Specificity of ADAR-mediated RNA editing in newly identified targets

Adenosine deaminases that act on RNA (ADARs) convert adenosines to inosine in both coding and noncoding double-stranded RNA. Deficiency in either ADAR1 or ADAR2 in mice is incompatible with normal life and development. While the ADAR2 knockout phenotype can be attributed to the lack of editing of the GluR-B receptor, the embryonic lethal phenotype caused by ADAR1 deficiency still awaits clarification. Recently, massive editing was observed in noncoding regions of mRNAs in mice and humans. Moreover, editing was observed in protein-coding regions of four mRNAs encoding FlnA, CyFip2, Blcap, and IGFBP7. Here, we investigate which of the two active mammalian ADAR enzymes is responsible for editing of these RNAs and whether any of them could possibly contribute to the phenotype observed in ADAR knockout mice. Editing of Blcap, FlnA, and some sites within B1 and B2 SINEs clearly depends on ADAR1, while other sites depend on ADAR2. Based on our data, substrate specificities can be further defined for ADAR1 and ADAR2. Future studies on the biological implications associated with a changed editing status of the studied ADAR targets will tell whether one of them turns out to be directly or indirectly responsible for the severe phenotype caused by ADAR1 deficiency

RNA-Regulated Interaction of Transportin-1 and Exportin-5 with the Double-Stranded RNA-Binding Domain Regulates Nucleocytoplasmic Shuttling of ADAR1▿ †

Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-binding proteins interact with substrate RNAs via dsRNA-binding domains (dsRBDs). Several proteins harboring these domains exhibit nucleocytoplasmic shuttling and possibly remain associated with their substrate RNAs bound in the nucleus during nuclear export. In the human RNA-editing enzyme ADAR1-c, the nuclear localization signal overlaps the third dsRBD, while the corresponding import factor is unknown. The protein also lacks a clear nuclear export signal but shuttles between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Here we identify transportin-1 as the import receptor for ADAR1. Interestingly, dsRNA binding interferes with transportin-1 binding. At the same time, each of the dsRBDs in ADAR1 interacts with the export factor exportin-5. RNA binding stimulates this interaction but is not a prerequisite. Thus, our data demonstrate a role for some dsRBDs as RNA-sensitive nucleocytoplasmic transport signals. dsRBD3 in ADAR1 can mediate nuclear import, while interaction of all dsRBDs might control nuclear export. This finding may have implications for other proteins containing dsRBDs and suggests a selective nuclear export mechanism for substrates interacting with these proteins

Regulation of splicing by RNA editing

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Additional file 2: Table S1. of Transcriptome-wide effects of inverted SINEs on gene expression and their impact on RNA polymerase II activity

describing all DNA primers used in this study for regular and quantitative PCR analysis. (PDF 57 kb

Additional file 1: of Transcriptome-wide effects of inverted SINEs on gene expression and their impact on RNA polymerase II activity

Figure S1. Alu elements in iSINE containing constructs are edited, indicating that iSINEs can form double-stranded structures. Figure S2. Minimum free energy structures of the Znf708 UTR and the designed UTRs. Figure S3. ZNF-analogs mimicking the folding of the wildtype ZNF are edited, indicating that they form double-stranded structures. Figure S4. iSINEs do not lead to nuclear retention of RNAs. Figure S5. iSINE mediated gene repression is independent of dsRNA-activated kinase PKR and DICER or DROSHA activity. Figure S6. iSINEs do not interfere with mRNA polyadenylation. (PDF 2738 kb