The Importance of Being RNA-est: considering RNA-mediated ribosome plasticity.

For over 40 years, ribosomes were considered monolithic machines that translate the genetic code indiscriminately. However, over the past two decades, there have been a growing number of studies that suggest ribosomes to have a degree of compositional and functional adaptability in response to tissue type, cell environment and stimuli, cell cycle or development state. In such form, ribosomes themselves take an active part in translation regulation through an intrinsic adaptability provided by evolution, which furnished ribosomes with a dynamic plasticity that confers another layer of gene expression regulation. Yet despite the identification of various sources that give rise to ribosomal heterogeneity both at the protein and RNA level, its functional relevance is still debated, and many questions remain. Here, we will review aspects, including evolutionary ones, of ribosome heterogeneity emerging at the nucleic acid level, and aim to reframe ribosome 'heterogeneity' as an adaptive and dynamic process of plasticity.The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.

Insights into synthesis and function of KsgA/Dim1-dependent rRNA modifications in archaea.

Ribosomes are intricate molecular machines ensuring proper protein synthesis in every cell. Ribosome biogenesis is a complex process which has been intensively analyzed in bacteria and eukaryotes. In contrast, our understanding of the in vivo archaeal ribosome biogenesis pathway remains less characterized. Here, we have analyzed the in vivo role of the almost universally conserved ribosomal RNA dimethyltransferase KsgA/Dim1 homolog in archaea. Our study reveals that KsgA/Dim1-dependent 16S rRNA dimethylation is dispensable for the cellular growth of phylogenetically distant archaea. However, proteomics and functional analyses suggest that archaeal KsgA/Dim1 and its rRNA modification activity (i) influence the expression of a subset of proteins and (ii) contribute to archaeal cellular fitness and adaptation. In addition, our study reveals an unexpected KsgA/Dim1-dependent variability of rRNA modifications within the archaeal phylum. Combining structure-based functional studies across evolutionary divergent organisms, we provide evidence on how rRNA structure sequence variability (re-)shapes the KsgA/Dim1-dependent rRNA modification status. Finally, our results suggest an uncoupling between the KsgA/Dim1-dependent rRNA modification completion and its release from the nascent small ribosomal subunit. Collectively, our study provides additional understandings into principles of molecular functional adaptation, and further evolutionary and mechanistic insights into an almost universally conserved step of ribosome synthesis.

Altered rRNA processing disrupts nuclear RNA homeostasis via competition for the poly(A)-binding protein Nab2.

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are key mediators of RNA metabolism. Whereas some RBPs exhibit narrow transcript specificity, others function broadly across both coding and non-coding RNAs. Here, in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we demonstrate that changes in RBP availability caused by disruptions to distinct cellular processes promote a common global breakdown in RNA metabolism and nuclear RNA homeostasis. Our data shows that stabilization of aberrant ribosomal RNA (rRNA) precursors in an enp1-1 mutant causes phenotypes similar to RNA exosome mutants due to nucleolar sequestration of the poly(A)-binding protein (PABP) Nab2. Decreased nuclear PABP availability is accompanied by genome-wide changes in RNA metabolism, including increased pervasive transcripts levels and snoRNA processing defects. These phenotypes are mitigated by overexpression of PABPs, inhibition of rDNA transcription, or alterations in TRAMP activity. Our results highlight the need for cells to maintain poly(A)-RNA levels in balance with PABPs and other RBPs with mutable substrate specificity across nucleoplasmic and nucleolar RNA processes.

Structural studies of the eIF4E-VPg complex reveal a direct competition for capped RNA: Implications for translation.

