Mol Cell Biol, May 1998, p. 2688-2696, Vol. 18, No. 5
0270-7306/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

andLaboratory of Biochemistry and Genetics, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0830
Received 3 November 1997/Returned for modification 5 January 1998/Accepted 23 February 1998
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ABSTRACT |
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We mapped and cloned SKI6 of Saccharomyces
cerevisiae, a gene that represses the copy number of the L-A
double-stranded RNA virus, and found that it encodes an essential
246-residue protein with homology to a tRNA-processing enzyme,
RNase PH. The ski6-2 mutant expressed electroporated
non-poly(A) luciferase mRNAs 8- to 10-fold better than did the isogenic
wild type. No effect of ski6-2 on expression of uncapped or
normal mRNAs was found. Kinetics of luciferase synthesis and direct
measurement of radiolabeled electroporated mRNA indicate that the
primary effect of Ski6p was on efficiency of translation rather than on
mRNA stability. Both ski6 and ski2 mutants show
hypersensitivity to hygromycin, suggesting functional alteration of the
translation apparatus. The ski6-2 mutant has normal amounts
of 40S and 60S ribosomal subunits but accumulates a 38S particle
containing 5'-truncated 25S rRNA but no 5.8S rRNA, apparently an
incomplete or degraded 60S subunit. This suggests an abnormality in 60S
subunit assembly. The ski6-2 mutation suppresses the poor
expression of the poly(A)
viral mRNA in a strain
deficient in the 60S ribosomal protein L4. Thus, a ski6
mutation bypasses the requirement of the poly(A) tail for translation,
allowing better translation of non-poly(A) mRNA, including the
L-A virus mRNA which lacks poly(A). We speculate that the
derepressed translation of non-poly(A) mRNAs is due to abnormal (but full-size) 60S subunits.
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INTRODUCTION |
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The 5' end of eucaryotic mRNA has a
cap structure of the form m7G5'ppp5'Xp, while the 3' end is
polyadenylated. Both of these structures are essential for efficient
translation and mRNA stability. The requirement for cap and poly(A)
structure for messenger expression constitutes a handicap for RNA
viruses whose mRNA is not made by the cellular machinery. L-A virus
mRNA lacks both 5' cap and 3' poly(A) structures (4, 52),
and its cytoplasmic location makes it unlikely that it can use cellular
enzymes to modify its mRNA. Indeed, translation plays a large role in
the interactions of the L-A double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus with its
host, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (reviewed in references
11, 22, 32, and 58). L-A has two
overlapping open reading frames, gag, encoding the major
coat protein, and pol, encoding the RNA-dependent RNA
polymerase and packaging function. L-A uses a
1 ribosomal frameshift
to make a Gag-Pol fusion protein, and the efficiency of this frameshift is critical for viral propagation (12-14).
Many viruses adopt a variety of tricks to acquire a cap or poly(A) structure. Influenza viruses and Bunyaviruses steal caps from cellular mRNAs; reoviruses, rhabdoviruses, and togaviruses encode their own capping enzymes; and Picornaviridae carry out cap-independent translation (15, 32). Picornaviruses, togaviruses, influenza viruses, and many other RNA viruses have an encoded sequence that is copied to produce mRNA with a 3' poly(A) structure, while rhabdoviruses have no encoded poly(A) but add it enzymatically to their transcripts. However, reoviruses and many plant virus mRNAs lack a 3' poly(A).
The apparent lack of 5' cap and 3' poly(A) does not prevent L-A from being highly expressed. However, this lack of both structures makes L-A mRNA expression sensitive to chromosomal mutations affecting functions related to cap or poly(A). Accordingly, studies of L-A have secondarily brought insights into the roles of cap and poly(A).
