Enhanced immunoprecipitation techniques for the identification of RNA-binding protein partners: IGF2BP1 interactions in mammary epithelial cells

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) regulate the expression of large cohorts of RNA species to produce programmatic changes in cellular phenotypes. To describe the function of RBPs within a cell, it is key to identify their mRNA-binding partners. This is often done by crosslinking nucleic acids to RBPs, followed by chemical release of the nucleic acid fragments for analysis. However, this methodology is lengthy, which involves complex processing with attendant sample losses, thus large amounts of starting materials and prone to artifacts. To evaluate potential alternative technologies, we tested “exclusion-based” purification of immunoprecipitates (IFAST or SLIDE) and report here that these methods can efficiently, rapidly, and specifically isolate RBP–RNA complexes. The analysis requires less than 1% of the starting material required for techniques that include crosslinking. Depending on the antibody used, 50% to 100% starting protein can be retrieved, facilitating the assay of endogenous levels of RBPs; the isolated ribonucleoproteins are subsequently analyzed using standard techniques, to provide a comprehensive portrait of RBP complexes. Using exclusion-based techniques, we show that the mRNA-binding partners for RBP IGF2BP1 in cultured mammary epithelial cells are enriched in mRNAs important for detoxifying superoxides (specifically glutathione peroxidase [GPX]-1 and GPX-2) and mRNAs encoding mitochondrial proteins. We show that these interactions are functionally significant, as loss of function of IGF2BP1 leads to destabilization of GPX mRNAs and reduces mitochondrial membrane potential and oxygen consumption. We speculate that this underlies a consistent requirement for IGF2BP1 for the expression of clonogenic activity in vitro.     

Accuracy modulating mutations of the ribosomal protein S4-S5 interface do not necessarily destabilize the rps4-rps5 protein–protein interaction

During the process of translation, an aminoacyl tRNA is selected in the A site of the decoding center of the small subunit based on the correct codon–anticodon base pairing. Though selection is usually accurate, mutations in the ribosomal RNA and proteins and the presence of some antibiotics like streptomycin alter translational accuracy. Recent crystallographic structures of the ribosome suggest that cognate tRNAs induce a “closed conformation” of the small subunit that stabilizes the codon–anticodon interactions at the A site. During formation of the closed conformation, the protein interface between rpS4 and rpS5 is broken while new contacts form with rpS12. Mutations in rpS12 confer streptomycin resistance or dependence and show a hyperaccurate phenotype. Mutations reversing streptomycin dependence affect rpS4 and rpS5. The canonical rpS4 and rpS5 streptomycin independent mutations increase translational errors and were called ribosomal ambiguity mutations (ram). The mutations in these proteins are proposed to affect formation of the closed complex by breaking the rpS4-rpS5 interface, which reduces the cost of domain closure and thus increases translational errors. We used a yeast two-hybrid system to study the interactions between the small subunit ribosomal proteins rpS4 and rpS5 and to test the effect of ram mutations on the stability of the interface. We found no correlation between ram phenotype and disruption of the interface.     

In Vitro Evolution Reveals Noncationic Protein–RNA Interaction Mediated by Metal Ions

RNA–peptide/protein interactions have been of utmost importance to life since its earliest forms, reaching even before the last universal common ancestor (LUCA). However, the ancient molecular mechanisms behind this key biological interaction remain enigmatic because extant RNA–protein interactions rely heavily on positively charged and aromatic amino acids that were absent (or heavily under-represented) in the early pre-LUCA evolutionary period. Here, an RNA-binding variant of the ribosomal uL11 C-terminal domain was selected from an approximately 10¹⁰ library of partially randomized sequences, all composed of ten prebiotically plausible canonical amino acids. The selected variant binds to the cognate RNA with a similar overall affinity although it is less structured in the unbound form than the wild-type protein domain. The variant complex association and dissociation are both slower than for the wild-type, implying different mechanistic processes involved. The profile of the wild-type and mutant complex stabilities along with molecular dynamics simulations uncovers qualitative differences in the interaction modes. In the absence of positively charged and aromatic residues, the mutant uL11 domain uses ion bridging (K⁺/Mg²⁺) interactions between the RNA sugar-phosphate backbone and glutamic acid residues as an alternative source of stabilization. This study presents experimental support to provide a new perspective on how early protein–RNA interactions evolved, where the lack of aromatic/basic residues may have been compensated by acidic residues plus metal ions.     

A single C. elegans PUF protein binds RNA in multiple modes

PUF proteins specifically bind mRNAs to regulate their stability and translation. Here we focus on the RNA-binding specificity of a C. elegans PUF protein, PUF-11. Our findings reveal that PUF-11 binds RNA in multiple modes, in which the protein can accommodate variable spacings between two distinct recognition elements. We propose a structural model in which flexibility in the central region of the protein enables the protein to adopt at least two distinct structures, one of which results in base flipping.     

The linear form of a group II intron catalyzes efficient autocatalytic reverse splicing, establishing a potential for mobility

Self-splicing group II introns catalyze their own excision from pre-RNAs, thereby joining the flanking exons. The introns can be released in a lariat or linear form. Lariat introns have been shown to reverse the splicing reaction; in contrast, linear introns are generally believed to perform no or only poor reverse splicing. Here, we show that a linear group II intron derived from ai5γ can reverse the second step of splicing with unexpectedly high efficiency and precision. Moreover, the linear intron generates dramatically more reverse-splicing product than its lariat equivalent. The finding that linear group II introns can readily undergo the critical first step of mobility by catalyzing efficient reverse splicing into complementary target molecules demonstrates their innate potential for mobility and transposition and raises the possibility that reverse splicing by linear group II introns may have played a significant role in certain forms of intron mobility and lateral gene transfer during evolution.     

