Journal Article

Argonaute Transports siRNAs from the Cytoplasm to the Nucleus

Pavelec, Derek M, Guang, Shouhong, Burkhart, Kirk B, Lachowiec, Jennifer, Harding, Sandra, Bochner, Aaron F, Kennedy, Scott

2008

Overview

Ribonucleoprotein complexes consisting of Argonaute-like proteins and small regulatory RNAs function in a wide range of biological processes. Many of these small regulatory RNAs are predicted to act, at least in part, within the nucleus. We conducted a genetic screen to identify factors essential for RNA interference (RNAi) in nuclei of Caenorhabditis elegans and identified the Argonaute protein NRDE-3. In the absence of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), NRDE-3 resides in the cytoplasm. NRDE-3 binds siRNAs generated by RNA-dependent RNA polymerases acting on messenger RNA templates in the cytoplasm and redistributes to the nucleus. Nuclear redistribution of NRDE-3 requires a functional nuclear localization signal, is required for nuclear RNAi, and results in NRDE-3 association with nuclear-localized nascent transcripts. Thus, specific Argonaute proteins can transport specific classes of small regulatory RNAs to distinct cellular compartments to regulate gene expression.

• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science,The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subject: Active Transport, Cell Nucleus / Animal cells / Animals / Biochemistry / Biological and medical sciences / Caenorhabditis elegans / Caenorhabditis elegans - embryology / Caenorhabditis elegans - genetics / Caenorhabditis elegans - growth & development / Caenorhabditis elegans - metabolism / Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - chemistry / Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - genetics / Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - metabolism / Cell nucleus / Cell Nucleus - metabolism / Cytoplasm / Cytoplasm - metabolism / Double stranded RNA / Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology / gene expression / Genes, Helminth / Genetics / Genotypes / Messenger RNA / Molecular and cellular biology / Molecular genetics / Mutation / Neurons / Nuclear Localization Signals / Pharmacology / Phenotypes / Protein Structure, Tertiary / Proteins / Research Article / Ribonucleic acid / ribonucleoproteins / RNA / RNA Interference / RNA Precursors - genetics / RNA Precursors - metabolism / RNA, Double-Stranded - chemistry / RNA, Double-Stranded - genetics / RNA, Double-Stranded - metabolism / RNA, Helminth - chemistry / RNA, Helminth - genetics / RNA, Helminth - metabolism / RNA, Messenger - genetics / RNA, Messenger - metabolism / RNA, Small Interfering - chemistry / RNA, Small Interfering - genetics / RNA, Small Interfering - metabolism / RNA-Binding Proteins - chemistry / RNA-Binding Proteins - genetics / RNA-Binding Proteins - metabolism / RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase - metabolism / Small interfering RNA / Transcription. Transcription factor. Splicing. Rna processing / Up-Regulation