For instance, the SKI genes (named SKI for
superkiller) were identified by the superkiller phenotype of mutants
(45, 53). The L-A particles can separately encapsidate a
satellite dsRNA, called M dsRNA, encoding a secreted protein toxin (the
killer toxin). ski mutants have higher copy numbers of
M1 and L-A dsRNAs and so make more killer toxin
(1). SKI1 later proved to be XRN1,
encoding the 5'
3' exoribonuclease specific for uncapped RNA and
responsible for the major pathway of mRNA decay (21, 23, 37, 50,
51). It is evident how the uncapped L-A mRNA would be affected by
this protein. To subvert the Ski1p/Xrn1p nuclease, the L-A major coat
protein has a decapping activity which decapitates some cellular
mRNAs to partially distract the nuclease from working on the
capless L-A mRNA (2, 3, 31).
While SKI1 concerns RNA stability, SKI2,
SKI3, and SKI8 encode a system that blocks the
translation of non-poly(A) [poly(A)
] mRNA
(31). ski2, ski3, or ski8
mutants translated electroporated C+ A
[Cap+ poly(A)
] mRNA nearly as well as
C+ A+ mRNA. Both physical and functional
stabilities of the electroporated mRNA showed little effect from these
mutations. Ski3p is a 163-kDa nuclear protein (44), while
Ski2p is an RNA helicase with a glycine-arginine-rich domain typical of
nucleolar proteins and is homologous to a human nucleolar protein
(7, 28, 61). Ski8p has two copies of the
-transducin (WD)
repeat sequence but otherwise has no close homologs (33).
This suggested to us that the effects of ski2 and
ski3 (and ski8) on expression of
poly(A)
mRNAs might best be explained by a function
taking place in the nucleus.
Strains with mutations in any of more than 20 genes resulting in deficiency of 60S ribosomal subunits are defective in viral propagation (5, 41). Mutations in ski2, ski3, or ski8 suppress the effect of 60S subunit deficiency on viral propagation (31, 54). We adopted a model in which 60S interaction with poly(A) is a prerequisite for joining 40S subunits waiting at the initiator AUG (reviewed in reference 22), and these SKI products mediate this effect by a role in 60S subunit biogenesis (31, 41). This model explains why a deficiency of 60S subunits impairs viral propagation more than cell growth, why ski mutants show increased virus copy number and expression, and why ski mutations suppress mutations producing deficiency of 60S subunits.
SKI6 genetically resembles SKI2, SKI3, and SKI8 (45). Here, we show that SKI6 encodes an essential 246-residue protein homologous to several bacterial RNase PHs, an enzyme responsible for processing the 3' end of pre-tRNAs. We find that ski6-2 results in derepression of translation of non-poly(A) mRNA and hypersensitivity to the antibiotic hygromycin. The ski6 mutation suppresses the effect of 60S subunit deficiency on viral propagation. Polysome gradients reveal a novel 38S particle in ski6-2 mutants which contains a fragment of 25S rRNA and lacks 5.8S rRNA. These findings provide direct evidence that Ski6p is involved in 60S ribosomal subunit biogenesis and, perhaps through this, affects translation of non-poly(A) mRNA.
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MATERIALS AND METHODS |
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Genetic mapping of SKI6. M2 dsRNA is a killer toxin-encoding satellite of the L-A virus, meaning that its coat protein and replication proteins are encoded by L-A. At temperatures of 32°C or higher, M2 propagation depends on two genes, called MKT1 and MKT2 (maintenance of K2), which are not needed by M1 dsRNA (59, 60). Mutations in the SKI genes suppress this requirement of M2 for MKT genes (45). Many laboratory strains carry mkt1 mutations, and some have mkt2 mutations. We crossed mkt1 ski6 M2 strains with a set of multiply marked strains designed for genetic mapping (18) which proved to also be mkt1. We found ski6 tightly linked to ade3 (parental ditype = 58, nonparental ditype = 0, tetratype = 10, 7.3 centimorgans) on the right arm of chromosome VII.
Cloning of SKI6.
