A mutated human homologue to yeast Upf1 protein has a dominant-negative effect on the decay of nonsense-containing mRNAs in mammalian cells.

All eukaryotic cells analyzed have developed mechanisms to eliminate the production of mRNAs that prematurely terminate translation. The mechanisms are thought to exist to protect cells from the deleterious effects of in-frame nonsense codons that are generated by routine inefficiencies and inaccuracies in RNA metabolism such as pre-mRNA splicing. Depending on the particular mRNA and how it is produced, nonsense codons can mediate a reduction in mRNA abundance either (i) before its release from an association with nuclei into the cytoplasm, presumably but not certainly while the mRNA is being exported to the cytoplasm and translated by cytoplasmic ribosomes, or (ii) in the cytoplasm. Here, we provide evidence for a factor that functions to eliminate the production of nonsense-containing RNAs in mammalian cells. The factor, variously referred to as Rent1 (regulator of nonsense transcripts) or HUPF1 (human Upf1 protein), was identified by isolating cDNA for a human homologue to Saccharomyces cerevisiae Upf1p, which is a group I RNA helicase that functions in the nonsense-mediated decay of mRNA in yeast. Using monkey COS cells and human HeLa cells, we demonstrate that expression of human Upf1 protein harboring an arginine-to-cysteine mutation at residue 844 within the RNA helicase domain acts in a dominant-negative fashion to abrogate the decay of nonsense-containing mRNA that takes place (i) in association with nuclei or (ii) in the cytoplasm. These findings provide evidence that nonsense-mediated mRNA decay is related mechanistically in yeast and in mammalian cells, regardless of the cellular site of decay.

The surveillance complex interacts with the translation release factors to enhance termination and degrade aberrant mRNAs.

The nonsense-mediated mRNA decay pathway is an example of an evolutionarily conserved surveillance pathway that rids the cell of transcripts that contain nonsense mutations. The product of the UPF1 gene is a necessary component of the putative surveillance complex that recognizes and degrades aberrant mRNAs. Recent results indicate that the Upf1p also enhances translation termination at a nonsense codon. The results presented here demonstrate that the yeast and human forms of the Upf1p interact with both eukaryotic translation termination factors eRF1 and eRF3. Consistent with Upf1p interacting with the eRFs, the Upf1p is found in the prion-like aggregates that contain eRF1 and eRF3 observed in yeast [PSI+] strains. These results suggest that interaction of the Upf1p with the peptidyl release factors may be a key event in the assembly of the putative surveillance complex that enhances translation termination, monitors whether termination has occurred prematurely, and promotes degradation of aberrant transcripts.

Mammalian orthologues of a yeast regulator of nonsense transcript stability.

All eukaryotes that have been studied to date possess the ability to detect and degrade transcripts that contain a premature signal for the termination of translation. This process of nonsense-mediated RNA decay has been most comprehensively studied in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae where at least three trans-acting factors (Upf1p through Upf3P) are required. We have cloned cDNAs encoding human and murine homologues of Upf1p, termed rent1 (regulator of nonsense transcripts). Rent1 is the first identified mammalian protein that contains all of the putative functional elements in Upf1p including zinc finger-like and NTPase domains, as well as all motifs common to members of helicase superfamily I. Moreover, expression of a chimeric protein, N and C termini of Upf1p, complements the Upf1p-deficient phenotype in yeast. Thus, despite apparent differences between yeast and mammalian nonsense-mediated RNA decay, these data suggest that the two pathways use functionally related machinery.