The RNA recognition motif of NIFK is required for rRNA maturation during cell cycle progression

Ribosome biogenesis governs protein synthesis. NIFK is transactivated by c-Myc, the key regulator of ribosome biogenesis. The biological function of human NIFK is not well established, except that it has been shown to interact with Ki67 and NPM1. Here we report that NIFK is required for cell cycle progression and participates in the ribosome biogenesis via its RNA recognition motif (RRM). We show that silencing of NIFK inhibits cell proliferation through a reversible p53-dependent G1 arrest, possibly by induction of the RPL5/RPL11-mediated nucleolar stress. Mechanistically it is the consequence of impaired maturation of 28S and 5.8S rRNA resulting from inefficient cleavage of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1, a critical step in the separation of pre-ribosome to small and large subunits. Complementation of NIFK silencing by mutants shows that RNA-binding ability of RRM is essential for the pre-rRNA processing and G1 progression. More specifically, we validate that the RRM of NIFK preferentially binds to the 5′-region of ITS2 rRNA likely in both sequence specific and secondary structure dependent manners. Our results show how NIFK is involved in cell cycle progression through RRM-dependent pre-rRNA maturation, which could enhance our understanding of the function of NIFK in cell proliferation, and potentially also cancer and ribosomopathies.

The tumor suppressor SHIP1 colocalizes in nucleolar cavities with p53 and components of PML nuclear bodies

The inositol 5-phosphatase SHIP1 is a negative regulator of signaling processes in haematopoietic cells. By converting PI(3,4,5)P3 to PtdIns(3,4)P2 at the plasma membrane, SHIP1 modifies PI3-kinase mediated signaling. We have recently demonstrated that SHIP1 is a nucleo-cytoplasmic shuttling protein and SHIP1 nuclear puncta partially colocalize with FLASH, a component of nuclear bodies. In this study, we demonstrate that endogenous SHIP1 localizes to intranucleolar regions of both normal and leukemic haematopoietic cells. In addition, we report that ectopically expressed SHIP1 accumulates in nucleolar cavities and colocalizes with the tumor suppressor protein p53 and components of PML nuclear bodies (e.g. SP100, SUMO-1 and CK2). Moreover, SHIP1 also colocalizes in nucleolar cavities with components of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. By using confocal microscopy data, we generated 3D-models revealing the enormous extent of the SHIP1 aggresomes in the nucleolus. Furthermore, treatment of cells with the proteasome inhibitor MG132 causes an enlargement of nucleolar SHIP1 containing structures. Unexpectedly, this accumulation can be partially prevented by treatment with the inhibitor of nuclear protein export Leptomycin B. In recent years, several proteins aggregating in nucleolar cavities were shown to be key factors of neurodegenerative diseases and cancerogenesis. Our findings support current relevance of nuclear localized SHIP1.

Construction of synthetic nucleoli and what it tells us about propagation of sub-nuclear domains through cell division

The cell nucleus is functionally compartmentalized into numerous membraneless and dynamic, yet defined, bodies. The cell cycle inheritance of these nuclear bodies (NBs) is poorly understood at the molecular level. In higher eukaryotes, their propagation is challenged by cell division through an "open" mitosis, where the nuclear envelope disassembles along with most NBs. A deeper understanding of the mechanisms involved can be achieved using the engineering principles of synthetic biology to construct artificial NBs. Successful biogenesis of such synthetic NBs demonstrates knowledge of the basic mechanisms involved. Application of this approach to the nucleolus, a paradigm of nuclear organization, has highlighted a key role for mitotic bookmarking in the cell cycle propagation of NBs.