Among the AID/APOBECs -a family of DNA and RNA deaminases-APOBEC1 physiologically partakes into a complex that edits a CAA codon into UAA Stop codon in the transcript of Apolipoprotein B (ApoB), a protein crucial in the transport of lipids in the blood. Catalytically inactive mutants of APOBEC1 have a dominant negative effect on its activity, as they compete for the targeting to the ApoB mRNA. Here we show that catalytically inactive chimeras of APOBEC1 restricted to different compartments of the cell present different abilities to titrate APOBEC1-mediated RNA editing, and that the ability of APOBEC1 to interact with these mutants is the main determinant for its activity. Our results demonstrate that dimerisation, a feature common to other APOBECs targeting DNA, is not required for APOBEC1 activity on mRNA. Furthermore, APOBEC1-mediated RNA editing is a dynamic process where interplay among the components of the editing complex is regulated through the balance between availability of A1CF, one of APOBEC1 cofactors, and nuclear degradation of APOBEC1.

No abstract