RNA localization regulates diverse and dynamic cellular processes

Abstract

At the nexus of specialized cellular responses are localized enrichments of protein activity. The localization of messenger RNA (mRNA) coupled with translational control often plays a crucial role in the generation of protein concentrations at defined subcellular domains. Although mRNA localization is classically associated with large specialized cells, such as neurons and embryos, RNA localization is a highly conserved paradigm of post-transcriptional regulation observed in diverse cellular contexts. Functions of localized mRNAs extend far beyond the well-studied examples of neuronal polarization and developmental patterning. Since the initial discovery of the intracellular localization of cytoskeletal mRNAs within migrating cells, hundreds of mRNAs are now known to be enriched at specific organelles where they contribute to cell function. In this short review, we discuss basic principles regulating RNA localization and consider the contribution of localized mRNA to several essential cellular behaviors. We consider RNA localization as a mechanism with widespread implications for cellular function.

Mechanisms and consequences of subcellular RNA localization across diverse cell types

“…Neurons are highly polarized, with long distances between the soma, where RNAs are synthesized in the nucleus, and projections (axons/dendrites/neurites), where cells must quickly respond to stimuli (Figure 1A). These cell types have therefore been a critical model system to understand how RNA localization controls gene expression using imaging‐based approaches as reviewed previously 1–5 . Several neurological diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and fragile X syndrome (FXS), have been associated with misregulated RNA localization in neurons.…”

RNA-GPS Predicts SARS-CoV-2 RNA Localization to Host Mitochondria and Nucleolus

“…RNA subcellular localization is critical to a myriad of cellular processes (Buxbaum et al, 2015;Chin and Lécuyer, 2017;Ryder and Lerit, 2018). Researchers have also discovered that RNA localization plays a significant role in RNA viruses (Chou et al, 2013), with functions ranging from regulating sites of virion assembly (Becker and Sherer, 2017) to disrupting host mitochondrial function (Somasundaran et al, 1994).…”

Egalitarian binding partners, Dynein Light Chain and Bicaudal-D, act sequentially to link mRNA to the Dynein motor

“…Recent studies have shown that mRNA localization is a prevalent, potent, and conserved mechanism used by cells to regulate protein sorting (Lecuyer et al, 2007;Mili et al, 2008;Cajigas et al, 2012;Ryder et al, 2018). Although there are several pathways by which mRNAs are localized, active motor-based transport along cytoskeletal filaments is a commonly used mechanism.…”