The Reciprocal Regulation Between Splicing and 3-End Processing
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Advanced Review The reciprocal regulation between splicing and 30-end processing Daisuke Kaida* Most eukaryotic precursor mRNAs are subjected to RNA processing events, including 50-end capping, splicing and 30-end processing. These processing events were historically studied independently; however, since the early 1990s tremendous efforts by many research groups have revealed that these processing factors interact with each other to control each other’s functions. U1 snRNP and its components negatively regulate polyadenylation of precursor mRNAs. Impor- tantly, this function is necessary for protecting the integrity of the transcriptome and for regulating gene length and the direction of transcription. In addition, physical and functional interactions occur between splicing factors and 30-end processing factors across the last exon. These interactions activate or inhibit spli- cing and 30-end processing depending on the context. Therefore, splicing and 30- end processing are reciprocally regulated in many ways through the complex protein–protein interaction network. Although interesting questions remain, future studies will illuminate the molecular mechanisms underlying the recipro- cal regulation. © 2016 The Authors. WIREs RNA published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. How to cite this article: WIREs RNA 2016, 7:499–511. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1348 INTRODUCTION regulate each other on the transcription apparatus. In addition, because these events are carried out co- n eukaryotic cells, most precursor mRNAs (pre- transcriptionally in most cases, such factors can exist ImRNAs) consist of protein-coding regions, exons, on pre-mRNA just after synthesis of the binding sites 1,2 and intervening regions, introns. The pre-mRNAs of processing factors, suggesting that the factors are subjected to splicing to remove introns and to affect each other on the pre-mRNA. Second, a spli- fl join anking exons. In addition to splicing, the pre- ceosomal component, U1 small ribonucleoprotein mRNAs are also subjected to 50-end capping and 30- 3–5 particle (snRNP), is much more abundant than the end processing, to become mature mRNAs. For a other spliceosomal components: U2, U4, U5, and U6 long time, the pre-mRNA processing events were snRNPs (e.g., 1,000,000 molecules/cell of U1 snRNP studied independently; however, since the early vs 200,000 molecules/cell of U5 in HeLa cells).14 1990s, many laboratories have demonstrated that 6–9 However, these components form the spliceosome in these processing events are reciprocally regulated. equal stoichiometry, suggesting that U1 snRNP has fi The following ndings support reciprocal regulation. extra-splicing function(s). Third, interaction between First, many RNA processing factors are recruited to splicing factors and 30-end processing factors is sup- the C-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II (Pol fi 10–13 posed to be required for exon de nition of the last II) ; therefore, the factors have chances to exon (see below).15 Therefore, it is reasonable that there is a functional coupling between splicing and 0 *Correspondence to: [email protected] 3 -end processing. This review focuses on such recip- 0 Frontier Research Core for Life Sciences, University of Toyama, rocal regulation between splicing and 3 -end proces- Toyama, Japan sing (e.g., cleavage and polyadenylation). Each mechanism affects the efficiency of the other mechan- Conflict of interest: The authors have declared no conflicts of inter- est for this article. ism positively and negatively through complicated Volume 7, July/August 2016 499 © 2016 The Authors. WIREs RNA published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. Advanced Review wires.wiley.com/rna interacting networks among the protein and RNA 30-End Processing Factors factors involved in these two processing events. 30-end processing is one of the most important pro- cesses for maintaining the integrity of the transcrip- tome. The poly(A) tail at the 30 end that is added SPLICING FACTORS AND 30-END posttranscriptionally stimulates translation from the PROCESSING FACTORS mRNA and transport of the mRNA to the cyto- plasm, and also protects the mRNA from degrada- 0 Splicing Factors tion.18 Cleavage and polyadenylation at the 3 end is The splicing reaction is carried out by the spliceo- carried out by a large protein complex containing some, a macromolecular ribonucleoprotein complex, four major subcomplexes, including cleavage and fi and more than 100 nonspliceosomal proteins.2,16,17 polyadenylation speci city factor (CPSF), cleavage The spliceosome consists of five subcomponents, U1, stimulation