Expression of RNA polymerase I catalytic core is influenced by RPA12.

RNA Polymerase I (Pol I) has recently been recognized as a cancer therapeutic target. The activity of this enzyme is essential for ribosome biogenesis and is universally activated in cancers. The enzymatic activity of this multi-subunit complex resides in its catalytic core composed of RPA194, RPA135, and RPA12, a subunit with functions in RNA cleavage, transcription initiation and elongation. Here we explore whether RPA12 influences the regulation of RPA194 in human cancer cells. We use a specific small-molecule Pol I inhibitor BMH-21 that inhibits transcription initiation, elongation and ultimately activates the degradation of Pol I catalytic subunit RPA194. We show that silencing RPA12 causes alterations in the expression and localization of Pol I subunits RPA194 and RPA135. Furthermore, we find that despite these alterations not only does the Pol I core complex between RPA194 and RPA135 remain intact upon RPA12 knockdown, but the transcription of Pol I and its engagement with chromatin remain unaffected. The BMH-21-mediated degradation of RPA194 was independent of RPA12 suggesting that RPA12 affects the basal expression, but not the drug-inducible turnover of RPA194. These studies add to knowledge defining regulatory factors for the expression of this Pol I catalytic subunit.

Cryo-EM structure of the essential ribosome assembly AAA-ATPase Rix7.

Rix7 is an essential type II AAA-ATPase required for the formation of the large ribosomal subunit. Rix7 has been proposed to utilize the power of ATP hydrolysis to drive the removal of assembly factors from pre-60S particles, but the mechanism of release is unknown. Rix7's mammalian homolog, NVL2 has been linked to cancer and mental illness disorders, highlighting the need to understand the molecular mechanisms of this essential machine. Here we report the cryo-EM reconstruction of the tandem AAA domains of Rix7 which form an asymmetric stacked homohexameric ring. We trapped Rix7 with a polypeptide in the central channel, revealing Rix7's role as a molecular unfoldase. The structure establishes that type II AAA-ATPases lacking the aromatic-hydrophobic motif within the first AAA domain can engage a substrate throughout the entire central channel. The structure also reveals that Rix7 contains unique post-α7 insertions within both AAA domains important for Rix7 function.