Characterization of MRP RNA-protein interactions within the perinucleolar compartment

Mol Biol Cell. 2011 Mar 15;22(6):858-67. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E10-09-0768. Epub 2011 Jan 13.

Abstract

The perinucleolar compartment (PNC) forms in cancer cells and is highly enriched with a subset of polymerase III RNAs and RNA-binding proteins. Here we report that PNC components mitochondrial RNA-processing (MRP) RNA, pyrimidine tract-binding protein (PTB), and CUG-binding protein (CUGBP) interact in vivo, as demonstrated by coimmunoprecipitation and RNA pull-down experiments. Glycerol gradient analyses show that this complex is large and sediments at a different fraction from known MRP RNA-containing complexes, the MRP ribonucleoprotein ribozyme and human telomerase reverse transcriptase. Tethering PNC components to a LacO locus recruits other PNC components, further confirming the in vivo interactions. These interactions are present both in PNC-containing and -lacking cells. High-resolution localization analyses demonstrate that MRP RNA, CUGBP, and PTB colocalize at the PNC as a reticulated network, intertwining with newly synthesized RNA. Furthermore, green fluorescent protein (GFP)-PTB and GFP-CUGBP show a slower rate of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching at the PNC than in the nucleoplasm, illustrating the different molecular interaction of the complexes associated with the PNC. These findings support a working model in which the MRP RNA-protein complex becomes nucleated at the PNC in cancer cells and may play a role in gene expression regulation at the DNA locus that associates with the PNC.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Nucleolus / metabolism
  • Cell Nucleolus / ultrastructure*
  • Cell Nucleus / metabolism
  • Cell Nucleus / ultrastructure*
  • Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / genetics
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / metabolism
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Macromolecular Substances / metabolism
  • Mitochondrial Proteins / genetics
  • Mitochondrial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Polypyrimidine Tract-Binding Protein / genetics
  • Polypyrimidine Tract-Binding Protein / metabolism
  • RNA / metabolism*
  • RNA, Mitochondrial
  • RNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • RNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Macromolecular Substances
  • Mitochondrial Proteins
  • RNA, Mitochondrial
  • RNA-Binding Proteins
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Polypyrimidine Tract-Binding Protein
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins
  • RNA