Functional analysis of six novel ORFs on the left arm of chromosome XII in Saccharomyces cerevisiae reveals two essential genes, one of which is under cell-cycle control

IT'S 2 for the price of 1: Multifaceted ITS2 processing machines in RNA and DNA maintenance

Cells utilize sophisticated RNA processing machines to ensure the quality of RNA. Many RNA processing machines have been further implicated in regulating the DNA damage response signifying a strong link between RNA processing and genome maintenance. One of the most intricate and highly regulated RNA processing pathways is the processing of the precursor ribosomal RNA (pre-rRNA), which is paramount for the production of ribosomes. Removal of the Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (ITS2), located between the 5.8S and 25S rRNA, is one of the most complex steps of ribosome assembly. Processing of the ITS2 is initiated by the newly discovered endoribonuclease Las1, which cleaves at the C2 site within the ITS2, generating products that are further processed by the polynucleotide kinase Grc3, the 5'→3' exonuclease Rat1, and the 3'→5' RNA exosome complex. In addition to their defined roles in ITS2 processing, these critical cellular machines participate in other stages of ribosome assembly, turnover of numerous cellular RNAs, and genome maintenance. Here we summarize recent work defining the molecular mechanisms of ITS2 processing by these essential RNA processing machines and highlight their emerging roles in transcription termination, heterochromatin function, telomere maintenance, and DNA repair.

Las1 interacts with Grc3 polynucleotide kinase and is required for ribosome synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Ribosome biogenesis is a multi-step process that couples cell growth with cell proliferation. Although several large-scale analysis of pre-ribosomal particles have identified numerous trans-acting factors involved in this process, many proteins involved in pre-rRNA processing and ribosomal subunit maturation have yet to be identified. Las1 was originally identified in Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a protein involved in cell morphogenesis. We previously demonstrated that the human homolog, Las1L, is required for efficient ITS2 rRNA processing and synthesis of the 60S ribosomal subunit. Here, we report that the functions of Las1 in ribosome biogenesis are also conserved in S. cerevisiae. Depletion of Las1 led to the accumulation of both the 27S and 7S rRNA intermediates and impaired the synthesis of the 60S subunit. We show that Las1 co-precipitates mainly with the 27S rRNA and associates with an Nsa1 and Rix1-containing pre-60S particle. We further identify Grc3 as a major Las1-interacting protein. We demonstrate that the kinase activity of Grc3 is required for efficient pre-rRNA processing and that depletion of Grc3 leads to rRNA processing defects similar to the ones observed in Las1-depleted cells. We propose that Las1 and Grc3 function together in a conserved mechanism to modulate rRNA processing and eukaryotic ribosome biogenesis.

Roles of fission yeast Grc3 protein in ribosomal RNA processing and heterochromatic gene silencing

Grc3 is an evolutionarily conserved protein. Genome-wide budding yeast studies suggest that Grc3 is involved in rRNA processing. In the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Grc3 was identified as a factor exhibiting distinct nuclear dot localization, yet its exact physiological function remains unknown. Here, we show that S. pombe Grc3 is required for both rRNA processing and heterochromatic gene silencing. Cytological analysis revealed that Grc3 nuclear dots correspond to heterochromatic regions and that some Grc3 is also present in the nucleolar peripheral region. Depleting the heterochromatic proteins Swi6 or Clr4 abolished heterochromatic localization of Grc3 and resulted in its preferential accumulation in the perinucleolar region, suggesting its dynamic association with these nuclear compartments. Cells expressing mutant grc3 showed defects in 25 S rRNA maturation and in heterochromatic gene silencing. Protein analysis of Grc3-containing complexes led to the identification of Las1 and components of the IPI complex (Rix1, Ipi1, and Crb3). All of these Grc3-interacting proteins showed a dynamic nuclear localization similar to that observed for Grc3, and those conditional mutants showed defects in both rRNA processing and silencing of centromeric transcripts. Our data suggest that Grc3 functions cooperatively with Las1 and the IPI complex in both ribosome biogenesis and heterochromatin assembly.

