Project description:MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) negatively regulate their targets by 1) repressing translation, 2) endonucleolytic RNA cleavage, or 3) DNA methylation resulting in transcriptional silencing. P-body/decapping components are likely required for translational repression, but are not known to function in other posttranscriptional regulatory pathways or to affect smRNA levels. Here, we show that the P-body/decapping protein DCP5 is required for miRNA-mediated translational repression but not cleavage, and to regulate the transcription of specific miRNAs. We find that this protein also affects the abundance of tRNA-derived smRNAs. Significantly, DCP5 is required for the transcriptional silencing and DNA methylation of numerous transposable/repetitive elements and imprinted genes, indicating that it is a novel component of the RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway. Our results demonstrate that DCP5 and likely the P-body itself are required for multiple smRNA-mediated silencing pathways and provide the first evidence for the spatial separation of translational inhibition and cleavage by miRNAs. small RNA (smRNA) expression comparison between wildtype (Col-0) and dcp5 mutant plants in Arabidopsis
Project description:MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) negatively regulate their targets by 1) repressing translation, 2) endonucleolytic RNA cleavage, or 3) DNA methylation resulting in transcriptional silencing. P-body/decapping components are likely required for translational repression, but are not known to function in other posttranscriptional regulatory pathways or to affect smRNA levels. Here, we show that the P-body/decapping protein DCP5 is required for miRNA-mediated translational repression but not cleavage, and to regulate the transcription of specific miRNAs. We find that this protein also affects the abundance of tRNA-derived smRNAs. Significantly, DCP5 is required for the transcriptional silencing and DNA methylation of numerous transposable/repetitive elements and imprinted genes, indicating that it is a novel component of the RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway. Our results demonstrate that DCP5 and likely the P-body itself are required for multiple smRNA-mediated silencing pathways and provide the first evidence for the spatial separation of translational inhibition and cleavage by miRNAs. total RNA expression comparison with between wildtype (Col-0) and dcp5 mutant plants in Arabidopsis
Project description:MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) negatively regulate their targets by 1) repressing translation, 2) endonucleolytic RNA cleavage, or 3) DNA methylation resulting in transcriptional silencing. P-body/decapping components are likely required for translational repression, but are not known to function in other posttranscriptional regulatory pathways or to affect smRNA levels. Here, we show that the P-body/decapping protein DCP5 is required for miRNA-mediated translational repression but not cleavage, and to regulate the transcription of specific miRNAs. We find that this protein also affects the abundance of tRNA-derived smRNAs. Significantly, DCP5 is required for the transcriptional silencing and DNA methylation of numerous transposable/repetitive elements and imprinted genes, indicating that it is a novel component of the RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway. Our results demonstrate that DCP5 and likely the P-body itself are required for multiple smRNA-mediated silencing pathways and provide the first evidence for the spatial separation of translational inhibition and cleavage by miRNAs.
Project description:MicroRNAs (miRNAs) and small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) negatively regulate their targets by 1) repressing translation, 2) endonucleolytic RNA cleavage, or 3) DNA methylation resulting in transcriptional silencing. P-body/decapping components are likely required for translational repression, but are not known to function in other posttranscriptional regulatory pathways or to affect smRNA levels. Here, we show that the P-body/decapping protein DCP5 is required for miRNA-mediated translational repression but not cleavage, and to regulate the transcription of specific miRNAs. We find that this protein also affects the abundance of tRNA-derived smRNAs. Significantly, DCP5 is required for the transcriptional silencing and DNA methylation of numerous transposable/repetitive elements and imprinted genes, indicating that it is a novel component of the RNA-directed DNA methylation pathway. Our results demonstrate that DCP5 and likely the P-body itself are required for multiple smRNA-mediated silencing pathways and provide the first evidence for the spatial separation of translational inhibition and cleavage by miRNAs.
Project description:Arabidopsis DCP5, a homolog of human RNA-associated protein 55, is a nessary component of eukaryotic processing bodies (P-bodies). knockdown mutant of dcp5-1 showed compromised RNA decapping activity and reduced P-body size. Here we profiled Arabidopsis transcriptome of roots, shoots, and inflorensences in Col-0 and DCP5-1 mutant using strand-specific RNA-sequencing. Our analysis identified a large number of DCP5-regulatd transcripts in Arabidopsis.
Project description:Small RNAs regulate the genetic networks through a ribonucleoprotein complex called the RNA induced silencing complexes (RISC), which in mammals contains at its center one of four Argonaute proteins (Ago1-4). A key regulatory event in the RNAi and miRNA pathways is Ago loading, where double stranded small RNA duplexes are incorporated into RISC (pre-RISC) and then become single stranded (mature-RISC), a process that is not well understood. The Agos contain an evolutionary conserved PAZ (Piwi/Argonaute/Zwille) domain whose primary function is to bind the 3’-end of small RNAs. We created multiple Paz domain disrupted Ago mutant proteins and studied their biochemical properties and biological functionality in cells. We found that the Paz domain is dispensable for Ago loading of slicing-competent RISC. In contrast, in the absence of slicer activity or slicer substrate duplex RNAs, Paz-disrupted Agos bound duplex siRNAs but were unable to unwind/eject the passenger strand and form functional RISC complexes. We have discovered that the highly conserved Paz domain plays an important role in RISC activation, providing new mechanistic insights into how miRNAs regulate genes, as well as new insights for future design of miRNA and RNAi-based therapeutics. Various Argonautes associated small RNA profiles were generated by deep sequencing the Agos-IP samples in HEK293 Cells transfected with corresponding Argonaute.