Project description:Accurate assembly of newly- synthesized proteins into functional oligomers is crucial for cell activity. In this study, we investigated whether direct interaction of two nascent proteins, emerging from nearby ribosomes (co-co assembly), constitutes a general mechanism for oligomer formation. We used a proteome-wide screen to detect nascent chain-connected ribosome pairs and identified hundreds of homomer subunits that co-co assemble in human cells. Interactions are mediated by five major domain classes, among which N-terminal coiled coils are the most prevalent. We were able to reconstitute co-co assembly of nuclear lamin in Escherichia coli, demonstrating that dimer formation is independent of dedicated assembly machineries. Co-co assembly may thus represent an efficient way to limit protein aggregation risks posed by diffusion-driven assembly routes and ensure isoform-specific homomer formation.
Project description:The yeast Hsp70 chaperone Ssb interacts with ribosomes and nascent chains to co-translationally assist protein folding. Here, we present a proteome-wide analysis of Hsp70 function during translation, based on in vivo selective ribosome profiling, that reveals mechanistic principles coordinating translation with chaperone-assisted protein folding. Ssb binds most cytosolic, nuclear, and mitochondrial proteins and a subset of ER proteins, supporting its general chaperone function. Position-resolved analysis of Ssb engagement reveals compartment- and protein-specific nascent chain binding profiles that are coordinated by emergence of positively charged peptide stretches enriched in aromatic amino acids. Ssbs’ function is temporally coordinated by RAC but independent from NAC. Analysis of ribosome footprint densities along orfs reveals that ribosomes translate faster at times of Ssb binding. This is coordinated by biases in mRNA secondary structure, and codon usage as well as the action of Ssb, suggesting chaperones may allow higher protein synthesis rates by actively coordinating protein synthesis with co-translational folding.
Project description:We use ribosome profiling to demonstrate the selectivity of a small molecule, PF-06446846 that inhibits translation of its target by selectively inducing ribosome-stalling in a nascent chain sequence dependent manner.
Project description:NAC (nascent polypeptide-associated complex) post-meiotic heterodimeric αβ-complex promoting chaperone-like cotranslational protein folding on the ribosome and its early role in the birth of nascent proteins is suggested. Here, we demonstrate the presence of specific NAC complex (NACtes) associated with ribosomes in spermatocytes. The RNAseq analysis of mRNAs associated with testis-specific and immunoprecipitated NACtes-carrying ribosomes revealed a preferential association of the latter with mRNAs encoding meiotic and post meiotic proteins. The NACtes ribosomes are also shown to be enriched in mRNAs encoding proteins of central metabolism pathways that have been reported as overexpressed in testes. The specificity of association of NACtes ribosomes with particular mRNA sets was also demonstrated by the observation of significant underrepresentation of abundant mRNAs encoding ubiquitously expressed ribosomal proteins in NACtes-associated ribosomes. At the same time, NACtes ribosomes are enriched in mRNA encoding a testis specific ribosomal protein. These results bring new arguments in favor of “specialized ribosomes hypothesis” proposing a special composition of ribosomes necessary for the control of selected gene expression.
Project description:Ribosome specialization is an emerging concept which challenges the common assumption that translation relies on a standardized molecular machinery. In this work, we demonstrate that Tma108, a yeast uncharacterized translation machinery-associated factor, defines a subpopulation of the cellular ribosomes specifically involved in the translation of less than 200 mRNAs encoding proteins with ATP or zinc binding domains. Ribonucleoparticle dissociation experiments support the fact that Tma108 directly interacts with the nascent protein chain. Comparative genomic analyses and molecular modeling point out Tma108 as an original M1 metallopeptidase with specific residues in the catalytic pocket which may explain its selectivity. The involvement of Tma108 in co-translational regulations is attested by the drastic perturbation of the subcellular localization of ATP2 mRNA, one of its targets, upon TMA108 inactivation. Tma108 is an unique example of a nascent chain-associated factor with high selectivity and illustrates the existence of specific translation-associated factors, besides RNA binding proteins.
Project description:mRNAs are generally assumed to be loaded instantly with ribosomes upon entry into the cytoplasm. To measure ribosome density on nascent mRNA, we developed nascent Ribo-Seq (nRibo-Seq) by combining Ribo-Seq with progressive 4-thiouridine labelling. In mouse macrophages, we experimentally determined, for the first time, the lag between the appearance of nascent RNA and its association with ribosomes, which was calculated to be 20 - 22 min for bulk mRNA, and approximated the time it takes for mRNAs to be fully loaded with ribosomes to be 41 - 44 min. Notably, ribosomal loading time is adapted to gene function as rapid loading was observed with highly regulated genes. The lag and ribosomal loading time correlate positively with ORF size and mRNA half-life, and negatively with tRNA adaptation index. Similar results were obtained in mouse embryonic stem cells, where the lag in ribosome loading was even more pronounced with 35 - 38 min. We validated our measurements after stimulation of macrophages with lipopolysaccharide, where the lag between cytoplasmic and translated mRNA leads to uncoupling between input and ribosome-protected fragments. Uncoupling is stronger for mRNAs with long ORFs or half-lives, a finding we also confirmed at the level of protein production by nascent chain proteomics. As a consequence of the lag in ribosome loading, ribosome density measurements are distorted when performed under conditions where mRNA levels are far from steady state expression, and transcriptional changes affect ribosome density in a passive way. This study uncovers an unexpected and considerable lag in ribosome loading, and provides guidelines for the interpretation of Ribo-Seq data taking passive effects on ribosome density into account.
Project description:Ribosome stalling at problematic sequences in mRNAs leads to collisions that trigger a collection of quality control events including ribosome rescue, targeting the nascent polypeptide for decay (Ribosome-mediated Quality Control or RQC), and targeting of the mRNA for decay (No Go Decay or NGD). Using a reverse genetic screen in yeast, we identify Cue2 as the endonuclease that is recruited to stalled ribosomes to promote NGD. Following Cue2-mediated cleavage, ribosomes upstream of the cleavage site translate to the end of the truncated mRNA and are rescued by the Dom34:Hbs1 complex. We also show that the putative helicase Slh1 (part of the RQC Trigger or RQT complex) removes collided ribosomes behind the lead stalled ribosome and thereby reduces endonucleolytic cleavage by Cue2. The synergistic activities of Cue2 and Slh1 define two parallel pathways that allow cells to recognize and respond to ribosomes trapped on problematic mRNAs.
Project description:PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs essential for fertility. In adult mouse testes, most piRNAs are derived from long single-stranded RNAs lacking annotated open reading frames (ORFs). The mechanisms underlying how piRNA sequences are defined during the cleavages of piRNA precursors remain elusive. Here, we show that 80S ribosomes translate the 5′-proximal short ORFs (uORFs) of piRNA precursors. The MOV10L1/Armitage RNA helicase then facilitates the translocation of ribosomes into the uORF downstream regions (UDRs). The ribosome-bound UDRs are targeted by piRNA processing machinery, with the processed ribosome-protected regions becoming piRNAs. The dual modes of interaction between ribosomes and piRNA precursors underlie the distinct piRNA biogenesis requirements at uORFs and UDRs. Ribosomes also mediate piRNA processing in roosters and green lizards, implying that this mechanism is evolutionarily conserved in amniotes. Our results uncover a function for ribosomes on non-coding regions of RNAs and reveal the mechanisms underlying how piRNAs are defined.