Stabilization of tubulin mRNA by inhibition of protein synthesis in sea urchin embryos

An amino-terminal tetrapeptide specifies cotranslational degradation of beta-tubulin but not alpha-tubulin mRNAs

The steady-state level of alpha- and beta-tubulin synthesis is autoregulated by a posttranscriptional mechanism that selectively alters alpha- and beta-tubulin mRNA levels in response to changes in the unassembled tubulin subunit concentration. For beta-tubulin mRNAs, previous efforts have shown that this is the result of a selective mRNA degradation mechanism which involves cotranslational recognition of the nascent amino-terminal beta-tubulin tetrapeptide as it emerges from the ribosome. Site-directed mutagenesis is now used to determine that the minimal sequence requirement for conferring the full range of beta-tubulin autoregulation is the amino-terminal tetrapeptide MR(E/D)I. Although tubulin-dependent changes in alpha-tubulin mRNA levels are shown to result from changes in cytoplasmic mRNA stability, transfection of wild-type and mutated alpha-tubulin genes reveals that alpha- and beta-tubulin mRNA degradation is not mediated through a common pathway. Not only does the amino-terminal alpha-tubulin tetrapeptide MREC fail to confer regulated mRNA degradation, neither wild-type alpha-tubulin transgenes nor an alpha-tubulin gene mutated to encode an amino-terminal MREI yields mRNAs that are autoregulated. Further, although slowing ribosome transit accelerates the autoregulated degradation of endogenous alpha- and beta-tubulin mRNAs, degradation of alpha-tubulin transgene mRNAs is not enhanced, and in one case, the mRNA is actually stabilized. We conclude that, despite similarities, alpha- and beta-tubulin mRNA destabilization pathways utilize divergent determinants to link RNA instability to tubulin subunit concentrations.

An amino-terminal tetrapeptide specifies cotranslational degradation of beta-tubulin but not alpha-tubulin mRNAs

The steady-state level of alpha- and beta-tubulin synthesis is autoregulated by a posttranscriptional mechanism that selectively alters alpha- and beta-tubulin mRNA levels in response to changes in the unassembled tubulin subunit concentration. For beta-tubulin mRNAs, previous efforts have shown that this is the result of a selective mRNA degradation mechanism which involves cotranslational recognition of the nascent amino-terminal beta-tubulin tetrapeptide as it emerges from the ribosome. Site-directed mutagenesis is now used to determine that the minimal sequence requirement for conferring the full range of beta-tubulin autoregulation is the amino-terminal tetrapeptide MR(E/D)I. Although tubulin-dependent changes in alpha-tubulin mRNA levels are shown to result from changes in cytoplasmic mRNA stability, transfection of wild-type and mutated alpha-tubulin genes reveals that alpha- and beta-tubulin mRNA degradation is not mediated through a common pathway. Not only does the amino-terminal alpha-tubulin tetrapeptide MREC fail to confer regulated mRNA degradation, neither wild-type alpha-tubulin transgenes nor an alpha-tubulin gene mutated to encode an amino-terminal MREI yields mRNAs that are autoregulated. Further, although slowing ribosome transit accelerates the autoregulated degradation of endogenous alpha- and beta-tubulin mRNAs, degradation of alpha-tubulin transgene mRNAs is not enhanced, and in one case, the mRNA is actually stabilized. We conclude that, despite similarities, alpha- and beta-tubulin mRNA destabilization pathways utilize divergent determinants to link RNA instability to tubulin subunit concentrations.

Regulation of P-glycoprotein gene expression in hepatocyte cultures and liver cell lines by a trans-acting transcriptional repressor

Previously we have demonstrated that expression of the multidrug resistance (mdr) genes in rat liver and primary rat hepatocyte cultures is induced by exposure to 2-acetylaminofluorene and 3-methylcholanthrene. The mdr expression induced by both of these compounds occurs primarily via increased gene transcription. To determine the nature of possible regulatory proteins involved in mdr gene regulation we inhibited protein synthesis using cycloheximide or emetine in primary rat hepatocyte cultures, mouse (HePa 1), human (Hep G2) and rat (H4-II-E) cell lines. Each cell type responded by strongly increasing its steady state mdr1 mRNA levels. In hepatocytes increased mdr expression was observed after greater than 50% inhibition of protein synthesis, and was first detected after 2h of protein synthesis inhibition with maximal induction occurring by 24h. Nuclear run-on analysis showed that the increased steady state mRNA level was due to increased gene transcription without alteration of the transcription start site. Combined these data indicate that one regulatory mechanism by which mdr gene expression is controlled is via a trans-acting transcriptional repressor.

