Citation

  • Authors: Rothe, B., Leal-Esteban, L., Bernet, F., Urfer, S., Doerr, N., Weimbs, T., Iwaszkiewicz, J., Constam, D. B.
  • Year: 2015
  • Journal: Mol Cell Biol 35 3339-53
  • Applications: in vitro / siRNA / INTERFERin
  • Cell types:
    1. Name: COS-1
      Description: African green monkey kidney cells
      Known as: COS, COS1
    2. Name: HEK-293
      Description: Human embryonic kidney Fibroblast
      Known as: HEK293, 293

Abstract

Loss of the RNA-binding protein Bicaudal-C (Bicc1) provokes renal and pancreatic cysts as well as ectopic Wnt/beta-catenin signaling during visceral left-right patterning. Renal cysts are linked to defective silencing of Bicc1 target mRNAs, including adenylate cyclase 6 (AC6). RNA binding of Bicc1 is mediated by N-terminal KH domains, whereas a C-terminal sterile alpha motif (SAM) self-polymerizes in vitro and localizes Bicc1 in cytoplasmic foci in vivo. To assess a role for multimerization in silencing, we conducted structure modeling and then mutated the SAM domain residues which in this model were predicted to polymerize Bicc1 in a left-handed helix. We show that a SAM-SAM interface concentrates Bicc1 in cytoplasmic clusters to specifically localize and silence bound mRNA. In addition, defective polymerization decreases Bicc1 stability and thus indirectly attenuates inhibition of Dishevelled 2 in the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. Importantly, aberrant C-terminal extension of the SAM domain in bpk mutant Bicc1 phenocopied these defects. We conclude that polymerization is a novel disease-relevant mechanism both to stabilize Bicc1 and to present associated mRNAs in specific silencing platforms.

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