Project description:Assembly of eukaryotic ribosomes begins in the nucleolus, a compartmentalized membraneless organelle. Although the two ribosomal subunits, 40S and 60S, assemble independently, it remains unknown if these particles are physically sorted as they assemble and how they partition from the central chromatin compartment into the outer nucleolar regions, where maturation occurs. In this study, we show that nucleophosmin specifically mediates the assembly of nascent 60S subunits and that this specificity is determined by its chromatin localization at the rDNA sites encoding for 60S subunit rRNA. Nucleophosmin dissociates from chromatin to bind nascent 60S subunits, causing their partitioning away from chromatin and from nascent 40S subunits through liquid-liquid phase separation. This directs translocation of nascent 60S subunits towards the nucleophosmin-rich granular component, where biogenesis continues. Notably, this compartmentalization increases the efficiency of 60S subunit assembly, specifically the incorporation of the 60S domain III. Our data reveal that the chromatin localization of nucleophosmin determines its specificity in sorting and coordinates the movement of ribosomal subunits into specialized assembly compartments.
Project description:In S. cerevisiae, the ribosome assembly factor Reh1 binds to pre-60S subunits at a late stage during their cytoplasmic maturation. Unlike canonical assembly factors, which associate exclusively with pre-60S subunits, we observed that Reh1 sediments with polysomes in addition to free 60S subunits. We therefore investigated the intriguing possibility that Reh1 remains associated with 60S subunits after the release of the anti-association factor Tif6 and after subunit joining. Here, we show that Reh1-bound nascent 60S subunits associate with 40S subunits to form actively translating ribosomes.
Project description:Continuous translation elongation, irrespective of amino acid sequences, is a prerequisite for living organisms to produce their proteomes. However, the risk of elongation abortion is concealed within nascent polypeptide products. For example, negatively charged sequences with occasional intermittent prolines, termed intrinsic ribosome destabilization (IRD) sequences, destabilizes the translating ribosomal complex. Thus, some nascent chain sequences lead to premature translation cessation. Here, we show that most potential IRD sequences in the middle of open reading frames remain cryptic by two mechanisms: the nascent polypeptide itself that spans the exit tunnel and its bulky amino acid residues that occupy the tunnel entrance region. Thus, nascent polypeptide products have a built-in ability to ensure elongation continuity by serving as a bridge and thus by protecting the large and small ribosomal subunits from dissociation.
Project description:eIF3 is a multi-subunit complex thought to execute numerous functions in canonical translation initiation, including mRNA recruitment to the 40S ribosome, scanning for the start codon, and inhibition of 60S subunit joining 1–3. eIF3 was also found to interact with 40S and 60S ribosomal proteins and translation elongation factors 4, but a direct involvement in translation elongation has never been demonstrated. Using selective ribosome profiling, we made the unexpected observation that eIF3 remains bound to post-initiation 80S ribosomes, followed by release after translation of ~50 codons. Furthermore, eIF3 deficiency reduces early ribosomal elongation speed, particularly on mRNAs encoding proteins associated with membrane-associated functions, resulting in defective synthesis of their encoded proteins and abnormal mitochondrial and lysosomal physiology. Accordingly, heterozygous eIF3e+/- knockout mice accumulate giant mitochondria in skeletal muscle and show a progressive decline in muscle strength with age. Hence, in addition to its canonical role in translation initiation, eIF3 interacts with 80S ribosomes to enhance, at the level of early elongation, the synthesis of proteins with membrane-associated functions, an activity that is critical for normal muscle health.
Project description:eIF3 is a multi-subunit complex thought to execute numerous functions in canonical translation initiation, including mRNA recruitment to the 40S ribosome, scanning for the start codon, and inhibition of 60S subunit joining 1–3. eIF3 was also found to interact with 40S and 60S ribosomal proteins and translation elongation factors 4, but a direct involvement in translation elongation has never been demonstrated. Using selective ribosome profiling, we made the unexpected observation that eIF3 remains bound to post-initiation 80S ribosomes, followed by release after translation of ~50 codons. Furthermore, eIF3 deficiency reduces early ribosomal elongation speed, particularly on mRNAs encoding proteins associated with membrane-associated functions, resulting in defective synthesis of their encoded proteins and abnormal mitochondrial and lysosomal physiology. Accordingly, heterozygous eIF3e+/- knockout mice accumulate giant mitochondria in skeletal muscle and show a progressive decline in muscle strength with age. Hence, in addition to its canonical role in translation initiation, eIF3 interacts with 80S ribosomes to enhance, at the level of early elongation, the synthesis of proteins with membrane-associated functions, an activity that is critical for normal muscle health.
