Project description:Cytoplasmic mRNA decay occurs through several pathways, but the contributions of these decay pathways to the degradation of specific mRNAs, and interactions between the pathways, are not well understood. We carried out a genome-wide analysis of mRNA decay rates using wild-type Arabidopsis and mutants with defects in mRNA decapping and SOV/DIS3L2. Decay rates and contributions of decapping and SOV to decay were estimated for 18,674 mRNAs using maximum likelihood modeling. Most mRNAs decayed by multiple pathways, few mRNAs degraded exclusively by mRNA decapping or SOV, and specific codon usage was linked to decay rates. Unexpected faster decay of transcripts in some genotypes was found to be independent of siRNAs; instead the data suggested an RNA buffering-like phenomenon in Arabidopsis, and that VCS (decapping) is essential for both this process and the decay of very unstable mRNAs.
Project description:Cytoplasmic mRNA decay occurs through several pathways, but the contributions of these decay pathways to the degradation of specific mRNAs, and interactions between the pathways, are not well understood. We carried out a genome-wide analysis of mRNA decay rates using wild-type Arabidopsis and mutants with defects in mRNA decapping and SOV/DIS3L2. Decay rates and contributions of decapping and SOV to decay were estimated for 18,674 mRNAs using maximum likelihood modeling. Most mRNAs decayed by multiple pathways, few mRNAs degraded exclusively by mRNA decapping or SOV, and specific codon usage was linked to decay rates. Unexpected faster decay of transcripts in some genotypes was found to be independent of siRNAs; instead the data suggested an RNA buffering-like phenomenon in Arabidopsis, and that VCS (decapping) is essential for both this process and the decay of very unstable mRNAs.
Project description:mRNA level is controlled by factors that mediate both mRNA synthesis and decay, including the 5’ to 3’ exonuclease Xrn1 - a major mRNA synthesis and decay factor. Here we show that nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of several mRNA decay factors plays a key role in determining both mRNA synthesis and decay. Shuttling is regulated by RNA-controlled binding of the karyopherin Kap120 to two nuclear localization sequences (NLSs) in Xrn1, location of one of which is conserved from yeast to human. The decaying RNA binds and masks NLS1, establishing a link between mRNA decay and Xrn1 shuttling. Preventing Xrn1 import, either by deleting KAP120 or mutating the two Xrn1 NLSs, compromise transcription and, unexpectedly, also the cytoplasmic decay, uncovering a cytoplasmic decay pathway that initiates in the nucleus. Most mRNAs are degraded by both the “classical” and the novel pathways, the ratio between them represents a full spectrum. Importantly, Xrn1 shuttling is required for proper adaptation to environmental changes, in particular to ever changing environmental fluctuations.
Project description:XRN 5′-3′ exoribonucleases play crucial roles in the control of RNA processing, quality, and quantity in eukaryotes. Although genome-wide profiling of RNA decay fragments is now feasible, how XRNs shape the plant mRNA degradome remains elusive. Here, we profiled and analyzed the RNA degradomes of the Arabidopsis wild type and mutants with defects in XRN activity. Deficiency of nuclear XRN3 or cytoplasmic XRN4 but not nuclear XRN2 activity largely altered Arabidopsis mRNA decay profiles. In addition to the primary XRN4 substrates derived from decapping and microRNA-directed slicing, terminating ribosome- and exon junction complex-protected fragments produced from XRN4-mediated cytoplasmic decay also represent the most abundant decay intermediates of Arabidopsis mRNAs. Short excised linear introns and cleaved pre-mRNA fragments downstream of polyadenylation sites were polyadenylated and stabilized in the xrn3 mutant, demonstrating the function of XRN3 in the removal of cleavage remnants from pre-mRNA processing. Further analysis of stabilized XRN3 substrates confirmed that polyadenylation cleavage frequently occurs after an adenosine. An increase in decay intermediates with 5′ ends upstream of a consensus motif in the xrn4 mutant suggests an endonucleolytic cleavage mechanism targeting the 3′ untranslated region of many Arabidopsis mRNAs. However, analysis of decay fragments stabilized in the xrn4 mutant indicated that, except for microRNA-directed slicing, endonucleolytic cleavage events in the coding sequence might rarely result in major decay intermediates. Together, the results of this study reveal major substrates and products of nuclear and cytoplasmic XRNs along Arabidopsis transcripts and provide a basis for precise interpretation of RNA degradome data.
Project description:Alterations in global mRNA decay can broadly impact multiple upstream and downstream stages of gene expression. For example, accelerated cytoplasmic mRNA degradation can trigger a reduction in mammalian RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) transcription, although signals that connect these seemingly distal processes remain largely unknown. Here, we used tandem mass tag labeling with mass spectrometry to chart how changes in Xrn1-dependent mRNA degradation impact nuclear-cytoplasmic protein distribution in human cells. Notably, accelerating mRNA decay through expression of a gammaherpesviral endonuclease known to coordinate with Xrn1 drove nuclear relocalization of many RNA binding proteins. Particularly enriched in the relocalized subset were factors linked to the poly(A) tail. Conversely, cells lacking Xrn1 exhibited changes in the localization and/or abundance of numerous factors linked to mRNA turnover. Based on these data, we uncovered a new role for cytoplasmic poly(A) binding protein in repressing RNAPII transcription upon its mRNA decay-induced translocation to the nucleus.
Project description:The naïve pluripotent epiblast cells become polarized into a rosette-like structure, followed by irreversible transition into primed pluripotency during one of the fastest morphological switches termed lumenogenesis. This requires rapid decay of pluripotency-associated mRNAs, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Guided by machine learning and metabolic RNA sequencing, we identified RNA binding proteins (RBPs), especially LIN28A, as primary mRNA decay factors. To understand if RBP dynamics steer embryogenesis, we used mRNA-RBP interactome capture during naïve-rosette-epiblast-gastrulation progression. We identified a dramatic increase in LIN28A mRNA binding, driven by its nucleolus-to-cytoplasm translocation during the naïve-primed pluripotency transition. Cytoplasmic LIN28A binds to 3’UTRs of pluripotency-associated mRNAs to directly stimulate their decay, and thereby progression to lumenogenesis. Accordingly, forced nuclear retention of LIN28A impeded lumenogenesis, causing an unforeseen embryonic multiplication and impaired gastrulation. This reveals selective mRNA decay, driven by nucleo-cytoplasmic RBP translocation, as an intrinsic mechanism for cell identity switch that controls embryonic timing of lumenogenesis.