Viruses have transformed our understanding of mammalian RNA processing, including facilitating the discovery of the methyl-7-guanosine (m7G) cap on the 5' end of RNAs. The m7G cap is required for RNAs to bind the eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF4E and associate with the translation machinery across plant and animal kingdoms. The potyvirus-derived viral genome-linked protein (VPg) is covalently bound to the 5' end of viral genomic RNA (gRNA) and associates with host eIF4E for successful infection. Divergent models to explain these observations proposed either an unknown mode of eIF4E engagement or a competition of VPg for the m7G cap-binding site. To dissect these possibilities, we resolved the structure of VPg, revealing a previously unknown 3-dimensional (3D) fold, and characterized the VPg-eIF4E complex using NMR and biophysical techniques. VPg directly bound the cap-binding site of eIF4E and competed for m7G cap analog binding. In human cells, VPg inhibited eIF4E-dependent RNA export, translation, and oncogenic transformation. Moreover, VPg formed trimeric complexes with eIF4E-eIF4G, eIF4E bound VPg-luciferase RNA conjugates, and these VPg-RNA conjugates were templates for translation. Informatic analyses revealed structural similarities between VPg and the human kinesin EG5. Consistently, EG5 directly bound eIF4E in a similar manner to VPg, demonstrating that this form of engagement is relevant beyond potyviruses. In all, we revealed an unprecedented modality for control and engagement of eIF4E and show that VPg-RNA conjugates functionally engage eIF4E. As such, potyvirus VPg provides a unique model system to interrogate eIF4E.

DDX54 regulates transcriptome dynamics during DNA damage response.

The cellular response to genotoxic stress is mediated by a well-characterized network of DNA surveillance pathways. The contribution of post-transcriptional gene regulatory networks to the DNA damage response (DDR) has not been extensively studied. Here, we systematically identified RNA-binding proteins differentially interacting with polyadenylated transcripts upon exposure of human breast carcinoma cells to ionizing radiation (IR). Interestingly, more than 260 proteins, including many nucleolar proteins, showed increased binding to poly(A)+ RNA in IR-exposed cells. The functional analysis of DDX54, a candidate genotoxic stress responsive RNA helicase, revealed that this protein is an immediate-to-early DDR regulator required for the splicing efficacy of its target IR-induced pre-mRNAs. Upon IR exposure, DDX54 acts by increased interaction with a well-defined class of pre-mRNAs that harbor introns with weak acceptor splice sites, as well as by protein-protein contacts within components of U2 snRNP and spliceosomal B complex, resulting in lower intron retention and higher processing rates of its target transcripts. Because DDX54 promotes survival after exposure to IR, its expression and/or mutation rate may impact DDR-related pathologies. Our work indicates the relevance of many uncharacterized RBPs potentially involved in the DDR.

Nol12 is a multifunctional RNA binding protein at the nexus of RNA and DNA metabolism.

To counteract the breakdown of genome integrity, eukaryotic cells have developed a network of surveillance pathways to prevent and resolve DNA damage. Recent data has recognized the importance of RNA binding proteins (RBPs) in DNA damage repair (DDR) pathways. Here, we describe Nol12 as a multifunctional RBP with roles in RNA metabolism and genome maintenance. Nol12 is found in different subcellular compartments-nucleoli, where it associates with ribosomal RNA and is required for efficient separation of large and small subunit precursors at site 2; the nucleoplasm, where it co-localizes with the RNA/DNA helicase Dhx9 and paraspeckles; as well as GW/P-bodies in the cytoplasm. Loss of Nol12 results in the inability of cells to recover from DNA stress and a rapid p53-independent ATR-Chk1-mediated apoptotic response. Nol12 co-localizes with DNA repair proteins in vivo including Dhx9, as well as with TOPBP1 at sites of replication stalls, suggesting a role for Nol12 in the resolution of DNA stress and maintenance of genome integrity. Identification of a complex Nol12 interactome, which includes NONO, Dhx9, DNA-PK and Stau1, further supports the protein's diverse functions in RNA metabolism and DNA maintenance, establishing Nol12 as a multifunctional RBP essential for genome integrity.

Targeted cross-linking-mass spectrometry determines vicinal interactomes within heterogeneous RNP complexes.

