Identification of an RNase J ortholog in Sulfolobus solfataricus: implications for 5'-to-3' directional decay and 5'-end protection of mRNA in Crenarchaeota

In both Bacteria and Eukaryotes, degradation is known to start at the 5' and at the 3' extremities of mRNAs. Until the recent discovery of 5'-to-3' exoribonucleases in hyperthermophilic Euryarchaeota, the exosome was assumed to be the key enzyme in mRNA degradation in Archaea. By means of zymogram assays and bioinformatics, we have identified a 5'-to-3' exoribonuclease activity in the crenarchaeum Sulfolobus solfataricus (Sso), which is affected by the phosphorylation state of the 5'-end of the mRNA. The protein comprises typical signature motifs of the β-CASP family of metallo-β-lactamases and was termed Sso-RNAse J. Thus, our study provides the first evidence for a 5'-to-3' directional mRNA decay pathway in the crenarchaeal clade of Archaea. In Bacteria the 5'-end of mRNAs is often protected by a tri-phosphorylated 5'-terminus and/or by stem-loop structures, while in Eukaryotes the cap-binding complex is responsible for this task. Here, we show that binding of translation initiation factor a/eIF2(γ) to the 5'-end of mRNA counteracts the 5'-to-3' exoribonucleolytic activity of Sso-RNase J in vitro. Hence, 5'-to-3' directional decay and 5'-end protection appear to be conserved features of mRNA turnover in all kingdoms of life.