Strain RV493 (= MATa
ura3 ade3 his
leu2 trp1 ski6-2 mkt1 L-A-HN
M2) is stably K2+ at either 25 or
32°C, but if it becomes SKI+, then it will be
K2
after growth at 32°C. Several
clones
of yeast DNA located around ADE3 (46) were tested
by cotransformation of
clone DNA and plasmid pBM2240 cut with
EcoRI and XhoI (16). pBM2240 has
homology with the arms of the
clone, and the linearized plasmid can
replicate only by recombining with the
clone in such a way as to
transfer the insert into the plasmid pBM2240 (16). The
transformants were first isolated at 25°C, grown at 25 or 32°C, and
then tested for killer activity. Only
5047 gave recombinants which
complemented ski6-2 (see Fig. 1). The pBM2240 derivative
carrying the insert of
5047 was isolated, and subclones were made by
cleavage with HindIII and ligation to pRS316 cut with
the same enzyme. One of these subclones, 5047H8, complemented
ski6-2. 5047H8 was cut with SpeI,
SacI, SalI, ClaI, or XhoI,
followed by ligation. The ends of several of these clones were
sequenced and found to be included in the 9-kb region sequenced by
Guerreiro et al. (20). Only the SalI-cut and
religated derivative of 5047H8 complemented ski6-2, suggesting that the open reading frame (ORF) designated YGR195w was
SKI6 (see Fig. 1). This was confirmed by cloning the
1,283-bp AflII-AflII fragment (blunt ended with
Klenow fragment) containing YGR195w from the SalI derivative
of 5047H8 into pRS316 cut with SmaI and showing that the
resulting plasmid, pSKI6, complements ski6-2 (see Fig. 1).
Plasmid constructions.
To make a disruption of
SKI6, the AflII-AflII fragment
containing SKI6 was inserted in a Bluescript vector, making
pSK+SKI6, and the HIS3 gene on a
SmaI-PvuII fragment from pJJ215 (24) was inserted into pSK+SKI6 cut with NdeI (blunt
ended with Klenow fragment) and EcoRV, replacing a 369-bp
segment of SKI6 (Fig. 1). The resulting
pSK+ski6::HIS3 plasmid was digested with
NaeI and SacI and used to transform the diploid
strain 2959 × 2966 (=MATa/MAT
his3/his3
trp1/trp1 ura3/+ +/leu2 L-A-HN M2). To confirm the
disruption, chromosomal DNA was isolated, digested with
HindIII, blotted onto a nitrocellulose filter, and
probed with the 353-bp AflII-NdeI fragment. The
probe detected an 8.2-kb fragment in the normal sequence and a 2.4-kb
fragment in the disrupted sequence. The disrupted diploid 2959 × 2966 ski6::HIS3 segregated two viable
His+ spores with the undisrupted pattern to two inviable
spores. Diploid disruptants showed both undisrupted and disrupted
bands.
Expression of luciferase mRNAs.
The luciferase mRNA
expression plasmids T7 LUC [poly(A)
] and T7 LUC50
[50-mer poly(A) tail] have been described previously (19).
For RNA synthesis, T7 LUC was linearized with SmaI and T7
LUC50 was linearized with DraI. Transcripts were synthesized with the Ambion MEGAscript transcription kit in the presence or absence
of the cap analog m7GpppG in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. After DNase I treatment followed by precipitation with
LiCl, RNAs were passed over G-50 columns (5 Prime-3 Prime Inc.
SELECT-B). RNA was quantitated both by measuring the optical density at
260 nm (OD260) and by a comparison on agarose gels with
known concentration standards.
Stability of electroporated RNA and luciferase accumulation. The method for determination of stability of electroporated RNA and luciferase accumulation is identical to that described previously (31) except that collected spheroplasts were quickly washed twice with 0.5 ml of 1 M sorbitol, and resulting pellets were frozen in a dry ice-ethanol mix. For every time and strain, two samples were collected. One pellet was used for a luciferase assay, and the other was used to extract RNA.