Proteomic and RNomic approaches have identified many components of different ribonucleoprotein particles (RNPs), yet still little is known about the organization and protein proximities within these heterogeneous and highly dynamic complexes. Here we describe a targeted cross-linking approach, which combines cross-linking from a known anchor site with affinity purification and mass spectrometry (MS) to identify the changing vicinity interactomes along RNP maturation pathways. Our method confines the reaction radius of a heterobifunctional cross-linker to a specific interaction surface, increasing the probability to capture low abundance conformations and transient vicinal interactors too infrequent for identification by traditional cross-linking-MS approaches, and determine protein proximities within RNPs. Applying the method to two conserved RNA-associated complexes in Saccharomyces cerevisae, the mRNA export receptor Mex67:Mtr2 and the pre-ribosomal Nop7 subcomplex, we identified dynamic vicinal interactomes within those complexes and along their changing pathway milieu. Our results therefore show that this method provides a new tool to study the changing spatial organization of heterogeneous dynamic RNP complexes.

Adaptive partitioning of a gene locus to the nuclear envelope in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is driven by polymer-polymer phase separation.

Partitioning of active gene loci to the nuclear envelope (NE) is a mechanism by which organisms increase the speed of adaptation and metabolic robustness to fluctuating resources in the environment. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, adaptation to nutrient depletion or other stresses, manifests as relocalization of active gene loci from nucleoplasm to the NE, resulting in more efficient transport and translation of mRNA. The mechanism by which this partitioning occurs remains a mystery. Here, we demonstrate that the yeast inositol depletion-responsive gene locus INO1 partitions to the nuclear envelope, driven by local histone acetylation-induced polymer-polymer phase separation from the nucleoplasmic phase. This demixing is consistent with recent evidence for chromatin phase separation by acetylation-mediated dissolution of multivalent histone association and fits a physical model where increased bending stiffness of acetylated chromatin polymer causes its phase separation from de-acetylated chromatin. Increased chromatin spring stiffness could explain nucleation of transcriptional machinery at active gene loci.

Effects of dyskeratosis congenita mutations in dyskerin, NHP2 and NOP10 on assembly of H/ACA pre-RNPs.

Dyskeratosis congenita (DC) is a rare genetic syndrome that gives rise to a variety of disorders in affected individuals. Remarkably, all causative gene mutations identified to date share a link to telomere/telomerase biology. We found that the most prevalent dyskerin mutation in DC (A353V) did not affect formation of the NAF1-dyskerin-NOP10-NHP2 tetramer that normally assembles with nascent H/ACA RNAs in vivo. However, the A353V mutation slightly reduced pre-RNP assembly with the H/ACA-like domain of human telomerase RNA (hTR). In contrast, NHP2 mutations V126M and Y139H impaired association with NOP10, leading to major pre-RNP assembly defects with all H/ACA RNAs tested, including the H/ACA domain of hTR. Mutation R34W in NOP10 caused no apparent defect in protein tetramer formation, but it severely affected pre-RNP assembly with the H/ACA domain of hTR and a subset of H/ACA RNAs. Surprisingly, H/ACA sno/scaRNAs that encode miRNAs were not affected by the mutation R34W, and they were able to form pre-RNPs with NOP10-R34W. This indicates structural differences between H/ACA RNPs that encode miRNAs and those that do not. Altogether, our results suggest that, in addition to major defects in the telomere/telomerase pathways, some of the disorders occurring in DC may be caused by alteration of most H/ACA RNPs, or by only a subset of them.

