Abstract
RNA helicase A (RHA) is a highly conserved DEAD-box protein that activates transcription, modulates RNA splicing and binds the nuclear pore complex. The life cycle of typical mRNA involves RNA processing and translation after ribosome scanning of a relatively unstructured 5′ untranslated region (UTR). The precursor RNAs of retroviruses and selected cellular genes harbor a complex 5′ UTR and use a yet-to-be-identified host post-transcriptional effector to stimulate efficient translation. Here we show that RHA recognizes a structured 5′-terminal post-transcriptional control element (PCE) of a retrovirus and the JUND growth-control gene. RHA interacts with PCE RNA in the nucleus and cytoplasm, facilitates polyribosome association and is necessary for its efficient translation. Our results reveal a previously unidentified role for RHA in translation and implicate RHA as an integrative effector in the continuum of gene expression from transcription to translation.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 509-516 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Nature Structural and Molecular Biology |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 26 2006 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We are grateful to K. Green-Church and the Ohio State University CCIC proteomics core for mass spectrophotometry, W.C. Merrick for valuable discussion, K. Hayes, I. Younis and members of the K.B.-L. laboratory for comments on the manuscript and T. Vojt for figure preparation. This work was supported by grants from the US National Institutes of Health (P01CA16058 and P30CA100730).