The Vasa Homolog RDE-12 Engages Target mRNA and Multiple Argonaute Proteins to Promote RNAi in C. elegans
Argonaute (AGO) proteins are key nuclease effectors of RNAi [1]. Although purified AGOs can mediate a single round of target RNA cleavage in vitro, accessory factors are required for small interfering RNA (siRNA) loading and to achieve multiple-target turnover [2, 3]. To identify AGO cofactors, we i...
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Published in | Current biology Vol. 24; no. 8; pp. 845 - 851 |
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Main Authors | , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
England
Elsevier Inc
14.04.2014
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Argonaute (AGO) proteins are key nuclease effectors of RNAi [1]. Although purified AGOs can mediate a single round of target RNA cleavage in vitro, accessory factors are required for small interfering RNA (siRNA) loading and to achieve multiple-target turnover [2, 3]. To identify AGO cofactors, we immunoprecipitated the C. elegans AGO WAGO-1, which engages amplified small RNAs during RNAi [4]. These studies identified a robust association between WAGO-1 and a conserved Vasa ATPase-related protein RDE-12. rde-12 mutants are deficient in RNAi, including viral suppression, and fail to produce amplified secondary siRNAs and certain endogenous siRNAs (endo-siRNAs). RDE-12 colocalizes with WAGO-1 in germline P granules and in cytoplasmic and perinuclear foci in somatic cells. These findings and our genetic studies suggest that RDE-12 is first recruited to target mRNA by upstream AGOs (RDE-1 and ERGO-1), where it promotes small RNA amplification and/or WAGO-1 loading. Downstream of these events, RDE-12 forms an RNase-resistant (target mRNA-independent) complex with WAGO-1 and may thus have additional functions in target mRNA surveillance and silencing.
•Vasa ATPase-related protein RDE-12 promotes RNAi and virus suppression in C. elegans•RDE-12 is recruited to target mRNA by primary Ago RDE-1 in the RNAi pathway•RDE-12 promotes secondary siRNA biogenesis and associates with secondary Ago WAGO-1•RDE-12 localizes to P granules in germline and novel perinuclear foci in soma
Shirayama et al. identify the Vasa homolog RDE-12 as a protein that promotes RNAi and virus suppression in C. elegans. RDE-12 is recruited to target mRNA by primary AGO RDE-1 to promote small RNA amplification. RDE-12 forms a complex with secondary AGO WAGO-1 in P granules and may have additional functions in target mRNA surveillance and silencing. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 Present address: Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience. University of California at Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, USA |
ISSN: | 0960-9822 1879-0445 |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.cub.2014.03.008 |