The Exon Junction Complex Controls Transposable Element Activity by Ensuring Faithful Splicing of the Piwi Transcript
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Downloaded from genesdev.cshlp.org on September 25, 2021 - Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press The exon junction complex controls transposable element activity by ensuring faithful splicing of the piwi transcript Colin D. Malone,1,2,5 Claire Mestdagh,3,5 Junaid Akhtar,3 Nastasja Kreim,3 Pia Deinhard,3 Ravi Sachidanandam,4 Jessica Treisman,1 and Jean-Yves Roignant3 1Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, Department of Cell Biology, New York Universtiy School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, USA; 2Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 3Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB), 55128 Mainz, Germany; 4Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA The exon junction complex (EJC) is a highly conserved ribonucleoprotein complex that binds RNAs during splicing and remains associated with them following export to the cytoplasm. While the role of this complex in mRNA localization, translation, and degradation has been well characterized, its mechanism of action in splicing a subset of Drosophila and human transcripts remains to be elucidated. Here, we describe a novel function for the EJC and its splicing subunit, RnpS1, in preventing transposon accumulation in both Drosophila germline and surrounding somatic follicle cells. This function is mediated specifically through the control of piwi transcript splicing, where, in the absence of RnpS1, the fourth intron of piwi is retained. This intron contains a weak polypyrimidine tract that is sufficient to confer dependence on RnpS1. Finally, we demonstrate that RnpS1-dependent removal of this intron requires splicing of the flanking introns, suggesting a model in which the EJC facilitates the splicing of weak introns following its initial deposition at adjacent exon junctions. These data demonstrate a novel role for the EJC in regulating piwi intron excision and provide a mechanism for its function during splicing. [Keywords: EJC; splicing; transposon; piRNA; Piwi; AGO3] Supplemental material is available for this article. Received May 19, 2014; revised version accepted July 15, 2014. mRNA maturation requires pre-mRNA splicing, a process A critical link between pre-mRNA splicing and cyto- that removes introns from primary transcripts and sub- plasmic functions was elucidated with the discovery of sequently ligates adjacent exons. Splicing plays essential the exon junction complex (EJC) (Le Hir et al. 2000). This roles during development, and its alteration is linked to a ribonucleoprotein complex is deposited onto mRNA 20–24 variety of diseases, including cancer (Srebrow and Kornblihtt nucleotides (nt) upstream of exon–exon junctions as a con- 2006; Orengo and Cooper 2007; Baralle et al. 2009; David sequence of splicing and remains stably associated during and Manley 2010). Cis-regulatory sequences within introns nuclear export to influence subsequent post-transcriptional and exons regulate splicing by recruiting the spliceosome events. In human cells, the EJC is associated with the and associated factors to the primary transcript. Other layers majority of exon junctions, and its binding is linked to the of regulation, such as the influence of chromatin and adjacent binding of other mRNP components such as transcription complexes, can also impact the splicing pro- serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins (Sauliere et al. 2012; cess (for review, see Long and Caceres 2009; Luco et al. Singh et al. 2012). The core of the EJC is composed of four 2011; Braunschweig et al. 2013; De Conti et al. 2013; proteins. The DEAD-box RNA helicase eIF4AIII directly Iannone and Valcarcel 2013). Despite considerable prog- binds to the RNA and is recruited early in the splicing ress, the understanding of how the spliceosome success- reaction via its interaction with the spliceosome compo- fully recognizes and precisely excises diverse introns in nent CWC22 (Shibuya et al. 2004; Alexandrov et al. 2012; a variety of pre-mRNA molecules remains a challenge. Barbosa et al. 2012; Steckelberg et al. 2012). Mago nashi Ó 2014 Malone et al. This article is distributed exclusively by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press for the first six months after the full-issue 5These authors contributed equally to this work. publication date (see http://genesdev.cshlp.org/site/misc/terms.xhtml). Corresponding author: [email protected] After six months, it is available under a Creative Commons License Article published online ahead of print. Article and publication date are (Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International), as described at http:// online at http://www.genesdev.org/cgi/doi/10.1101/gad.245829.114. creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. GENES & DEVELOPMENT 28:000–000 Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; ISSN 0890-9369/14; www.genesdev.org 1 Downloaded from genesdev.cshlp.org on September 25, 2021 - Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press