Ribosome biogenesis in eukaryotes requires the coordinated production and assembly of 80 ribosomal proteins and four ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs), and its rate must be synchronized with cellular growth. Here, we showed that the Microprocessor complex, which mediates the first step of microRNA processing, potentiated the transcription of ribosomal protein genes by eliminating DNA/RNA hybrids known as R-loops. Nutrient deprivation triggered the nuclear export of Drosha, a key component of the Microprocessor complex, and its subsequent degradation by the E3 ubiquitin ligase Nedd4, thereby reducing ribosomal protein production and protein synthesis. In mouse erythroid progenitors, conditional deletion of Drosha led to the reduced production of ribosomal proteins, translational inhibition of the mRNA encoding the erythroid transcription factor Gata1, and impaired erythropoiesis. This phenotype mirrored the clinical presentation of human “ribosomopathies.” Thus, the Microprocessor complex plays a pivotal role in synchronizing protein synthesis capacity with cellular growth rate and is a potential drug target for anemias caused by ribosomal insufficiency.
Ribosome biogenesis in eukaryotes requires stoichiometric production and assembly of 80 ribosomal proteins (RPs) and 4 ribosomal RNAs, and its rate must be coordinated with cellular growth. The indispensable regulator of RP biosynthesis is the 5'-terminal oligopyrimidine (TOP) motif, spanning the transcription start site of all RP genes. Here we show that the Microprocessor complex, previously linked to the first step of processing microRNAs (miRNAs), coregulates RP expression by binding the TOP motif of nascent RP mRNAs and stimulating transcription elongation via resolution of DNA/RNA hybrids. Cell growth arrest triggers nuclear export and degradation of the Microprocessor protein Drosha by the E3 ubiquitin ligase Nedd4, accumulation of DNA/RNA hybrids at RP gene loci, decreased RP synthesis, and ribosome deficiency, hence synchronizing ribosome production with cell growth. Conditional deletion of Drosha in erythroid progenitors phenocopies human ribosomopathies, in which ribosomal insufficiency leads to anemia. Outlining a miRNA-independent role of the Microprocessor complex at the interphase between cell growth and ribosome biogenesis offers a new paradigm by which cells alter their protein biosynthetic capacity and cellular metabolism.in response to the change in cellular growth environment remains to be identified (Meyuhas and Kahan, 2015; Patursky-Polischuk et al., 2014).During transcription, a three-stranded nucleic acid structure known as an R-loop spontaneously forms(García-Muse and Aguilera, 2019). It is composed of a DNA/RNA hybrid (a single-stranded template DNA (ssDNA) hybridized with a nascent mRNA) and an associated non-template ssDNA (García-Muse and Aguilera, 2019;Sanz and Chédin, 2019;Sanz et al., 2016). R-loops are critical modulator of gene expression and DNA repair (García-Muse and Aguilera, 2019;Sanz and Chédin, 2019;Sanz et al., 2016), and their extended persistence during transcription is inhibitory to gene expression (Gowrishankar et al., 2013;Nudler, 2012). The abundance of R-loops is determined by the balance between its formation and resolution of DNA/RNA hybrids and various factors, including transcription factors, helicases, ribonucleases, topoisomerases, chromatin remodelers, proteins in DNA repair and RNA surveillance, have been identified to control R-loop homeostasis(García-Muse and Aguilera, 2019). Deregulation of R-loops, which results in aberrant gene expression and chromatin structure, increased DNA breaks, and genome instability, contributes to human disease, including neurological disorders and tumorigenesis (García-Muse and Aguilera, 2019;Groh and Gromak, 2014;Sanz et al., 2016).The Microprocessor complex comprises two core components, the ribonuclease (RNase) III Drosha and its cofactor Dgcr8. It is essential for the biogenesis of most microRNAs (miRNAs), short RNAs that repress gene expression by binding to messenger RNAs and targeting them for degradation and/or preventing their translation (Han et al., 2004;Siomi and Siomi, 2010). The Microprocessor localizes predom...
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.