. To elucidate how silencing is accomplished, we screened an RNA interference library for suppressors of miRNA-mediated regulation in Drosophila melanogaster cells. In addition to proteins known to be required for miRNA biogenesis and function (i.e., Drosha, Pasha, Dicer-1, AGO1, and GW182), the screen identified the decapping activator Ge-1 as being required for silencing by miRNAs. Depleting Ge-1 alone and/or in combination with other decapping activators (e.g., DCP1, EDC3, HPat, or Me31B) suppresses silencing of several miRNA targets, indicating that miRNAs elicit mRNA decapping. A comparison of gene expression profiles in cells depleted of AGO1 or of individual decapping activators shows that ∼15% of AGO1-targets are also regulated by Ge-1, DCP1, and HPat, whereas 5% are dependent on EDC3 and LSm1-7. These percentages are underestimated because decapping activators are partially redundant. Furthermore, in the absence of active translation, some miRNA targets are stabilized, whereas others continue to be degraded in a miRNA-dependent manner. These findings suggest that miRNAs mediate post-transcriptional gene silencing by more than one mechanism.[Keywords: Argonaute; decapping activators; decapping; miRNAs; mRNA decay; P-bodies; varicose] Supplemental material is available at http://www.genesdev.org.

The ribosome accelerates the rate of peptide bond formation by at least 10(7)-fold, but the catalytic mechanism remains controversial. Here we report evidence that a functional group on one of the tRNA substrates plays an essential catalytic role in the reaction. Substitution of the P-site tRNA A76 2' OH with 2' H or 2' F results in at least a 10(6)-fold reduction in the rate of peptide bond formation, but does not affect binding of the modified substrates. Such substrate-assisted catalysis is relatively uncommon among modern protein enzymes, but it is a property predicted to be essential for the evolution of enzymatic function. These results suggest that substrate assistance has been retained as a catalytic strategy during the evolution of the prebiotic peptidyl transferase center into the modern ribosome.

SR proteins are nuclear phosphoproteins with a characteristic Ser/Arg-rich domain and one or two RNA recognition motifs. They are highly conserved in animals and plants and play important roles in spliceosome assembly and alternative splicing regulation. We have now isolated and partially sequenced a plant protein, which crossreacts with antibodies to human SR proteins. The sequence of the corresponding cDNA and genomic clones from Arabidopsis revealed a protein, atSRp30, with strong similarity to the human SR protein SF2/ASF and to atSRp34/SR1, a previously identified SR protein, indicating that plants possess two SF2/ASF-like proteins. atSRp30 expresses alternatively spliced mRNA isoforms that are expressed differentially in various organs and during development. Overexpression of atSRp30 via a strong constitutive promoter resulted in changes in alternative splicing of several endogenous plant genes, including atSRp30 itself. Interestingly, atSRp30 overexpression resulted in a pronounced down-regulation of endogenous mRNA encoding full-length atSRp34/SR1 protein. Transgenic plants overexpressing atSRp30 showed morphological and developmental changes affecting mostly developmental phase transitions. atSRp30-and atSRp34/ SR1-promoter-GUS constructs exhibited complementary expression patterns during early seedling development and root formation, with overlapping expression in floral tissues. The results of the structural and expression analyses of both genes suggest that atSRp34/SR1 acts as a general splicing factor, whereas atSRp30 functions as a specific splicing modulator.

The GTPase elongation factor (EF)-G is responsible for promoting the translocation of the messenger RNA-transfer RNA complex on the ribosome, thus opening up the A site for the next aminoacyltRNA. Chemical modification and cryo-EM studies have indicated that tRNAs can bind the ribosome in an alternative 'hybrid' state after peptidyl transfer and before translocation, though the relevance of this state during translation elongation has been a subject of debate. Here, using pre-steady-state kinetic approaches and mutant analysis, we show that translocation by EF-G is most efficient when tRNAs are bound in a hybrid state, supporting the argument that this state is an authentic intermediate during translation.Translation elongation is the multistep process performed by the ribosome to sequentially add mRNA-encoded amino acids to the growing polypeptide chain. There are three iterated steps performed by the ribosome during the elongation cycle: (i) a tRNA-selection step in which the ribosome and elongation factor (EF)-Tu select the next aminoacyl-tRNA to enter the cycle; (ii) peptide-bond formation catalyzed in the active site of the large ribosomal subunit; and (iii) translocation of the mRNA-tRNA complex through the subunit interface region, facilitated by EF-G, with associated GTP hydrolysis. The tRNA substrates are at the heart of each of these steps, where they have key functional roles 1-3 .Early studies on the ribosome identified binding sites for two tRNA substrates, the A site for the aminoacyl-tRNA and the P site for the peptidyl-tRNA. Further biochemistry eventually identified a third site, the E or exit site, where deacylated tRNAs bind after loss of the peptidyl moiety and before release into solution 4 . An understanding of the order and timing with which tRNA substrates occupy these three sites (on both the large and small subunits) during the elongation cycle is central to a detailed molecular view of the process of translation.The hybrid state of tRNA binding on the ribosome was first proposed in the 1960s as an elegant way to understand how controlled tRNA movement through the ribosome might be accomplished 5 . The basic feature of such a hybrid state of binding is that tRNAs would move independently with respect to the two subunits of the ribosome during the steps of the translation cycle. Fluorescence studies provided early biochemical clues that such a state of tRNA binding might be populated during translation 6 , and subsequent chemical-modification analysis provided clear and detailed experimental support for the hybrid state 7 . These studies Correspondence should be addressed to R.G. (ragreen@jhmi.edu).. Note: Supplementary information is available on the Nature Structural & Molecular Biology website. COMPETING INTERESTS STATEMENTThe authors declare that they have no competing financial interests.Published online at http://www.nature.com/nsmb/ Reprints and permissions information is available online at http://www.nature.com/reprints/index.html NIH Public Access Fig. 1a). Thus, 'hybr...