New and old roles of the double-stranded RNA-binding domain

RNA-binding proteins can strongly regulate and influence the cellular function and fate of an RNA molecule. Of the many described nucleic acid-binding domains, the double-stranded RNA-binding domain (dsRBD) is a highly specialized example found in a wide variety of proteins with diverse cellular functions. Mostly present in multiple copies and highly homologous to one another, the individual functional specificity of dsRBDs is now becoming apparent. Here we review recent evidence showing that single dsRBDs within individual proteins are capable of distinct in vivo functions. Not only does this enable dsRBD-containing proteins to increase their functional diversity but it also reveals novel and unexpected roles that dsRBDs can perform.     

Tombusvirus recruitment of host translational machinery via the 3′ UTR

RNA viruses recruit the host translational machinery by different mechanisms that depend partly on the structure of their genomes. In this regard, the plus-strand RNA genomes of several different pathogenic plant viruses do not contain traditional translation-stimulating elements, i.e., a 5′-cap structure and a 3′-poly(A) tail, and instead rely on a 3′-cap-independent translational enhancer (3′CITE) located in their 3′ untranslated regions (UTRs) for efficient synthesis of viral proteins. We investigated the structure and function of the I-shaped class of 3′CITE in tombusviruses—also present in aureusviruses and carmoviruses—using biochemical and molecular approaches and we determined that it adopts a complex higher-order RNA structure that facilitates translation by binding simultaneously to both eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 4F and the 5′ UTR of the viral genome. The specificity of 3′CITE binding to eIF4F is mediated, at least in part, through a direct interaction with its eIF4E subunit, whereas its association with the viral 5′ UTR relies on complementary RNA–RNA base-pairing. We show for the first time that this tripartite 5′ UTR/3′CITE/eIF4F complex forms in vitro in a translationally relevant environment and is required for recruitment of ribosomes to the 5′ end of the viral RNA genome by a mechanism that shares some fundamental features with cap-dependent translation. Notably, our results demonstrate that the 3′CITE facilitates the initiation step of translation and validate a molecular model that has been proposed to explain how several different classes of 3′CITE function. Moreover, the virus–host interplay defined in this study provides insights into natural host resistance mechanisms that have been linked to 3′CITE activity.     

A versatile assay for RNA-binding proteins in living cells

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) control RNA fate from synthesis to decay. Since their cellular expression levels frequently do not reflect their in vivo activity, methods are needed to assess the steady state RNA-binding activity of RBPs as well as their responses to stimuli. While electrophoresis mobility shift assays (EMSA) have been used for such determinations, their results serve at best as proxies for the RBP activities in living cells. Here, we describe a quantitative dual fluorescence method to analyze protein–mRNA interactions in vivo. Known or candidate RBPs are fused to fluorescent proteins (eGFP, YFP), expressed in cells, cross-linked in vivo to RNA by ultraviolet light irradiation, and immunoprecipitated, after lysis, with a single chain antibody fragment directed against eGFP (GFP-binding protein, GBP). Polyadenylated RNA-binding activity of fusion proteins is assessed by hybridization with an oligo(DT) probe coupled with a red fluorophore. Since UV light is directly applied to living cells, the assay can be used to monitor dynamic changes in RNA-binding activities in response to biological or pharmacological stimuli. Notably, immunoprecipitation and hybridization can also be performed with commercially available GBP-coupled 96-well plates (GFP-multiTrap), allowing highly parallel RNA-binding measurements in a single experiment. Therefore, this method creates the possibility to conduct in vivo high-throughput RNA-binding assays. We believe that this fast and simple radioactivity-free method will find many useful applications in RNA biology.     

The recruitment of chromatin modifiers by long noncoding RNAs: lessons from PRC2

Polycomb repressive complex-2 (PRC2) is a histone methyltransferase required for epigenetic silencing during development and cancer. Among chromatin modifying factors shown to be recruited and regulated by long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), PRC2 is one of the most studied. Mammalian PRC2 binds thousands of RNAs in vivo, and it is becoming a model system for the recruitment of chromatin modifying factors by RNA. Yet, well-defined PRC2-binding motifs within target RNAs have been elusive. From the protein side, PRC2 RNA-binding subunits contain no known RNA-binding domains, complicating functional studies. Here we provide a critical review of existing models for the recruitment of PRC2 to chromatin by RNAs. This discussion may also serve researchers who are studying the recruitment of other chromatin modifiers by lncRNAs.     

Exon‐independent recruitment of SRSF1 is mediated by U1 snRNP stem‐loop 3

SRSF1 protein and U1 snRNPs are closely connected splicing factors. They both stimulate exon inclusion, SRSF1 by binding to exonic splicing enhancer sequences (ESEs) and U1 snRNPs by binding to the downstream 5′ splice site (SS), and both factors affect 5′ SS selection. The binding of U1 snRNPs initiates spliceosome assembly, but SR proteins such as SRSF1 can in some cases substitute for it. The mechanistic basis of this relationship is poorly understood. We show here by single‐molecule methods that a single molecule of SRSF1 can be recruited by a U1 snRNP. This reaction is independent of exon sequences and separate from the U1‐independent process of binding to an ESE. Structural analysis and cross‐linking data show that SRSF1 contacts U1 snRNA stem‐loop 3, which is required for splicing. We suggest that the recruitment of SRSF1 to a U1 snRNP at a 5′SS is the basis for exon definition by U1 snRNP and might be one of the principal functions of U1 snRNPs in the core reactions of splicing in mammals.