factor (CsfF), cleavage factor I (CF Im), 5,18–20 U2, U4, U5, and U6 snRNPs (Figure 1). The compo- and cleavage factor II (CF IIm) (Figure 2). In nents recognize consensus sequences located near the addition to them, poly(A) polymerase (PAP), nuclear 50 and 30 ends of introns: 50 splice sites, 30 splice sites, poly(A) binding protein (PABPN), and symplekin branch point sequences (BPSs), and polypyrimidine contribute to the reaction. All the proteins except for tracts. For spliceosome formation, U1 snRNP recog- PABPN are necessary for the cleavage reaction; how- 0 fi nizes the 5 splice site, and the U2 auxiliary factor ever, only CPSF, PAP, and PABPN are suf cient for 20 (U2AF), a heterodimer consisting of U2AF65 and polyadenylation. CPSF, which binds to the polya- U2AF35, recognizes both the 30 splice site and the denylation signal (PAS), is required for both cleavage 18 polypyrimidine tract, which is located just upstream and polyadenylation reactions. The PAS is a hex- 0 – of the 3 splice site. In addition, SF1 binds to the BPS amer located 10 30 nucleotides upstream of the to form complex E. SF1 is replaced by U2 snRNP to cleavage site, and its consensus sequence is A[A/U] form complex A, then U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNPs join the UAAA. CstF recognizes the downstream element complex to form complex B. Finally, several confor- (DSE), which is U or GU rich and is located approxi- mational changes occur to form the catalytic active mately 30 nucleotides downstream of the cleavage form, complex C, followed by the two-step catalytic site. CsfF interacts with CPSF to stabilize their bind- 5,18,20 reaction to accomplish the splicing reaction. ing to DSE and PAS, respectively. CF Im inter- acts with UGUA motifs located upstream of PAS.5,21 BPS Py These factors recognize pre-mRNA through their 5′ss 3′ss binding motifs and carry out the cleavage and polya- denylation reaction coordinately. U1 SF1 U2AF BPS Py 0 5′ss 3′ss U1 SNRNP INHIBITS 3 -END PROCESSING U1 U2 U2AF U1A Autoregulates Its Expression BPS Py 5′ss 3′ss As described above, U1 snRNP is much more abun- dant than the other components,14 suggesting that U1 snRNP has extra-splicing function(s). A series of U4 U1 U5 studies revealed that components of U1 snRNP regu- U6 late gene expression as an extra-splicing function. U2 The first example of such regulation was the autore- gulation of U1A, a component of U1 snRNP. U1A exists as a U1 snRNP-bound form, a free form, and a U6 22,23 U5 pre-mRNA-bound form and, when dissociated U2 from U1 snRNA, U1A shuttles between the nucleus and the cytoplasm.24 These findings indicate that U1A has an extra-splicing function. U1A is well conserved in vertebrates at both 25,26 FIGURE 1 | Schematic representation of mRNA splicing. 50 ss, 50 mRNA and protein levels. Interestingly, not only 0 splice site; BPS, branch point sequence; Py, polypyrimidine tract; 30 ss, the protein-coding region but also the 3 -untranslated 30 splice site. region (UTR) is well conserved.25 The most 500 © 2016 The Authors. WIREs RNA published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Volume 7, July/August 2016 WIREs RNA The reciprocal regulation between splicing and 30-end processing 1 (BPV-1).31 After infection, a group of viral genes PAP called early genes are initially expressed and then late Symplekin CF IIm genes are expressed only after terminal transforma- – CF Im CPSF CstF tion of the infected cells32 34; however, the molecular mechanism underlying the restricted expression of UGUA A[A/U]UAAA CA U/GU rich the late genes was not known. FIGURE 2 | Schematic drawing of 30-end processing factors. A The BPV-1 genome has two PASs, the proximal [A/U]AUUU, CA, and U/GU rich represent poly(A) signal (PAS), PAS and the distal PAS. The proximal PAS is located cleavage site, and downstream element (DSE), respectively. between the early genes and the late genes, and the distal PAS is located at the 30 end of the late genes 35 conserved region within the 30 UTR, which is (Figure 4(a)). Furth et al. found a short sequence 31 47 nucleotides long and located just upstream of the located just upstream of the distal PAS that serves PAS, contains two short stretches that are similar to to downregulate the late gene expression during the the U1A-binding site within the stem-loop II of U1 early phase of infection. Deletion of this short snRNA.25,27 Indeed, the U1A protein directly inter- sequence increases late gene mRNA levels; however, acts with the U1A-binding site-like sequences the sequence does not affect the stability of the through its N-terminal region, and inhibits polyade- polyadenylated mRNA. Interestingly, the short nylation of the U1A pre-mRNA both in vitro and sequence contains a 9-nt sequence that is identical to the 50 splice site.36