Yeast extracts, polysome preparation, and analysis. Cell lysis was done by a modification of a published protocol (40). Cycloheximide (100 µg/ml) was added to a 200-ml cell culture at 30°C in H-Ura at an OD600 of 0.4 or 0.5. For growth at the nonpermissive temperature, cells were grown first at 30°C to an OD600 of 0.05 to 0.1 and then at 39°C for 8 h. The culture was quickly cooled in ice water after cycloheximide was added and then centrifuged and washed in 20 ml of buffer A containing 20 mM HEPES (pH 7.5 with KOH), 10 mM KCl, 5 mM MgCl2, 1 mM EGTA, 1 mM dithiothreitol, and 100 µg of cycloheximide per ml (water was treated with diethylpyrocarbonate). After a quick centrifugation, the pellet was resuspended in 0.6 ml of buffer A. A 1.4-g amount of glass beads (Biospec Products) was added, and cell lysis was performed by bead beating twice for 30 s each time (with intermittent cooling) in a minibead beater (Biospec Products). After lysis, the cell extract was clarified for 5 min at full speed in a microcentrifuge. Twenty-five OD260 units of each lysate was centrifuged through 11 ml of 10 to 50% linear sucrose gradients containing buffer A without dithiothreitol or cycloheximide. For a plain polysome profile, gradients were centrifuged for 2.5 h at 39,000 rpm in an SW41 rotor at 4°C. To obtain better resolution of species around 40S, centrifugations at 27,000 rpm for 14 h were done. Gradients were run at 4°C through a UV ISCO type 6 monitor reading OD254.
Northern hybridization. While gradients were read, fractions (0.5 ml) were collected and kept cool before an RNA extraction was performed. RNA was extracted by adding 50 µl of 10% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), vortexing, and adding 550 µl of phenol previously equilibrated in buffer AE (50 mM Na acetate [pH 5.3], 10 mM EDTA). After vortexing, the tubes were incubated at 65°C for 4 min and then frozen in a dry ice-ethanol mix, followed by a 6-min centrifugation at room temperature. A second extraction with 600 µl of phenol-Tris-EDTA-chloroform was performed, RNA from 400 µl of supernatant was precipitated with 40 µl of 3 M Na acetate (pH 5.3) and 2.5 volumes of ethanol and centrifuged at 4°C for 30 min, and the pellet was washed in 80% ethanol. From each RNA pellet resuspended in diethylpyrocarbonate-water, one-fifth was loaded on a 1.4% agarose gel containing formamide. The size-fractionated RNA was blotted onto a Hybond-N membrane (Amersham). Hybridization to end-labeled oligodeoxynucleotide probes was carried out at 30°C overnight in 6× SSC (1× SSC is 0.15 M NaCl plus 0.015 M sodium citrate)-5× Denhardt's solution-0.5% SDS-1 mM EDTA. The filters were washed successively at 30°C in 5× SSC-0.1% SDS and then in 1× SSC-0.1% SDS (and 0.1× SSC-0.1% SDS if a background persisted).
Total RNA extracts were obtained from 30 ml of cell cultures (OD600 = 0.4) grown at 30°C. Cell pellets were resuspended in 400 µl of buffer AE, and RNA was extracted as previously mentioned. Northern blot analysis was performed as described above, except that 30 µg of RNA for each strain was loaded on a 4% agarose gel (Nusieve GTG; FMC BioProducts). The probes used were p18S (5'CGTCCTATTCTATTATTCCATG3'), p5.8S (5'TTTCGCTGGGTTCTTCATC3'), p25S (5'GCCCGTTCCCTTGGCTGTG3') (complementary to 25S rRNA bases 2359 to 2377), p25S5' (5'GCGGGTACTCCTACCTGATTTGAGGTC3') (complementary to 25S rRNA bases 5 to 31), and p25S3' (5'CAGCAGATCGTAACAACAAGGCTACTCTAC3') (complementary to bases 3336 to 3365).Drug hypersensitivity test. Isogenic wild-type and ski6 cells growing in selective medium (H-Ura) in log phase were diluted to OD600s of 0.15, 0.015, and 0.0015, and 5-µl aliquots were spotted on selective plates (H-Ura) with and without drug (the viabilities of both strains appeared to be identical and proportional to the measured OD on YPAD and H-Ura media). In the experiment shown, concentrations of hygromycin B, paromomycin, and cycloheximide of 50 µg/ml, 300 µg/ml, and 100 ng/ml (concentrations twofold higher prevented the growth of both strains), respectively, were used. The wild-type strain, 3221 (61), and an isogenic ski2 disruptant (ski2::HIS3) were tested in the same manner on YPAD plates with or without drug.