Malone et al. (Mago) and Tsunagi (Tsu/Y14) are recruited later during mation (Cox et al. 1998, 2000; Megosh et al. 2006; Sienski excision of the lariat intron and exon joining to lock the et al. 2012; Le Thomas et al. 2013; Rozhkov et al. 2013). In complex onto RNA by inhibiting the ATPase activity of contrast, Aub and AGO3 are germline-specific and enriched eIF4AIII (Ballut et al. 2005). These three subunits consti- in a perinuclear structure termed ‘‘nuage’’ (Wilson et al. 1996; tute the pre-EJC. In the cytoplasm, the addition of Barentsz Harris and Macdonald 2001; Brennecke et al. 2007; Nishida (Btz) completes the core EJC and further stabilizes associ- et al. 2007; Nagao et al. 2010). Aub and AGO3 are targeted to ation with the RNA (Bono et al. 2006; Gehring et al. 2009; cleave transposon or piRNA precursor transcripts, respec- Bono and Gehring 2011). Numerous other proteins in- tively, via their slicer activity. This reciprocal cleavage and teract transiently with the EJC to mediate additional post- subsequent processing amplifies piRNA production and in- transcriptional functions (Tange et al. 2005). tensifies the germline silencing response in what is called the Despite the association of the EJC with most spliced ‘‘ping pong’’ cycle (Brennecke et al. 2007; Gunawardane et al. RNAs, much work has shown its involvement in specific 2007; Senti and Brennecke 2010). and distinct functions in vivo. For instance, both Mago In this study, we found that the EJC inhibits transposon and Tsu are required for dorsal–ventral axis formation in activity in both ovarian germline and follicle cells. The the Drosophila egg chamber (Micklem et al. 1997; Newmark cytoplasmic subunit Btz is not involved, implying a nu- et al. 1997; Hachet and Ephrussi 2001; Mohr et al. 2001) clear function. Consistent with this, we found that the and affect earlier processes in oogenesis, such as germline level of piwi transcript is reduced in the absence of the pre- stem cell (GSC) differentiation and oocyte specification EJC or of the accessory splicing subunit RnpS1 and its (Parma et al. 2007). In vertebrates, reduction of mago cofactor, Acinus (Acn). Although piwi is a euchromatic affects neural stem cell division and melanoblast de- gene without large introns, the splicing of its fourth intron velopment (Silver et al. 2010, 2013). Finally, the three is impaired without the pre-EJC. We found that the main pre-EJC subunits are required for photoreceptor differen- determinant of its retention upon EJC depletion was the tiation in flies (Ashton-Beaucage et al. 2010; Roignant and presence of a weak polypyrimidine tract (PPT). We further Treisman 2010). Investigation of this function revealed demonstrate that excision of the piwi fourth intron re- that the pre-EJC is necessary for splicing MAPK and other quires prior splicing of the flanking introns. This suggests a transcripts that contain long introns and are expressed model in which splicing of strong introns allows deposi- from heterochromatic loci. Why these features create a tion of the EJC at their exon junctions, which facilitates requirement for the pre-EJC is currently not understood. the subsequent removal of the adjacent intron that con- Other studies recently found a role for the EJC in control- tains a poorly defined PPT. In addition to demonstrating its ling the alternative splicing of the proapoptotic regulator novel function in the piRNA pathway via piwi splicing, Bcl-x in human cancer cells and the splicing of the these results imply that the EJC may play a more general ryanodine receptor in Xenopus (Haremaki and Weinstein role in determining the kinetics of intron excision. 2012; Michelle et al. 2012). Since the EJC joins the spliceosome at a late step in the splicing reaction, it Results remains unclear whether it can directly regulate splicing The EJC prevents transposon derepression in both and, if so, by what mechanism. germline and follicle cells In order to gain mechanistic insight into the role of the EJC in the splicing process, we set out to look for ad- To investigate a possible role of the EJC in the piRNA ditional EJC targets. As mentioned, the EJC plays an pathway, we took advantage of dsRNA constructs from important role in controlling axis polarity in Drosophila, the Vienna Drosophila Resource Center (VDRC) and Trans- as mago mutants lay ventralized embryos (Micklem et al. genic RNAi Project (TRiP) collections to specifically knock 1997; Newmark et al. 1997). Intriguingly, a similar defect down individual EJC components. We first confirmed the is caused by impairment of the small RNA-based Piwi- functionality of these constructs by driving their expres- interacting RNA (piRNA) pathway, suggesting a poten- sion in larval eye discs using the eyeless ( ey)-GAL4 driver. tial role for the EJC in piRNA production or function Expression of mago dsRNA or tsu dsRNA in the eye (Theurkauf et al. 2006). The piRNA pathway is an evolu- recapitulated the phenotypes observed with the loss-of- tionarily conserved RNAi system that acts predominantly function mutant alleles, although their effects were weaker in gonads to suppress the activity of transposable elements (Supplemental Fig.