Post-transcriptional regulation of Ribosome Biogenesis in Larp1-deficient cells
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ABSTRACT: Ribosome biogenesis is a critical aspect of cell differentiation. Ribosome synthesis has been previously reported to be regulated at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Poly(A) tail-length processing is a hallmark of post-transcriptional regulation associated with different steps of transcript metabolism. Here we monitor the contribution of the RNA-binding protein Larp1 in shaping the poly(A) tail profile of undifferentiated P19 cells. We found that Larp1 prevents the widespread shortening of poly(A) tails below 30 nucleotides and confers additional protection to transcripts containing a 5' terminal oligopyrimidine (TOP) motif, such as those encoding for ribosomal proteins.
Project description:Ribosome biogenesis is a critical aspect of cell differentiation. Ribosome synthesis has been previously reported to be regulated at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. Poly(A) tail-length processing is a hallmark of post-transcriptional regulation associated with different steps of transcript metabolism. Here we monitor the contribution of mTOR pathway activation upon treatment with the agonist MHY1485 in shaping the poly(A) tail profile of undifferentiated P19 cells. We found that transcripts with a 5' terminal oligopyrimidine (TOP) motif, including those encoding for ribosomal proteins, specifically accumulate with poly(A) tails ~60 nucleotides long upon mTOR activation.
Project description:Translation of TOP mRNAs encoding protein synthesis machinery is strictly regulated by an amino acid sensing mTOR pathway. However, its regulatory mechanism remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that TOP mRNA translation positively correlates with its poly(A) tail length under mTOR active/amino acid-rich condition, suggesting that TOP mRNAs are post-transcriptionally controlled by poly(A) tail length regulation. Consistent with this, tail length of TOP mRNAs dynamically fluctuates in response to amino acid availability. Poly(A) tail shortens under mTOR active/ amino acid-rich condition, whereas the long-tailed TOP mRNAs accumulate under mTOR inactive/amino acid-starved (AAS) condition. An RNA-binding protein LARP1 that specifically binds to TOP mRNAs is indispensable for the process. We also show that LARP1 interacts with non-canonical poly(A) polymerases, PAPD4, PAPD5 and PAPD7 and induces post-transcriptional polyadenylation of the target when tethered to the mRNA. Our findings illustrate that LARP1 contributes to the selective accumulation of TOP mRNAs with long poly(A) tail under AAS, resulting in accelerated ribosomal loading onto TOP mRNAs for the resumption of translation after AAS.
Project description:Translation of TOP mRNAs encoding protein synthesis machinery is strictly regulated by an amino acid sensing mTOR pathway. However, its regulatory mechanism remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that TOP mRNA translation positively correlates with its poly(A) tail length under mTOR active/amino acid-rich condition, suggesting that TOP mRNAs are post-transcriptionally controlled by poly(A) tail length regulation. Consistent with this, tail length of TOP mRNAs dynamically fluctuates in response to amino acid availability. Poly(A) tail shortens under mTOR active/ amino acid-rich condition, whereas the long-tailed TOP mRNAs accumulate under mTOR inactive/amino acid-starved (AAS) condition. An RNA-binding protein LARP1 that specifically binds to TOP mRNAs is indispensable for the process. We also show that LARP1 interacts with non-canonical poly(A) polymerases, PAPD4, PAPD5 and PAPD7 and induces post-transcriptional polyadenylation of the target when tethered to the mRNA. Our findings illustrate that LARP1 contributes to the selective accumulation of TOP mRNAs with long poly(A) tail under AAS, resulting in accelerated ribosomal loading onto TOP mRNAs for the resumption of translation after AAS.