Targeted Cross-Linking Mass Spectrometry on Single-Step Affinity Purified Molecular Complexes in the Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Protein cross-linking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) has been developed into a powerful and robust tool that is now well implemented and routinely used by an increasing number of laboratories. While bulk cross-linking of complexes provides useful information on whole complexes, it is limiting for the probing of specific protein "neighbourhoods," or vicinity interactomes. For example, it is not unusual to find cross-linked peptide pairs that are disproportionately overrepresented compared to the surface areas of complexes, while very few or no cross-links are identified in other regions. When studying dynamic complexes along their pathways, some vicinity cross-links may be of too low abundance in the pool of heterogenous complexes of interest to be efficiently identified by standard XL-MS. In this chapter, we describe a targeted XL-MS approach from single-step affinity purified (ssAP) complexes that enables the investigation of specific protein "neighbourhoods" within molecular complexes in yeast, using a small cross-linker anchoring tag, the CH-tag. One advantage of this method over a general cross-linking strategy is the possibility to significantly enrich for localized anchored-cross-links within complexes, thus yielding a higher sensitivity to detect highly dynamic or low abundance protein interactions within a specific protein "neighbourhood" occurring along the pathway of a selected bait protein. Moreover, many variations of the method can be employed; the ssAP-tag and the CH-tag can either be fused to the same or different proteins in the complex, or the CH-tag can be fused to multiple protein components in the same cell line to explore dynamic vicinity interactions along a pathway.

Single-Step Affinity Purification (ssAP) and Mass Spectrometry of Macromolecular Complexes in the Yeast S. cerevisiae.

Cellular functions are mostly defined by the dynamic interactions of proteins within macromolecular networks. Deciphering the composition of macromolecular complexes and their dynamic rearrangements is the key to get a comprehensive picture of cellular behavior and to understand biological systems. In the past two decades, affinity purification coupled to mass spectrometry has become a powerful tool to comprehensively study interaction networks and their assemblies. To overcome initial limitations of the approach, in particular, the effect of protein and RNA degradation, loss of transient interactors, and poor overall yield of intact complexes from cell lysates, various modifications to affinity purification protocols have been devised over the years. In this chapter, we describe a rapid single-step affinity purification method for the efficient isolation of dynamic macromolecular complexes. The technique employs cell lysis by cryo-milling, which ensures nondegraded starting material in the submicron range, and magnetic beads, which allow for dense antibody-conjugation and thus rapid complex isolation, while avoiding loss of transient interactions. The method is epitope tag-independent, and overcomes many of the previous limitations to produce large interactomes with almost no contamination. The protocol as described here has been optimized for the yeast S. cerevisiae.

Identification and Characterization of the Interaction Between the Methyl-7-Guanosine Cap Maturation Enzyme RNMT and the Cap-Binding Protein eIF4E.

The control of RNA metabolism is an important aspect of molecular biology with wide-ranging impacts on cells. Central to processing of coding RNAs is the addition of the methyl-7 guanosine (m7G) "cap" on their 5' end. The eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF4E directly binds the m7G cap and through this interaction plays key roles in many steps of RNA metabolism including nuclear RNA export and translation. eIF4E also stimulates capping of many transcripts through its ability to drive the production of the enzyme RNMT which methylates the G-cap to form the mature m7G cap. Here, we found that eIF4E also physically associated with RNMT in human cells. Moreover, eIF4E directly interacted with RNMT in vitro. eIF4E is only the second protein reported to directly bind the methyltransferase domain of RNMT, the first being its co-factor RAM. We combined high-resolution NMR methods with biochemical studies to define the binding interfaces for the RNMT-eIF4E complex. Further, we found that eIF4E competes for RAM binding to RNMT and conversely, RNMT competes for binding of well-established eIF4E-binding partners such as the 4E-BPs. RNMT uses novel structural means to engage eIF4E. Finally, we observed that m7G cap-eIF4E-RNMT trimeric complexes form, and thus RNMT-eIF4E complexes may be employed so that eIF4E captures newly capped RNA. In all, we show for the first time that the cap-binding protein eIF4E directly binds to the cap-maturation enzyme RNMT.

Dyskeratosis congenita mutations in the H/ACA domain of human telomerase RNA affect its assembly into a pre-RNP.

