexity. Download options of search results, manually curated and predicted translocating protein sets are available on its website. The update of the database is helped by its manual curation framework and connection to the previously published ComPPI compartmentalized protein–protein interaction database (http://comppi.linkgroup.hu). As shown by the application examples of merlin (NF2) and tumor protein 63 (TP63) Translocatome allows a better comprehension of protein translocation as a systems biology phenomenon and can be used as a discovery-tool in the protein translocation field.

Nuclear sorting of RNA

The majority of the mammalian genome is transcribed by RNA polymerase II, yielding a vast amount of noncoding RNA (ncRNA) in addition to the standard production of mRNA. The typical nuclear biogenesis of mRNA relies on the tightly controlled coupling of co- and post-transcriptional processing events, which ultimately results in the export of transcripts into the cytoplasm. These processes are subject to surveillance by nuclear RNA decay pathways to prevent the export of aberrant, or otherwise "non-optimal," transcripts. However, unlike mRNA, many long ncRNAs are nuclear retained and those that maintain enduring functions must employ precautions to evade decay. Proper sorting and localization of RNA is therefore an essential activity in eukaryotic cells and the formation of ribonucleoprotein complexes during early stages of RNA synthesis is central to deciding such transcript fate. This review details our current understanding of the pathways and factors that direct RNAs towards a particular destiny and how transcripts combat the adverse conditions of the nucleus. This article is categorized under: RNA Export and Localization > Nuclear Export/Import RNA Turnover and Surveillance > Turnover/Surveillance Mechanisms RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein-RNA Interactions: Functional Implications.

ORF73 LANA homologs of RRV and MneRV2 contain an extended RGG/RG-rich nuclear and nucleolar localization signal that interacts directly with importin β1 for non-classical nuclear import

The latency-associated nuclear antigens (LANA) of KSHV and macaque RFHVMn, members of the RV1 rhadinovirus lineage, are closely related with conservation of complex nuclear localization signals (NLS) containing bipartite KR-rich motifs and RG-rich domains, which interact distinctly with importins α and ß1 for nuclear import via classical and non-classical pathways, respectively. RV1 LANAs are expressed in the nucleus of latently-infected cells where they inhibit replication and establish a dominant RV1 latency. Here we show that LANA homologs of macaque RRV and MneRV2 from the more distantly-related RV2 lineage, lack the KR-rich NLS, and instead have a large RG-rich NLS with multiple RG dipeptides and a conserved RGG motif. The RG-NLS interacts uniquely with importin β1, which mediates nuclear import and accumulation of RV2 LANA in the nucleolus. The alternative nuclear import and localization of RV2 LANA homologs may contribute to the dominant RV2 lytic replication phenotype.

The Nucleolus: In Genome Maintenance and Repair

The nucleolus is the subnuclear membrane-less organelle where rRNA is transcribed and processed and ribosomal assembly occurs. During the last 20 years, however, the nucleolus has emerged as a multifunctional organelle, regulating processes that go well beyond its traditional role. Moreover, the unique organization of rDNA in tandem arrays and its unusually high transcription rates make it prone to unscheduled DNA recombination events and frequent RNA:DNA hybrids leading to DNA double strand breaks (DSBs). If not properly repaired, rDNA damage may contribute to premature disease onset and aging. Deregulation of ribosomal synthesis at any level from transcription and processing to ribosomal subunit assembly elicits a stress response and is also associated with disease onset. Here, we discuss how genome integrity is maintained within nucleoli and how such structures are functionally linked to nuclear DNA damage response and repair giving an emphasis on the newly emerging roles of the nucleolus in mammalian physiology and disease.

The catalytically inactive tyrosine phosphatase HD-PTP/PTPN23 is a novel regulator of SMN complex localization

This first systematic and comprehensive screen of human phosphatases for a regulatory role in the survival motor neuron (SMN) complex identifies the catalytically inactive, non–receptor-type tyrosine phosphatase PTPN23/HD-PTP as a novel SMN complex regulator. PTPN23 maintains a highly phosphorylated state of SMN, which is important for its function in snRNP assembly.

