ABSTRACT
Traditionally, mRNA decay was considered a simple destruction step of mRNA. This view has been challenged in the past years and mRNA decay now appears as an essential step in the regulation of gene expression. We first present a short review of the different reactions involved in mRNA decay, as well as some indications on their cellular location. Then, we describe two processes in which mRNA decay plays an essential role: (1) the mRNA quality control mechanisms that get rid of aberrant mRNAs (nonsensE-mediated decay, non-stop decay, no-go decay); (2) the regulation of mRNA stability through the targeting of specific factors to the mRNA (proteins or small non-coding RNAs).
Subject(s)
Gene Expression Regulation/physiology , RNA Stability/physiology , RNA, Messenger/metabolism , RNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism , Ribonucleases/physiology , Animals , Cell Nucleus/metabolism , Codon, Nonsense , Codon, Terminator , Cytoplasm/metabolism , Drosophila Proteins/metabolism , Drosophila melanogaster/genetics , Drosophila melanogaster/metabolism , Fungal Proteins/metabolism , Humans , Models, Genetic , Protein Biosynthesis , RNA, Messenger/genetics , Vertebrates/genetics , Vertebrates/metabolism , Yeasts/genetics , Yeasts/metabolismABSTRACT
Thioredoxins and/or glutaredoxins assist ribonucleotide reductase, and other such enzymes that require disulfide bond reduction during their catalytic cycle. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the presence of either pathway is essential but which of these pathways operates in ribonucleotide reductase reduction and how this function contributes to the pathways' essential nature have not been definitively established. We have identified two in vivo redox forms of the S. cerevisiae ribonucleotide reductase R1 subunit, which correspond to catalytically reduced or oxidized enzymes. Cells lacking thioredoxins, which exhibit an elongated S phase, accumulate R1 in its oxidized form and also contain significantly decreased deoxyribonucleotide levels during the S phase. Overexpressing R1 in these cells increases both the amount of the R1 reduced form and the concentrations of deoxyribonucleotides and accelerates DNA replication. These results establish thioredoxins as the major RNR reducing system in yeast and indicate that impaired RNR reduction accounts for the S phase defects of thioredoxin-deficient cells.
Subject(s)
Ribonucleotide Reductases/metabolism , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolism , Thioredoxins/metabolism , Catalysis , Oxidation-Reduction , Plasmids , Saccharomyces cerevisiae/enzymologyABSTRACT
mRNA decapping irreversibly targets mRNAs for fast decay. Cap removal is catalyzed by decapping protein Dcp2 but also requires Dcp1. Recently, two groups have provided a first glimpse of the regulation mechanism of this crucial step in gene expression. Resolution of the yeast Dcp2 structure has enabled identification of the residues that are important for its interaction with Dcp1. However, the human decapping machinery seems to be more complex because a third component, Hedls, is required for a functional Dcp1-Dcp2 interaction.