Dyskeratosis congenita (DC) is an inherited disorder that implicates defects in the biology of telomeres, which are maintained by telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein with reverse transcriptase activity. Like all H/ACA RNAs, the H/ACA domain of nascent human telomerase RNA (hTR) forms a pre-RNP with H/ACA proteins NAF1, dyskerin, NOP10, and NHP2 in vivo. To assess the pre-RNP assembly of hTR mutants that poorly accumulate in vivo, we developed an in vitro system that uses components of human origin. Pre-RNPs were reconstituted with synthetic (32)P-labeled RNAs and (35)S-labeled proteins produced in rabbit reticulocyte lysate, and immunoprecipitations were carried out to analyze RNP formation. We show that human NAF1 cannot bind directly to the H/ACA domain of hTR, and requires the core trimer dyskerin-NOP10-NHP2 to be efficiently incorporated into the pre-RNP. This order of assembly seems common to H/ACA RNAs since it was observed with snoRNA ACA36 and scaRNA U92, which are predicted to guide pseudouridylation of 18S rRNA and U2 snRNA, respectively. However, the processing H/ACA snoRNA U17 did not conform to this rule, as NAF1 alone was able to bind it. We also provide the first evidence that DC-related mutations of hTR C408G and Delta378-451 severely impair pre-RNP assembly. Integrity of boxes H and ACA of hTR are also crucial for pre-RNP assembly, while the CAB box is dispensable. Our results offer new insights into the defects caused by some mutations located in the H/ACA domain of hTR.

GFI1 tethers the NuRD complex to open and transcriptionally active chromatin in myeloid progenitors.

Growth factor indepdendent 1 (GFI1) is a SNAG-domain, DNA binding transcriptional repressor which controls myeloid differentiation through molecular mechanisms and co-factors that still remain to be clearly identified. Here we show that GFI1 associates with the chromodomain helicase DNA binding protein 4 (CHD4) and other components of the Nucleosome remodeling and deacetylase (NuRD) complex. In granulo-monocytic precursors, GFI1, CHD4 or GFI1/CHD4 complexes occupy sites enriched for histone marks associated with active transcription suggesting that GFI1 recruits the NuRD complex to target genes regulated by active or bivalent promoters and enhancers. GFI1 and GFI1/CHD4 complexes occupy promoters that are either enriched for IRF1 or SPI1 consensus binding sites, respectively. During neutrophil differentiation, chromatin closure and depletion of H3K4me2 occurs at different degrees depending on whether GFI1, CHD4 or both are present, indicating that GFI1 is more efficient in depleting of H3K4me2 and -me1 marks when associated with CHD4. Our data suggest that GFI1/CHD4 complexes regulate histone modifications differentially to enable regulation of target genes affecting immune response, nucleosome organization or cellular metabolic processes and that both the target gene specificity and the activity of GFI1 during myeloid differentiation depends on the presence of chromatin remodeling complexes.

Senescence-associated ribosome biogenesis defects contributes to cell cycle arrest through the Rb pathway.

Cellular senescence is a tumour suppressor programme characterized by a stable cell cycle arrest. Here we report that cellular senescence triggered by a variety of stimuli leads to diminished ribosome biogenesis and the accumulation of both rRNA precursors and ribosomal proteins. These defects were associated with reduced expression of several ribosome biogenesis factors, the knockdown of which was also sufficient to induce senescence. Genetic analysis revealed that Rb but not p53 was required for the senescence response to altered ribosome biogenesis. Mechanistically, the ribosomal protein S14 (RPS14 or uS11) accumulates in the soluble non-ribosomal fraction of senescent cells, where it binds and inhibits CDK4 (cyclin-dependent kinase 4). Overexpression of RPS14 is sufficient to inhibit Rb phosphorylation, inducing cell cycle arrest and senescence. Here we describe a mechanism for maintaining the senescent cell cycle arrest that may be relevant for cancer therapy, as well as biomarkers to identify senescent cells.