The survival motor neuron (SMN) complex fulfils essential functions in the assembly of snRNPs, which are key components in the splicing of pre-mRNAs. Little is known about the regulation of SMN complex activity by posttranslational modification despite its complicated phosphorylation pattern. Several phosphatases had been implicated in the regulation of SMN, including the nuclear phosphatases PPM1G and PP1γ. Here we systematically screened all human phosphatase gene products for a regulatory role in the SMN complex. We used the accumulation of SMN in Cajal bodies of intact proliferating cells, which actively assemble snRNPs, as a readout for unperturbed SMN complex function. Knockdown of 29 protein phosphatases interfered with SMN accumulation in Cajal bodies, suggesting impaired SMN complex function, among those the catalytically inactive, non–receptor-type tyrosine phosphatase PTPN23/HD-PTP. Knockdown of PTPN23 also led to changes in the phosphorylation pattern of SMN without affecting the assembly of the SMN complex. We further show interaction between SMN and PTPN23 and document that PTPN23, like SMN, shuttles between nucleus and cytoplasm. Our data provide the first comprehensive screen for SMN complex regulators and establish a novel regulatory function of PTPN23 in maintaining a highly phosphorylated state of SMN, which is important for its proper function in snRNP assembly.

Phosphoregulation of the human SMN complex

The survival motor neuron (SMN) complex is a macromolecular machine comprising 9 core proteins: SMN, Gemins2-8 and unrip in vertebrates. It performs tasks in RNA metabolism including the cytoplasmic assembly of spliceosomal small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs). The SMN complex also localizes to the nucleus, where it accumulates in Cajal Bodies (CB) and may function in transcription and/or pre-mRNA splicing. The SMN complex is subject to extensive phosphorylation. Detailed understanding of SMN complex regulation necessitates a comprehensive analysis of these post-translational modifications. Here, we report on the first comprehensive phosphoproteome analysis of the intact human SMN complex, which identify 48 serine/threonine phosphosites in the complex. We find that 7 out of 9 SMN components of the intact complex are phosphoproteins and confidently place 29 phosphorylation sites, 12 of them in SMN itself. By the generation of multi non-phosphorylatable or phosphomimetic variants of SMN, respectively, we address to which extent phosphorylation regulates SMN complex function and localization. Both phosphomimetic and non-phosphorylatable variants assemble into intact SMN complexes and can compensate the loss of endogenous SMN in snRNP assembly at least to some extent. However, they partially or completely fail to target to nuclear Cajal bodies. Moreover, using a mutant of SMN, which cannot be phosphorylated on previously reported tyrosine residues, we provide first evidence that this PTM regulates SMN localization and nuclear accumulation. Our data suggest complex regulatory cues mediated by phosphorylation of serine/threonine and tyrosine residues, which control the subcellular localization of the SMN complex and its accumulation in nuclear CB.

Non-canonical Cajal bodies form in the nucleus of late stage avian oocytes lacking functional nucleolus

In the somatic cell nucleus, there are several universal domains such as nucleolus, SC35-domains, Cajal bodies (CBs) and histone locus bodies (HLBs). Among them, CBs were described more than 100 years ago; however, we still do not have a final understanding of their nature and biological significance. The giant nucleus of avian and amphibian growing oocytes represents an advantageous model for analysis of functions and biogenesis of various nuclear domains. Nevertheless, in large-sized avian oocytes that contain transcriptionally active lampbrush chromosomes, CB-like organelles have not been identified yet. Here we demonstrate that in the pigeon (Columba livia) oocyte nucleus, characterized by absence of any functional nucleoli, extrachromosomal spherical bodies contain TMG-capped spliceosomal snRNAs, core proteins of Sm snRNPs and the protein coilin typical for CBs, but not splicing factor SC35 nor the histone pre-mRNA 3'-end processing factor symplekin. The results establish that coilin-rich nuclear organelles in pigeon late-stage oocyte are not the equivalents of HLBs but belong to a group of CBs. At the same time, they do not contain the snoRNP/scaRNP protein fibrillarin involved in 2'-O-methylation of snoRNAs and snRNAs. Thus, the nucleus of late-stage pigeon oocytes houses CB-like organelles that have an unusual molecular composition and are implicated in the snRNP biogenesis pathway. These data demonstrate that snRNP-rich non-canonical CBs can form in the absence of nucleolus. We argue that pigeon oocytes represent a new promising model to investigate CB modular organization, functions and formation mechanism.

SMN in spinal muscular atrophy and snRNP biogenesis

Ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes function in nearly every facet of cellular activity. The spliceosome is an essential RNP that accurately identifies introns and catalytically removes the intervening sequences, providing exquisite control of spatial, temporal, and developmental gene expressions. U-snRNPs are the building blocks for the spliceosome. A significant amount of insight into the molecular assembly of these essential particles has recently come from a seemingly unexpected area of research: neurodegeneration. Survival motor neuron (SMN) performs an essential role in the maturation of snRNPs, while the homozygous loss of SMN1 results in the development of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a devastating neurodegenerative disease. In this review, the function of SMN is examined within the context of snRNP biogenesis and evidence is examined which suggests that the SMN functional defects in snRNP biogenesis may account for the motor neuron pathology observed in SMA.