Role of the RNA/DNA kinase Grc3 in transcription termination by RNA polymerase I

Transcription termination by RNA polymerase I in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is mediated by a 'torpedo' mechanism: co-transcriptional RNA cleavage by Rnt1 at the ribosomal DNA 3'-region generates a 5'-end that is recognized by the 5'-3' exonuclease Rat1; this degrades the downstream transcript and eventually causes termination. In this study, we identify Grc3 as a new factor involved in this process. We demonstrate that GRC3, an essential gene of previously unknown function, encodes a polynucleotide kinase that is required for efficient termination by RNA polymerase I. We propose that it controls the phosphorylation status of the downstream Rnt1 cleavage product and thereby regulates its accessibility to the torpedo Rat1.

Intersection of the Kap123p-mediated nuclear import and ribosome export pathways

Kap123p is a yeast beta-karyopherin that imports ribosomal proteins into the nucleus prior to their assembly into preribosomal particles. Surprisingly, Kap123p is not essential for growth, under normal conditions. To further explore the role of Kap123p in nucleocytoplasmic transport and ribosome biogenesis, we performed a synthetic fitness screen designed to identify genes that interact with KAP123. Through this analysis we have identified three other karyopherins, Pse1p/Kap121p, Sxm1p/Kap108p, and Nmd5p/Kap119p. We propose that, in the absence of Kap123p, these karyopherins are able to supplant Kap123p's role in import. In addition to the karyopherins, we identified Rai1p, a protein previously implicated in rRNA processing. Rai1p is also not essential, but deletion of the RAI1 gene is deleterious to cell growth and causes defects in rRNA processing, which leads to an imbalance of the 60S/40S ratio and the accumulation of halfmers, 40S subunits assembled on polysomes that are unable to form functional ribosomes. Rai1p localizes predominantly to the nucleus, where it physically interacts with Rat1p and pre-60S ribosomal subunits. Analysis of the rai1/kap123 double mutant strain suggests that the observed genetic interaction results from an inability to efficiently export pre-60S subunits from the nucleus, which arises from a combination of compromised Kap123p-mediated nuclear import of the essential 60S ribosomal subunit export factor, Nmd3p, and a DeltaRAI1-induced decrease in the overall biogenesis efficiency.

Classification and evolution of P-loop GTPases and related ATPases

Sequences and available structures were compared for all the widely distributed representatives of the P-loop GTPases and GTPase-related proteins with the aim of constructing an evolutionary classification for this superclass of proteins and reconstructing the principal events in their evolution. The GTPase superclass can be divided into two large classes, each of which has a unique set of sequence and structural signatures (synapomorphies). The first class, designated TRAFAC (after translation factors) includes enzymes involved in translation (initiation, elongation, and release factors), signal transduction (in particular, the extended Ras-like family), cell motility, and intracellular transport. The second class, designated SIMIBI (after signal recognition particle, MinD, and BioD), consists of signal recognition particle (SRP) GTPases, the assemblage of MinD-like ATPases, which are involved in protein localization, chromosome partitioning, and membrane transport, and a group of metabolic enzymes with kinase or related phosphate transferase activity. These two classes together contain over 20 distinct families that are further subdivided into 57 subfamilies (ancient lineages) on the basis of conserved sequence motifs, shared structural features, and domain architectures. Ten subfamilies show a universal phyletic distribution compatible with presence in the last universal common ancestor of the extant life forms (LUCA). These include four translation factors, two OBG-like GTPases, the YawG/YlqF-like GTPases (these two subfamilies also consist of predicted translation factors), the two signal-recognition-associated GTPases, and the MRP subfamily of MinD-like ATPases. The distribution of nucleotide specificity among the proteins of the GTPase superclass indicates that the common ancestor of the entire superclass was a GTPase and that a secondary switch to ATPase activity has occurred on several independent occasions during evolution. The functions of most GTPases that are traceable to LUCA are associated with translation. However, in contrast to other superclasses of P-loop NTPases (RecA-F1/F0, AAA+, helicases, ABC), GTPases do not participate in NTP-dependent nucleic acid unwinding and reorganizing activities. Hence, we hypothesize that the ancestral GTPase was an enzyme with a generic regulatory role in translation, with subsequent diversification resulting in acquisition of diverse functions in transport, protein trafficking, and signaling. In addition to the classification of previously known families of GTPases and related ATPases, we introduce several previously undetected families and describe new functional predictions.