Project description:Poly(A) tails are critical for mRNA stability and translation. However, recent studies have challenged this view, showing that poly(A) tail length and translation efficiency are decoupled in non-embryonic cells. Using TAIL-seq and ribosome profiling, we investigate poly(A) tail dynamics and translational control in the somatic cell cycle. We find dramatic changes in poly(A) tail lengths of cell cycle regulatory genes like CDK1, TOP2A, and FBXO5, explaining their translational repression in M phase. We also find that poly(A) tail length is coupled to translation when the poly(A) tail is <20 nucleotides. However, as most genes have >20 nucleotide poly(A) tails, their translation is regulated mainly via poly(A) tail length-independent mechanisms during the cell cycle. Specifically, we find that terminal oligopyrimidine (TOP) tract-containing transcripts escape global translational suppression in M phase and are actively translated. Our quantitative and comprehensive data provide a revised view of translational control in the somatic cell cycle. HeLa cells were synchronized at S or M phase, and subject to RNA-seq, ribosome profiling and TAIL-seq analysis.
Project description:Ribosome biogenesis is a critical component of cell differentiation. Ribosome synthesis has been previously reported to be highly regulated at the transcriptional level, but less is known about its post-transcriptional regulation. Poly(A) tail length regulation is a hallmark of post-transcriptional regulation associated with transcript stability. Here we monitor poly(A) tail length changes at a transcriptome level during P19 differentiation. We found that poly(A) tail shortening occurs during cell differentiation only for transcript encoding for ribosomal proteins. These findings suggest a strong post-transcriptional regulation of ribosome biogenesis during differentiation.
Project description:Terminal oligopyrimidine motif-containing (TOP) mRNAs encode all ribosomal proteins in mammals and are regulated to tune ribosome synthesis to cell state. Previous studies implicate LARP1 in 40S- or 80S-ribosome complexes that repress and stabilize TOP mRNAs. However, a mechanistic understanding of how LARP1 and TOP mRNAs interact with ribosomes to coordinate TOP mRNA outcomes is lacking. Here, we show that LARP1 senses the cellular supply of ribosomes by directly binding non-translating 80S ribosomes. Cryo-EM structures reveal a previously uncharacterized domain of LARP1 bound to and occluding the 40S mRNA channel and mutations at the LARP1-ribosome interface block formation of the 40S/80S-LARP1-TOP complexes. Free cytosolic ribosomes induce sequestration of TOP mRNAs in repressed 80S-LARP1-TOP complexes independent of alterations in mTOR signaling. Together, this work demonstrates a ribosome-sensing function of LARP1 that allows it to tune ribosome protein synthesis to the availability of free ribosomes.
Project description:Poly(A) tails are critical for mRNA stability and translation. However, recent studies have challenged this view, showing that poly(A) tail length and translation efficiency are decoupled in non-embryonic cells. Using TAIL-seq and ribosome profiling, we investigate poly(A) tail dynamics and translational control in the somatic cell cycle. We find dramatic changes in poly(A) tail lengths of cell cycle regulatory genes like CDK1, TOP2A, and FBXO5, explaining their translational repression in M phase. We also find that poly(A) tail length is coupled to translation when the poly(A) tail is <20 nucleotides. However, as most genes have >20 nucleotide poly(A) tails, their translation is regulated mainly via poly(A) tail length-independent mechanisms during the cell cycle. Specifically, we find that terminal oligopyrimidine (TOP) tract-containing transcripts escape global translational suppression in M phase and are actively translated. Our quantitative and comprehensive data provide a revised view of translational control in the somatic cell cycle.
Project description:La-related protein 1 (LARP1) has been identified as a key translational inhibitor of terminal oligopyrimidine tract (TOP) mRNAs downstream of the nutrient sensing protein kinase complex, mTORC1. LARP1 exerts this inhibitory effect on TOP mRNA translation by binding to the mRNA cap and the adjacent 5’TOP motif, resulting in the displacement of the eIF4E complex from TOP mRNAs. In the present study, we identify a second nutrient sensing kinase GCN2 that converges on LARP1 to control TOP mRNA translation. GCN2 inhibits TOP mRNA translation via ATF4-dependent transcriptional induction of LARP1 mRNAs and GCN1-mediated recruitment of LARP1 to stalled ribosomes. We performed ATF4 ChIP-seq experiments in both WT and GCN2 KO MEFs with or without leucine deprivation.