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RESULTS |
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SKI6 is an essential gene, and Ski6p is homologous to
tRNA- processing enzymes and to proteins of Caenorhabditis
elegans and Schizosaccharomyces pombe.
We genetically
mapped SKI6, finding it tightly linked to ADE3 on
chromosome VII. We obtained
clones (46) including this small area and cloned the gene from one of them (see Materials and Methods) (Fig. 1). Since the gene
complementing the ski6 mutation was obtained
from DNA mapping close to ADE3, we have cloned
SKI6 and not a suppressor. Sequence analysis shows that the
246-residue Ski6 protein is most closely related to proteins encoded by
uncharacterized ORFs found in S. pombe and
C. elegans (Fig. 2). These
proteins are similar through most of their sequences except for the
C. elegans SKI6 homolog, which has an N-terminal extension
beyond the region of homology. Ski6p is also more distantly
related to Mtr3p, a nucleolar protein required for mRNA export
from the nucleus (25).
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spores:two inviable spores (15 of 16 tetrads
examined), indicating that SKI6 is an essential gene. The
ski6-2 mutant strains are temperature sensitive for
growth at 39°C, and the temperature sensitivity is complemented
by our clone of SKI6. In liquid culture, ski6-2
cells gradually stop growth after about three doublings, with no unique
morphology of the arrested cells. Revertants do not appear on plating a
ski6 mutant at 39°C on rich medium.
Thus, SKI6, whose mutation, like ski1,
ski2, ski3, and ski8, increases
expression of the uncapped, nonpolyadenylated viral mRNAs, is an
essential gene with similarities to sequences corresponding to known
3'
5' exonucleases. Ski6p might act on stability of mRNAs (on the
Ski1p model) or on translation (like Ski2p, Ski3p, and Ski8p).
Ski6p blocks translation of non-poly(A) mRNA.
We used
electroporation of luciferase mRNAs to study the effect of a
ski6-2 mutation (Table 1). In
a wild-type strain, cap+ poly(A)+ mRNA was
translated 33 times better than cap+ poly(A)
mRNA (Table 1). In the isogenic ski6-2 strain, the
poly(A)+ mRNA was translated only three times better than
poly(A)
mRNA. Thus, the ski6-2 mutation
increases the efficiency of translation of C+
A
mRNA 10-fold. A similar effect on C
A
mRNA translation was also seen, with an eightfold
increase in translation in the ski6-2 strain (Table 1). In
contrast, there is no effect of the ski6-2 mutation on
translation of C
A+ mRNA (Table 1).
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Antibiotic sensitivity of ski6 mutants. Many mutations affecting components of the translation apparatus produce hypersensitivity to hygromycin B (6, 49) and other drugs that increase translational errors (30). We found that ski6-2 strains are hypersensitive to hygromycin B (Fig. 5), supporting the notion that they affect translation. We also found that ski2 strains are hypersensitive to hygromycin B and slightly hypersensitive to cycloheximide (Fig. 5). Neither ski2 nor ski6 mutants are hypersensitive to paromomycin (data not shown).
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ski6 mutants have a novel 25S rRNA-containing particle. At 30°C, growth rates of the isogenic ski6 and wild-type strains are almost identical, although the ski6 mutant shows a greater delay in leaving stationary phase than does the wild type. The amount of polysomes in ski6 strains is consistently lower than that in the wild-type (Fig. 6). The normal growth rates imply that translation is proceeding at an essentially normal rate, although, as shown above, non-poly(A) mRNAs are more translatable in ski6 cells under these conditions. In cells grown at 30°C, the polysome gradients reveal the existence of an extra peak in the ski6 strain, sedimenting slightly slower than the 40S subunits (Fig. 6 and 7). This 38S extra peak is most clearly distinguished from the 40S ribosomal subunit in longer centrifugation runs (Fig. 7). The amount of this extra peak is increased by a shift of temperature to 39°C, the nonpermissive temperature, and the mutant stops growing after three more generations. The ratio of polysomes in ski6-2 cells to those in SKI+ cells is similar at 39°C to the ratio at 30°C (Fig. 6).