Project description:Levels of the ribosome, the conserved molecular machine that mediates translation, are tightly linked to cellular growth rate. In humans, ribosomopathies are diseases associated with cell-type-specific pathologies and reduced ribosomal protein (RP) levels. Because gene expression defects resulting from ribosome deficiency have not yet been experimentally defined, we systematically probed mRNA, translation, and protein signatures that were either unlinked or linked to cellular growth rate in RP-deficient yeast cells. Ribosome concentration was seen to be associated with translation of gene sub-classes, and profound general secondary effects of RP loss on the spectrum of cellular mRNAs were seen. Among these effects, growth-defective 60S mutants increased synthesis of proteins involved in proteasome-mediated degradation, whereas 40S mutants accumulated mature 60S subunits and increased translation of ribosome biogenesis genes. These distinct signatures of protein synthesis suggest intriguing and currently mysterious differences in the cellular consequences of deficiency for small and large ribosomal subunits.
Project description:Assembly of eukaryotic ribosomal subunits is a highly dynamic and energy-consuming process involving numerous structural and compositional changes. Here, we identify the pre-ribosomal binding sites of three ATP-dependent RNA helicases Has1, Mak5 and Spb4 and by elucidating the precise targets of these enzymes, we uncover direct roles of Has1 in mediating release of the U14 snoRNA and dissociation of a cluster of early pre-60S biogenesis factors. We further discover pre-rRNA remodelling by Mak5 enables recruitment of the ribosomal protein Rpl10 in the cytoplasm and show that binding of Spb4 to a molecular hinge at the base of ES27 facilitates binding of the export adaptor Arx1 to pre-60S complexes. Our data highlight RNA helicases as key regulators of critical events during ribosome biogenesis and provide novel insights into the structural remodelling events that take place during assembly of the ribosomal subunits.
Project description:Cotranslational protein folding depends on general chaperones that engage highly diverse nascent chains at the ribosomes. Here we find that the universal cotranslational machinery adapts to accommodate the challenging biogenesis of abundantly expressed eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1A (eEF1A). During eEF1A synthesis, chaperone Chp1 is recruited to the ribosome with the help of the nascent polypeptide-associated complex (NAC), where it safeguards eEF1A biogenesis. Aberrant eEF1A production triggers instant proteolysis, widespread protein aggregation, activation of Hsf1 stress transcription and compromises cellular fitness. The expression of pathogenic eEF1A2 variants linked to epileptic-dyskinetic encephalopathy is protected by Chp1. Thus, eEF1A is a difficult to fold protein that necessitates dedicated folding factor Chp1 at the ribosomal tunnel exit to protect the eukaryotic cell from proteostasis collapse.
Project description:Levels of the ribosome, the conserved molecular machine that mediates translation, are tightly linked to cellular growth rate. In humans, ribosomopathies are diseases associated with cell-type-specific pathologies and reduced ribosomal protein (RP) levels. Because gene expression defects resulting from ribosome deficiency have not yet been experimentally defined, we systematically probed mRNA, translation, and protein signatures that were either unlinked or linked to cellular growth rate in RP-deficient yeast cells. Ribosome concentration was seen to be associated with translation of gene sub-classes, and profound general secondary effects of RP loss on the spectrum of cellular mRNAs were seen. Among these effects, growth-defective 60S mutants increased synthesis of proteins involved in proteasome-mediated degradation, whereas 40S mutants accumulated mature 60S subunits and increased translation of ribosome biogenesis genes. These distinct signatures of protein synthesis suggest intriguing and currently mysterious differences in the cellular consequences of deficiency for small and large ribosomal subunits.
Project description:The REIL proteins are required for late ribosomal biogenesis and accumulation of the 60S large ribosome subunit in mature leaves of Arabidopsis thaliana upon acclimation to low temperature. To validate these functions in roots, we conducted a multi-level system analysis targeted at understanding defects and compensations responses of reil mutants before acclimation to low temperature and following temperature shift. Hydroponic root tissue enabled analysis of eukaryotic ribosome complexes with negligible interference of organelle ribosomes. Hydroponic cultivation attenuated the growth defect of reil mutants at low temperature and provided new insights into the primary functions of Arabidopsis REIL proteins. Arabidopsis tightly controls the balance of non-translating 40S and 60S subunits. Reil mutants initially deplete both non-translating subunits upon shift to 10°C and subsequently replenish these pools slowly. Reil mutations compensate the 60S biosynthesis defect by increased baseline levels of non-translating 40S and 60S subunits and depletion of a likely non-translating, KCl-sensitive 80S sub-fraction in the cold. We infer that Arabidopsis buffers fluctuating translation demands following temperature cues by activating non-translating ribosome fractions before de novo synthesis meets temperature-induced demands. Reil1 reil2 double mutants accumulate 43S-preinitiation complexes and pre-60S-maturation complexes and affect the paralog composition of non-translating ribosome fractions. With few exceptions, e.g. RPL3B and RPL24C, these changes were not under transcriptional control. Our study suggests requirement of de novo synthesis of eukaryotic ribosomes for long-term cold acclimation. Double mutant analysis indicates feedback control of REIL-mediated 60S maturation on NUC2 and eIF3C2 transcription and implies functions of two so far non-described proteins in late plant ribosome biogenesis. We propose that Arabidopsis requires biosynthesis of specialized ribosomes for successful cold acclimation.