High-throughput RNA structure probing reveals critical folding events during early 60S ribosome assembly in yeast.

While the protein composition of various yeast 60S ribosomal subunit assembly intermediates has been studied in detail, little is known about ribosomal RNA (rRNA) structural rearrangements that take place during early 60S assembly steps. Using a high-throughput RNA structure probing method, we provide nucleotide resolution insights into rRNA structural rearrangements during nucleolar 60S assembly. Our results suggest that many rRNA-folding steps, such as folding of 5.8S rRNA, occur at a very specific stage of assembly, and propose that downstream nuclear assembly events can only continue once 5.8S folding has been completed. Our maps of nucleotide flexibility enable making predictions about the establishment of protein-rRNA interactions, providing intriguing insights into the temporal order of protein-rRNA as well as long-range inter-domain rRNA interactions. These data argue that many distant domains in the rRNA can assemble simultaneously during early 60S assembly and underscore the enormous complexity of 60S synthesis.Ribosome biogenesis is a dynamic process that involves the ordered assembly of ribosomal proteins and numerous RNA structural rearrangements. Here the authors apply ChemModSeq, a high-throughput RNA structure probing method, to quantitatively measure changes in RNA flexibility during the nucleolar stages of 60S assembly in yeast.

Single-Step Affinity Purification (ssAP) and Mass Spectrometry of Macromolecular Complexes in the Yeast S. cerevisiae.

Cellular functions are mostly defined by the dynamic interactions of proteins within macromolecular networks. Deciphering the composition of macromolecular complexes and their dynamic rearrangements is the key to getting a comprehensive picture of cellular behavior and to understanding biological systems. In the last decade, affinity purification coupled to mass spectrometry has emerged as a powerful tool to comprehensively study interaction networks and their assemblies. However, the study of these interactomes has been hampered by severe methodological limitations. In particular, the affinity purification of intact complexes from cell lysates suffers from protein and RNA degradation, loss of transient interactors, and poor overall yields. In this chapter, we describe a rapid single-step affinity purification method for the efficient isolation of dynamic macromolecular complexes. The technique employs cell lysis by cryo-milling, which ensures nondegraded starting material in the submicron range, and magnetic beads, which allow for dense antibody-conjugation and thus rapid complex isolation, while avoiding loss of transient interactions. The method is epitope tag-independent, and overcomes many of the previous limitations to produce large interactomes with almost no contamination. The protocol described here has been optimized for the yeast S. cerevisiae.

DEAD-box RNA helicase Dbp4 is required for small-subunit processome formation and function.

DEAD-box RNA helicase Dbp4 is required for 18S rRNA synthesis: cellular depletion of Dbp4 impairs the early cleavage reactions of the pre-rRNA and causes U14 small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA) to remain associated with pre-rRNA. Immunoprecipitation experiments (IPs) carried out with whole-cell extracts (WCEs) revealed that hemagglutinin (HA)-tagged Dbp4 is associated with U3 snoRNA but not with U14 snoRNA. IPs with WCEs also showed association with the U3-specific protein Mpp10, which suggests that Dbp4 interacts with the functionally active U3 RNP; this particle, called the small-subunit (SSU) processome, can be observed at the 5' end of nascent pre-rRNA. Electron microscopy analyses indicated that depletion of Dbp4 compromised SSU processome formation and cotranscriptional cleavage of the pre-rRNA. Sucrose density gradient analyses revealed that depletion of U3 snoRNA or the Mpp10 protein inhibited the release of U14 snoRNA from pre-rRNA, just as was seen with Dbp4-depleted cells, indicating that alteration of SSU processome components has significant consequences for U14 snoRNA dynamics. We also found that the C-terminal extension flanking the catalytic core of Dbp4 plays an important role in the release of U14 snoRNA from pre-rRNA.