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ski6-2 suppresses the effect of 60S subunit deficiency
on L-A mRNA translation.
The SKI genes were
discovered based on their derepression of virus expression. Mutations
in genes needed for 60S ribosome biogenesis, including 60S subunit
protein genes, show reduced copy number of L-A dsRNA and loss of the
killer toxin-encoding satellite M1 dsRNA (41).
The mak7-1 mutation is deficient in ribosomal protein L4,
has decreased free 60S ribosomal subunits, and shows halfmers, due to
polysomes with a 40S subunit which is awaiting 60S joining
(41). These mutants lose M1 dsRNA, but we find
that ski6-2 mak7-1 double mutants propagate M1
normally. The mak7-1 ski6-2 strain 4566-2C
(=MATa trp1 leu2 ura3 ski6-2 mak7-1 his
ade3) was transformed with either pSKI6 or pYRC50 (41)
or both to make isogenic strains defective in one or both genes.
Polysome profiles were obtained as described in Materials and Methods, and the ability of the double mutant to propagate M1 was
examined. The mak7-1 strain lost M1, but the
isogenic wild type and the ski6-2 mak7-1 double mutant
propagate M1 normally. This indicates that translation of
the L-A mRNA [which lacks poly(A)] is improved as a result of the
ski6-2 mutation. Moreover, the halfmer peak is absent in
polysome gradients of the double mutants (Fig.
9), suggesting an alteration in the 60S
joining reaction.
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DISCUSSION |
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Ski6p is involved in 60S ribosome assembly. Mutations in ribosomal protein genes result in decreased rates and extents of ribosome assembly as expected from their being essential components of the final structure (36, 63). Other components that are not part of the finished product but are necessary for its construction have also been identified (29, 47, 55, 57).
Ski6p is clearly not one of the ribosomal proteins, but we show that a ski6 mutant, even at the permissive temperature, accumulates a novel particle that contains a fragment of 25S rRNA lacking the 5' end of the normal 25S rRNA. This is likely to be either a misassembled 60S subunit or a misassembled and then partially degraded 60S particle. This particle lacks 5.8S rRNA, and the cells show some deficiency of total 5.8S rRNA in comparison to an isogenic wild-type strain. There is no change in the relative levels of free 60S or 40S particles. It is unlikely that the 38S particle carries out any of the reactions of protein synthesis since it lacks both 5.8S rRNA and part of 25S rRNA. However, the ski6 mutants plainly do have alterations of the translation apparatus itself. They are hypersensitive to hygromycin B, a phenotype typical of mutants in components of the translation apparatus. ski2 mutants show the same phenotype. This suggests that, in addition to the 38S defective 60S ribosomal subunits that accumulate in ski6 strains, the normal-sized 60S subunits are probably also functionally abnormal, perhaps by containing improperly processed rRNA. Mitchell et al. have found that Ski6p is in a complex with other RNA-processing exoribonucleases (34), suggesting that it has a similar function. One of these exoribonucleases, Rrp4p, is known to be involved in 5.8S rRNA processing (35), and ski6 (renamed rrp41) mutants are likewise defective in 5.8S rRNA processing (34).Does Ski6p derepress translation of non-poly(A) mRNAs via alterations of full-sized 60S subunits? Ski6p, like Ski2p, Ski3p, and Ski8p, is necessary for blocking the translation of non-poly(A) mRNAs, such as the viral mRNAs whose overexpression formed the basis of the original mutant isolations. The evidence points to translation, rather than mRNA turnover, as the basis of the derepressed expression of non-poly(A) mRNAs. The kinetics of luciferase accumulation and direct measurements of mRNA turnover show the pattern expected for a translation effect.
