Dynamic targeting of protein phosphatase 1 within the nuclei of living mammalian cells.

Protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) is expressed in mammalian cells as three closely related isoforms, alpha, beta/delta and gamma1, which are encoded by separate genes. It has yet to be determined whether the separate isoforms behave in a similar fashion or play distinct roles in vivo. We report here on analyses by fluorescence microscopy of functional and fluorescently tagged PP1 isoforms in live cells. PP1alpha and PP1gamma fluorescent protein fusions show largely complimentary localization patterns, particularly within the nucleus where tagged PP1gamma accumulates in the nucleolus, whereas tagged PP1alpha is primarily found in the nucleoplasm. Overexpression of NIPP1 (nuclear inhibitor of PP1), a PP1 targeting subunit that accumulates at interchromatin granule clusters in the nucleoplasm, results in a retargeting of both isoforms to these structures, indicating that steady-state localization is based, at least in part, on relative affinities for various targeting subunits. Photobleaching analyses show that PP1gamma is rapidly exchanging between the nucleolar, nucleoplasmic and cytoplasmic compartments. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) analyses indicate that the direct interaction of the two proteins predominantly occurs at or near interchromatin granule clusters. These data indicate that PP1 isoforms are highly mobile in cells and can be dynamically (re)localized through direct interaction with targeting subunits.

snRNP protein expression enhances the formation of Cajal bodies containing p80-coilin and SMN.

Splicing snRNPs (small nuclear ribonucleoproteins) are essential sub-units of the spliceosome. Here we report the establishment of stable cell lines expressing fluorescently tagged SmB, a core snRNP protein. Analysis of these stable cell lines has allowed us to characterize the nuclear pathway that leads to snRNP accumulation in nuclear speckles and has identified a limiting nucleolar step in the pathway that can be saturated by overexpression of Sm proteins. After nuclear import, newly assembled snRNPs accumulate first in a subset of Cajal bodies that contain both p80-coilin and the survival of motor neurons protein (SMN) and not in bodies that contain p80-coilin but lack SMN. Treatment of cells with leptomycin B (LMB) inhibits both the accumulation of snRNPs in nuclear bodies and their subsequent accumulation in speckles. The formation of Cajal bodies is enhanced by Sm protein expression and the assembly of new snRNPs. Formation of heterokaryons between HeLa cell lines expressing Sm proteins and primary cells that usually lack Cajal bodies results in the detection of Cajal bodies in primary cell nuclei. Transient over-expression of exogenous SmB alone is sufficient to induce correspondingly transient Cajal body formation in primary cells. These data indicate that the level of snRNP protein expression and snRNP assembly, rather than the expression levels of p80-coilin or SMN, may be a key trigger for Cajal body formation.

Newly assembled snRNPs associate with coiled bodies before speckles, suggesting a nuclear snRNP maturation pathway.

BACKGROUND: Small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs), which are essential components of the mRNA splicing machinery, comprise small nuclear RNAs, each complexed with a set of proteins. An early event in the maturation of snRNPs is the binding of the core proteins - the Sm proteins - to snRNAs in the cytoplasm followed by nuclear import. Immunolabelling with antibodies against Sm proteins shows that splicing snRNPs have a complex steady-state localisation within the nucleus, the result of the association of snRNPs with several distinct subnuclear structures. These include speckles, coiled bodies and nucleoli, in addition to a diffuse nucleoplasmic compartment. The reasons for snRNP accumulation in these different structures are unclear. RESULTS: When mammalian cells were microinjected with plasmids encoding the Sm proteins B, D1 and E, each tagged with either the green fluorescent protein (GFP) or yellow-shifted GFP (YFP), a pulse of expression of the tagged proteins was observed. In each case, the newly synthesised GFP/YFP-labelled snRNPs accumulated first in coiled bodies and nucleoli, and later in nuclear speckles. Mature snRNPs localised immediately to speckles upon entering the nucleus after cell division. CONCLUSIONS: The complex nuclear localisation of splicing snRNPs results, at least in part, from a specific pathway for newly assembled snRNPs. The data demonstrate that the distribution of snRNPs between coiled bodies and speckles is directed and not random.

Nuclear organization of pre-mRNA splicing factors.

The splicing of mRNA precursors (pre-mRNA) in the nucleus is catalyzed by a complex machinery termed the spliceosome. In order to understand how it functions in vivo, it is essential to complement biochemical analyses with a detailed study of how spliceosome components are organized within the nucleus.