Identification of protein factors and U3 snoRNAs from a Brassica oleracea RNP complex involved in the processing of pre-rRNA

We report on the structural characterization of a functional U3 snoRNA ribonucleoprotein complex isolated from Brassica oleracea. The BoU3 snoRNP complex (formerly NF D) binds ribosomal DNA (rDNA), specifically cleaves pre-rRNA at the primary cleavage site in vitro and probably links transcription to early pre-rRNA processing in vivo. Using a proteomic approach we have identified 62 proteins in the purified BoU3 snoRNP fraction, including small RNA associated proteins (Fibrillarin, NOP5/Nop58p, Diskerin/Cbf5p, SUS2/PRP8 and CLO/GFA1/sn114p) and 40S ribosomal associated proteins (22 RPS and four ARCA-like proteins). Another major protein group is composed of chaperones/chaperonins (HSP81/TCP-1) and at least one proteasome subunit (RPN1a). Remarkably, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) and Tudor staphylococcal nuclease (TSN) proteins, which have RNA- and/or DNA-associated activities, were also revealed in the complex. Furthermore, three U3 snoRNA variants were identified in the BoU3 snoRNP fraction, notably an evolutionarily conserved and variable stem loop structure located just downstream from the C-box domain of the U3 sequence structures. We conclude that the BoU3 snoRNP complex is mainly required for 40S pre-ribosome synthesis. It is also expected that U3 snoRNA variants and interacting proteins might play a major role in BoU3 snoRNP complex assembly and/or function. This study provides a basis for further investigation of these novel ribonucleoprotein factors and their role in plant ribosome biogenesis.

Nuclear export factor RBM15 facilitates the access of DBP5 to mRNA

The conserved mRNA export receptor NXF1 (Mex67 in yeast) assembles with messenger ribonucleoproteins (mRNP) in the nucleus and guides them through the nuclear pore complex into the cytoplasm. The DEAD family RNA helicase Dbp5 is essential for nuclear export of mRNA and is thought to dissociate Mex67 from mRNP upon translocation, thereby generating directional passage. However, the molecular mechanism by which Dbp5 recognizes Mex67-containing mRNP is not clear. Here we report that the human NXF1-binding protein RBM15 binds specifically to human DBP5 and facilitates its direct contact with mRNA in vivo. We found that RBM15 is targeted to the nuclear envelope, where it colocalizes extensively with DBP5 and NXF1. Gene silencing of RBM15 leads to cytoplasmic depletion and nuclear accumulation of general mRNA as well as individual endogenous transcripts, indicating that RBM15 is required for efficient mRNA export. We propose a model in which RBM15 acts locally at the nuclear pore complex, by facilitating the recognition of NXF1–mRNP complexes by DBP5 during translocation, thereby contributing to efficient mRNA export.

An unusual genetic variant in the MOCS1 gene leads to complete missplicing of an alternatively spliced exon in a patient with molybdenum cofactor deficiency

Molybdenum cofactor deficiency (MOCOD) is a rare inherited metabolic disorder resulting in the combined deficiency of aldehyde oxidase (AO, EC 1.2.3.1), xanthine dehydrogenase (XDH, EC 1.1.1.204), and sulfite oxidase (SUOX, EC 1.8.3.1). The majority of patients typically present soon after birth with intractable seizures, developmental delay and lens dislocation and do not survive early childhood. Milder cases have been reported. We report an unusual mutation in the MOCS1 gene associated with a relatively mild clinical phenotype, in a patient who presented with normal uric acid (UA) levels in plasma. We also report a new MOCS1 mRNA splice variant in the 5' region of the gene. MOCS1 genomic DNA and cDNA from peripheral blood leukocytes were sequenced. MOCS1 mRNA splice variants were amplified with fluorescently labelled primers and quantitated. A novel homozygous mutation MOCS1c.1165+6T > C in intron 9 resulting in miss-splicing of exon 9 was found. Multiple alternatively spliced MOCS1 transcripts have been previously reported. A new MOCS1 transcript in the 5' - exon 1 region was identified in both patient and controls. This new transcript derived from the Larin variant and lacked exon 1 d.