The ski2, ski3, ski6, and ski8 mutants translate non-poly(A) mRNAs nearly as well as they do poly(A)+ mRNAs (31; also this work), showing that the translation apparatus is inherently able to use non-poly(A) mRNAs. Indeed, it had already been shown that poly(A)-deficient mRNAs are found on polysomes in strains lacking the SKI1/XRN1 exoribonuclease that degrades uncapped mRNAs (21) and in a poly(A) polymerase temperature-sensitive mutant shifted to the nonpermissive temperature (43). Elucidating the means by which Ski proteins block translation of non-poly(A) mRNA requires consideration of the role in translation of the 3' poly(A) structure of eucaryotic mRNA, an area which remains controversial (reviewed in references 22 and 48). Translation of electroporated mRNAs is stimulated by the 5' cap and 3' poly(A) structures by 12- and 200-fold, respectively (19, 56). The 3' poly(A) structure is known to affect mRNA turnover (for an example, see reference 8), but the kinetics of reporter synthesis show that there is a substantial effect on synthesis, independent of mRNA stability differences (19). One role suggested for poly(A) is to promote the joining of the 60S subunit to the 40S subunit waiting with associated initiation factors at the initiator AUG (38; for reviews, see references 22 and 39). This was proposed to occur by an interaction between the poly(A) and the 60S subunit, forming a circular mRNA, at least at the time of initiation. Our results support this model (31, 41; also this work). A deficiency of free 60S ribosomal subunits (in strains with mutations in any of 20 mak genes) results in poor translation of the viral mRNAs because they lack poly(A) and so compete poorly with the poly(A)+ cellular mRNAs for limiting free 60S subunits (41). Indeed, limitation of 40S or 60S subunits in a strain temperature sensitive for poly(A) polymerase showed greater discrimination against non-poly(A) mRNA when 60S subunits were limiting (42). Mutations in the ski2, ski3, ski6, and ski8 genes improve viral mRNA translation [since they improve the translation of all non-poly(A) mRNAs] and suppress the effect of 60S subunit deficiency (without restoring the levels of 60S subunits) (31; also this work). Another model for the role of poly(A) in translation involves the association of the poly(A) binding protein with eIF-4G (48). However, this model does not suggest an explanation of our data. We suggested that the Ski2, Ski3, and Ski8 proteins prepare 60S subunits so that they have the requirement for interaction with the 3' poly(A) structure before they will join with the 40S subunit waiting at the AUG (31, 41, 58). We had no direct evidence that these proteins have these effects by altering 60S biogenesis besides the fact that Ski3p is nuclear (44) and that Ski2p is highly homologous to the mammalian Ski2p (28, 61) which has been localized to the nucleolus (28). In the case of ski6, we have shown directly that 60S subunits are altered.Conclusions. We find that SKI6 encodes a homolog of bacterial tRNA-processing enzymes and is necessary for a system that specifically blocks translation of non-poly(A) mRNA. We see a novel species in ski6 mutants that includes a fragment of 25S rRNA but lacks 5.8S rRNA, suggesting that in these strains 60S subunits are not properly formed. Hygromycin B hypersensitivity and suppression of halfmers in a mutant deficient in the ribosomal protein L4 also support the idea that a subtle modification exists in the functional ribosomes and suggests that this modification bypasses the requirement of a 3' poly(A) for translation.
The results presented here and previously (31) suggest that the default for translation is efficient translation of mRNA independent of poly(A) and that, in a wild-type cell, the specificity for poly(A) mRNA is accomplished (by the Ski2, Ski3, Ski6, and Ski8 proteins) by repressing translation of poly(A)
mRNA.
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FOOTNOTES |
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* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Bldg. 8, Room 225, NIH, 8 Center Dr., MSC 0830, Bethesda, MD 20892-0830. Phone: (301) 496-3452. Fax: (301) 402-0240. E-mail: wickner{at}helix.nih.gov.
Present address: Technology Development and Commercialization
Branch, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Md.
Present address: CBER, Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda,
Md.
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