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Structure-function studies of STAR family Quaking proteins bound to their in vivo RNA target sites.

ABSTRACT: Mammalian Quaking (QKI) and its Caenorhabditis elegans homolog, GLD-1 (defective in germ line development), are evolutionarily conserved RNA-binding proteins, which post-transcriptionally regulate target genes essential for developmental processes and myelination. We present X-ray structures of the STAR (signal transduction and activation of RNA) domain, composed of Qua1, K homology (KH), and Qua2 motifs of QKI and GLD-1 bound to high-affinity in vivo RNA targets containing YUAAY RNA recognition elements (RREs). The KH and Qua2 motifs of the STAR domain synergize to specifically interact with bases and sugar-phosphate backbones of the bound RRE. Qua1-mediated homodimerization generates a scaffold that enables concurrent recognition of two RREs, thereby plausibly targeting tandem RREs present in many QKI-targeted transcripts. Structure-guided mutations reduced QKI RNA-binding affinity in vitro and in vivo, and expression of QKI mutants in human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293) significantly decreased the abundance of QKI target mRNAs. Overall, our studies define principles underlying RNA target selection by STAR homodimers and provide insights into the post-transcriptional regulatory function of mammalian QKI proteins.

SUBMITTER: Teplova M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3650229 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Structure-function studies of STAR family Quaking proteins bound to their in vivo RNA target sites.

Teplova Marianna M Hafner Markus M Teplov Dmitri D Essig Katharina K Tuschl Thomas T Patel Dinshaw J DJ

Genes & development 20130401 8

Mammalian Quaking (QKI) and its Caenorhabditis elegans homolog, GLD-1 (defective in germ line development), are evolutionarily conserved RNA-binding proteins, which post-transcriptionally regulate target genes essential for developmental processes and myelination. We present X-ray structures of the STAR (signal transduction and activation of RNA) domain, composed of Qua1, K homology (KH), and Qua2 motifs of QKI and GLD-1 bound to high-affinity in vivo RNA targets containing YUAAY RNA recognition ...[more]

PMID: 23630077

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Project description:BACKGROUND:STAR/GSG proteins regulate gene expression in metazoans by binding consensus sites in the 5' or 3' UTRs of target mRNA transcripts. Owing to the high degree of homology across the STAR domain, most STAR proteins recognize similar RNA consensus sequences. Previously, the consensus for a number of well-characterized STAR proteins was defined as a hexameric sequence, referred to as the SBE, for STAR protein binding element. C. elegans GLD-1 and mouse Quaking (Qk-1) are two representative STAR proteins that bind similar consensus hexamers, which differ only in the preferred nucleotide identities at certain positions. Earlier reports also identified partial consensus elements located upstream or downstream of a canonical consensus hexamer in target RNAs, although the relative contribution of these sequences to the overall binding energy remains less well understood. Additionally, a recently identified STAR protein called STAR-2 from C. elegans is thought to bind target RNA consensus sites similar to that of GLD-1 and Qk-1. RESULTS:Here, a combination of fluorescence-polarization and gel mobility shift assays was used to demonstrate that STAR-2 binds to a similar RNA consensus as GLD-1 and Qk-1. These assays were also used to further delineate the contributions of each hexamer consensus nucleotide to high-affinity binding by GLD-1, Qk-1 and STAR-2 in a variety of RNA contexts. In addition, the effects of inserting additional full or partial consensus elements upstream or downstream of a canonical hexamer in target RNAs were also measured to better define the sequence elements and RNA architecture recognized by different STAR proteins. CONCLUSIONS:The results presented here indicate that a single hexameric consensus is sufficient for high-affinity RNA binding by STAR proteins, and that upstream or downstream partial consensus elements may alter binding affinities depending on the sequence and spacing. The general requirements determined for high-affinity RNA binding by STAR proteins will help facilitate the identification of novel regulatory targets in vivo.

Project description:UNLABELLED:Dengue virus is the most prevalent cause of arthropod-borne infection worldwide. Due to the limited coding capacity of the viral genome and the complexity of the viral life cycle, host cell proteins play essential roles throughout the course of viral infection. Host RNA-binding proteins mediate various aspects of virus replication through their physical interactions with viral RNA. Here we describe a technique designed to identify such interactions in the context of infected cells using UV cross-linking followed by antisense-mediated affinity purification and mass spectrometry. Using this approach, we identified interactions, several of them novel, between host proteins and dengue viral RNA in infected Huh7 cells. Most of these interactions were subsequently validated using RNA immunoprecipitation. Using small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated gene silencing, we showed that more than half of these host proteins are likely involved in regulating virus replication, demonstrating the utility of this method in identifying biologically relevant interactions that may not be identified using traditional in vitro approaches. IMPORTANCE:Dengue virus is the most prevalent cause of arthropod-borne infection worldwide. Viral RNA molecules physically interact with cellular RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) throughout the course of infection; the identification of such interactions will lead to the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of virus replication. Until now, the identification of host proteins bound to dengue viral RNA has been accomplished using in vitro strategies. Here, we used a method for the specific purification of dengue viral ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes from infected cells and subsequently identified the associated proteins by mass spectrometry. We then validated a functional role for the majority of these proteins in mediating efficient virus replication. This approach has broad relevance to virology and RNA biology, as it could theoretically be used to purify any viral RNP complex of interest.

Dataset Information

Structure-function studies of STAR family Quaking proteins bound to their in vivo RNA target sites.

Publications

Structure-function studies of STAR family Quaking proteins bound to their in vivo RNA target sites.

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