Post-transcriptional control of gene expression Flashcards
(102 cards)
RNA purification for RNA:protein ints
- synthesise biotinyllated oligo
- incubate with proteins
- recover RNA:protein complexes with streptavidin beads
- detect bound proteins by WB
Protein purification for for RNA:protein ints
- analogous to ChIP: purify protein with RNAs using antibodies
- generate cDNAs from mRNAs using reverse transcriptase
- detect cDNA of interest by PCR
Cross-linking RNA and proteins for RNA:protein ints
stabilise ints by crosslinking with UV light
3 parts of eukaryotic mRNA processing
5’ capping
removal of introns (splicing)
3’ polyadenylation
function of mRNA 5’ cap
increase splicing efficiency
need for export to cytoplasm
need for efficient translation initiation
protect mRNA from 5’ exonucleases
5’ cap formation
- remove terminal phosphate from DNA 5’ end by RTPase (RNA terminal phosphatase)
- GMP transferred from GTP by RNA guanylyl transferase (RGTase), gives G5’ppp5’N
- guanine is methylated by RNA-(guanine-N-7)-methyltransferase. = cap 0. further mods in mammals
- RTPase and RGTase are part of same polypeptide in multicellular orgs
early, cotranscriptional event
nuclear cap bound by CBC, cap-binding complex
specificity of 5’ capping
- all and only pol II transcripts
- only di-/ tri- phosphate ends
- cotranscr, by factors associated w pol II CTD
pol II a CTD
- heptad tandem repeats
- residues that can be phosphorylated
- close to RNA exit channel of pol II
- initiation: dephosph
- elongation: early S5 phosph, later S2 phosph
CTD = landing platform for cotranscriptional factors
experiment that shows pol II CTD needed for capping
- cells transfected witha version of amanitin resistant RNAP II
- one version has normal length CTD, one version has fewer repeats
- inhibit endogenous RNAP II with amanitin (so see activity of mutant only)
- quantify capped and uncapped mRNAs
- fewer capped mRNAs produced with mutant CTD than WT
2 experiments to show capping enzymes associate w phosphorylated pol II CTD
1
pass nuclear extract thr affinity column, WT CTD/ mutant CTD/ phosphorylated CTD
- measure capping act in each of samples retained
- only retained in column w phosph CTD
2
fission yeast: make CTD that cannot be phosph at S5, replace endogenous gene w mutant - no cell growth
fuse mammalian capping enzyme to CTD - rescues mutation
5’ cap structure
N7 methyl guanosine, attached to mRNA 5’ through 5’-5’ triphosphate bond
pol II transcription termination
doesn’t terminate at precise positions
evidence for run-on transcription
incubate nuclei with NTPs + radioactive UTP. RNAs are completed, cleaved and hybridised to DNA probes spaced along the gene and downstream regions
==> radioactive signal continues downstream of mature 3’ mRNA end, signal decreases in 5’ to 3’ direction
structure of polyA tail
many A residues, shortened as mRNA ages so linked to RNA decay
functions of polyA tail
protection from 3’ exonucleases, control degradation rate, need for transcr initiation
cis sequences needed for polyadenylation
AAUAAA upstream of cleavage site
U// GU rich DSE downstream of cleavage site
how was polyadenylation shown to occur in 2 stages
- cleavage needs AAUAAA, 10 As are added
- polyA doesn’t need AAUAAA but does need 10 As, longer polyA tail added
2 stages of polyadenylation
- cleavage
- polyadenylation
trans factors needed for polyadenylation
- CPSF = cleavage polyadenylation specificity factor, binds AAUAAA and CStF, need for both cleavage and polyadenylation
- CStF = cleavage stimulation factor, binds GU/ U, need for cleavage only
- polyA polymerase adds A residues, also need for cleavage
(identified by MS)
evidence that 3’ end processing is cotranscriptional
mutant CTD cells are defective in 3’ end processing
CPSF and CStFbind CTD in affinity columns
example of alternative polyadenylation
Sex-Lethal (SXL) in drosophila: RBP expressed only in females, regulates polyadenylation
target: e(r), has 2 alternative polyadenylation sites. males use first site, females use second
females: SXL binds e(r) premRNA and competes w CStF for binding first GU element - so second site used. in males, CStF binds proximal site.
importance: female specific 3’ UTR has transcriptional repression sequences so e(r) not produced.
genome-wide view of polyadenylation
- high throughput seq: fragment RNAs, purify fragments w polyA, sequence and identify those w boundary betw polyA and gene sequence
3’ end processing assay
incubate RNA substrate with nuclear extracts and ATP
- presence of ATP:cleavage, polyA
- ddATP: cleavage but not polyA
- RNA that mimics cleaved substrate is polyAed.
discovery of splicing: R loop analysis
- hybridise mRNA to dsDNA in conditions that favour RNA:DNA interactions, 1 DNA strand displaced = R loop
- visualise by EM: can distinguish single vs double strands by width
- use on adenovirus DNA: mRNA had tails protruding on both ends. 3’: polyA, 5’ unexplained
- 5’ anneals the mRNA from a separate part of the genome, mRNA=composite