Nonsense codons in human beta-globin mRNA result in the production of mRNA degradation products

Human beta zero-thalassemic beta-globin genes harboring either a frameshift or a nonsense mutation that results in the premature termination of beta-globin mRNA translation have been previously introduced into the germ line of mice (S.-K. Lim, J.J. Mullins, C.-M. Chen, K. Gross, and L.E. Maquat, EMBO J. 8:2613-2619, 1989). Each transgene produces properly processed albeit abnormally unstable mRNA as well as several smaller RNAs in erythroid cells. These smaller RNAs are detected only in the cytoplasm and, relative to mRNA, are longer-lived and are missing sequences from either exon I or exons I and II. In this communication, we show by using genetics and S1 nuclease transcript mapping that the premature termination of beta-globin mRNA translation is mechanistically required for the abnormal RNA metabolism. We also provide evidence that generation of the smaller RNAs is a cytoplasmic process: the 5' ends of intron 1-containing pre-mRNAs were normal, the rates of removal of introns 1 and 2 were normal, and studies inhibiting RNA synthesis with actinomycin D demonstrated a precursor-product relationship between full-length mRNA and the smaller RNAs. In vivo, about 50% of the full-length species that undergo decay are degraded to the smaller RNAs and the rest are degraded to undetectable products. Exposure of erythroid cells that expressed a normal human beta-globin transgene to either cycloheximide or puromycin did not result in the generation of the smaller RNAs. Therefore, a drug-induced reduction in cellular protein synthesis does not reproduce this aspect of cytoplasmic mRNA metabolism. These data suggest that the premature termination of beta-globin mRNA translation in either exon I or exon II results in the cytoplasmic generation of discrete mRNA degradation products that are missing sequences from exon I or exons I and II. Since these degradation products appear to be the same for all nonsense codons tested, there is no correlation between the position of translation termination and the sites of nucleolytic cleavage.

Nonsense codons in human beta-globin mRNA result in the production of mRNA degradation products

Human beta zero-thalassemic beta-globin genes harboring either a frameshift or a nonsense mutation that results in the premature termination of beta-globin mRNA translation have been previously introduced into the germ line of mice (S.-K. Lim, J.J. Mullins, C.-M. Chen, K. Gross, and L.E. Maquat, EMBO J. 8:2613-2619, 1989). Each transgene produces properly processed albeit abnormally unstable mRNA as well as several smaller RNAs in erythroid cells. These smaller RNAs are detected only in the cytoplasm and, relative to mRNA, are longer-lived and are missing sequences from either exon I or exons I and II. In this communication, we show by using genetics and S1 nuclease transcript mapping that the premature termination of beta-globin mRNA translation is mechanistically required for the abnormal RNA metabolism. We also provide evidence that generation of the smaller RNAs is a cytoplasmic process: the 5' ends of intron 1-containing pre-mRNAs were normal, the rates of removal of introns 1 and 2 were normal, and studies inhibiting RNA synthesis with actinomycin D demonstrated a precursor-product relationship between full-length mRNA and the smaller RNAs. In vivo, about 50% of the full-length species that undergo decay are degraded to the smaller RNAs and the rest are degraded to undetectable products. Exposure of erythroid cells that expressed a normal human beta-globin transgene to either cycloheximide or puromycin did not result in the generation of the smaller RNAs. Therefore, a drug-induced reduction in cellular protein synthesis does not reproduce this aspect of cytoplasmic mRNA metabolism. These data suggest that the premature termination of beta-globin mRNA translation in either exon I or exon II results in the cytoplasmic generation of discrete mRNA degradation products that are missing sequences from exon I or exons I and II. Since these degradation products appear to be the same for all nonsense codons tested, there is no correlation between the position of translation termination and the sites of nucleolytic cleavage.

A potential role for RNA turnover in the light regulation of plant gene expression: ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase small subunit in soybean

Post-transcriptional regulation of the genes encoding the small subunit (rbcS) of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase was examined in soybean seedlings. Substantial discrepancies were detected between relative in vitro transcription rates and steady-state RNA levels in light- and dark-grown seedling leaves, indicating that rbcS RNA may be degraded more rapidly in light than in darkness. Additional data imply that the turnover mechanism is rapidly induced by light, maintained for some time in darkness, and that it may be negatively controlled by far-red light. The proposed RNA turnover system does not affect all RNAs equally since a soybean actin gene showed equivalent in vitro transcription rates and RNA levels in light and darkness. Soybean rbcS genes may be subject to a novel mode of control in which light-induced expression is accompanied by an increased rate of RNA degradation. Models for the specific regulation of rbcS RNA stability in response to light are presented.

Autoregulatory control of beta-tubulin mRNA stability is linked to translation elongation

Tubulin synthesis in animal cells is controlled in part by an autoregulatory mechanism that modulates the stability of ribosome-bound tubulin mRNAs. For beta tubulin, the initial recognition event for this selective RNA instability has previously been shown to be a cotranslational binding (presumably by tubulin itself) to the nascent amino-terminal beta-tubulin tetrapeptide just after it emerges from the ribosome. Although this "autoregulation" of tubulin expression is thus obligatorily linked to the translation process, the mechanism of how a cotranslational protein-protein binding event ultimately triggers RNA degradation is unknown. Using protein synthesis inhibitors to slow and ultimately to block translation elongation, we now show that the mRNA destabilization pathway requires ongoing ribosome translocation.