Drosophila suppressor of sable protein [Su(s)] promotes degradation of aberrant and transposon-derived RNAs
Journal
Molecular and Cellular Biology
Journal Volume
29
Journal Issue
20
Pages
5590 - 5603
Date Issued
2009
Author(s)
Brewer-Jensen, Paul
Bai, Wen-Li
Hunter, Cedric
Wilson, Carrie B.
Bass, Sarah
Abernethy, John
Wing, James S.
Searles, Lillie L.
Abstract
RNA-binding proteins act at various stages of gene expression to regulate and fine-tune patterns of mRNA accumulation. One protein in this class is Drosophila Su(s), a nuclear protein that has been previously shown to inhibit the accumulation of mutant transcripts by an unknown mechanism. Here, we have identified several additional RNAs that are downregulated by Su(s). These Su(s) targets include cryptic wild-type transcripts from the developmentally regulated Sgs4 and ng1 genes, noncoding RNAs derived from tandemly repeated alphabeta/alphagamma elements within an Hsp70 locus, and aberrant transcripts induced by Hsp70 promoter transgenes inserted at ectopic sites. We used the alphabeta RNAs to investigate the mechanism of Su(s) function and obtained evidence that these transcripts are degraded by the nuclear exosome and that Su(s) promotes this process. Furthermore, we showed that the RNA binding domains of Su(s) are important for this effect and mapped the sequences involved to a 267-nucleotide region of an alphabeta element. Taken together, these results suggest that Su(s) binds to certain nascent transcripts and stimulates their degradation by the nuclear exosome.
SDGs
Type
journal article