Christopher R. Faehnle

The Making of a Slicer: Activation of Human Argonaute-1

Argonautes are the central protein component in small RNA silencing pathways. Of the four human Argonautes (hAgo1-hAgo4) only hAgo2 is an active slicer. We determined the structure of hAgo1 bound to endogenous copurified RNAs to 1.75xa0Å resolution and hAgo1 loaded with let-7 microRNA to 2.1xa0Å. Both structures are strikingly similar to the structures of hAgo2. A conserved catalytic tetrad within the PIWI domain of hAgo2 is required for its slicing activity. Completion of the tetrad, combined with a mutation on a loop adjacent to the active site of hAgo1, results in slicer activity that is substantially enhanced by swapping in the N domain of hAgo2. hAgo3, with an intact tetrad, becomes an active slicer by swapping the N domain of hAgo2 without additional mutations. Intriguingly, the elements that make Argonaute anxa0active slicer involve a sophisticated interplay between the active site and more distant regions of the enzyme.

Mechanism of Dis3l2 substrate recognition in the Lin28-let-7 pathway.

The pluripotency factor Lin28 inhibits the biogenesis of the let-7 family of mammalian microRNAs. Lin28 is highly expressed in embryonic stem cells and has a fundamental role in regulation of development, glucose metabolism and tissue regeneration. Overexpression of Lin28 is correlated with the onset of numerous cancers, whereas let-7, a tumour suppressor, silences several human oncogenes. Lin28 binds to precursor let-7 (pre-let-7) hairpins, triggering the 3′ oligo-uridylation activity of TUT4 and TUT7 (refs 10, 11, 12). The oligoU tail added to pre-let-7 serves as a decay signal, as it is rapidly degraded by Dis3l2 (refs 13, 14), a homologue of the catalytic subunit of the RNA exosome. The molecular basis of Lin28-mediated recruitment of TUT4 and TUT7 to pre-let-7 and its subsequent degradation by Dis3l2 is largely unknown. To examine the mechanism of Dis3l2 substrate recognition we determined the structure of mouse Dis3l2 in complex with an oligoU RNA to mimic the uridylated tail of pre-let-7. Three RNA-binding domains form an open funnel on one face of the catalytic domain that allows RNA to navigate a path to the active site different from that of its exosome counterpart. The resulting path reveals an extensive network of uracil-specific interactions spanning the first 12 nucleotides of an oligoU-tailed RNA. We identify three U-specificity zones that explain how Dis3l2 recognizes, binds and processes uridylated pre-let-7 in the final step of the Lin28–let-7 pathway.

PTEN Functions by Recruitment to Cytoplasmic Vesicles

PTEN is proposed to function at the plasma membrane, where receptor tyrosine kinases are activated. However, the majority of PTEN is located throughout the cytoplasm. Here, we show that cytoplasmic PTEN is distributed along microtubules, tethered toxa0vesicles via phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PI(3)P), the signature lipid of endosomes. We demonstrate that the non-catalytic C2 domain of PTEN specifically binds PI(3)P through the CBR3 loop. Mutations render this loop incapable of PI(3)P binding and abrogate PTEN-mediated inhibition of PI 3-kinase/AKT signaling. This loss of function is rescued by fusion of the loop mutant PTEN to FYVE, the canonical PI(3)P binding domain, demonstrating the functional importance of targeting PTEN to endosomal membranes. Beyond revealing an upstream activation mechanism of PTEN, our data introduce the concept of PI 3-kinase signal activation on the vast plasma membrane that is contrasted by PTEN-mediated signal termination on the small, discrete surfaces of internalized vesicles.

Argonaute MID domain takes centre stage.

Two recent papers, one in EMBO reports and one in Nature give us the first eukaryotic structures of Argonaute MID domains; providing a structural basis for the 5′-nucleotide recognition of the guide strand and a possible explanation for the allosteric regulation of RNA binding.

Multivalent Recruitment of Human Argonaute by GW182

In miRNA-mediated gene silencing, the physical interaction between human Argonaute (hAgo) and GW182 (hGW182) is essential for facilitating the downstream silencing of the targeted mRNA. GW182 can interact with hAgo via three of the GW/WG repeats in its Argonaute-binding domain: motif-1, motif-2, and the hook motif. The structure of hAgo1 in complex with the hook motif of hGW182 reveals a gate-like interaction that is critical for GW182 docking into one of hAgo1s tryptophan-binding pockets. We show that hAgo1 and hAgo2 have a single GW182-binding sitexa0and that miRNA binding increases hAgos affinity to GW182. With target binding occurring rapidly, this ensures that only mature RISC would be recruited for silencing. Finally, we show that hGW182 can recruit up to three copies of hAgo via its three GW motifs. This may explain the observed cooperativity in miRNA-mediated gene silencing.

Multi-domain utilization by TUT4 and TUT7 in control of let-7 biogenesis

The uridyl transferases TUT4 and TUT7 (collectively called TUT4(7)) switch between two modes of activity, either promoting expression of let-7 microRNA (monoU) or marking it for degradation (oligoU). Lin28 modulates the switch via recruitment of TUT4(7) to the precursor pre-let-7 in stem cells and human cancers. We found that TUT4(7) utilize two multidomain functional modules during the switch from monoU to oligoU. The catalytic module (CM) is essential for both activities, while the Lin28-interacting module (LIM) is indispensable for oligoU. A TUT7 CM structure trapped in the monoU activity staterevealed a duplex-RNA-binding pocket that orients group II pre-let-7 hairpins to favor monoU addition. Conversely, the switch to oligoU requires the ZK domain of Lin28 to drive the formation of a stable ternary complex between pre-let-7 and the inactive LIM. Finally, ZK2 of TUT4(7) aids oligoU addition by engaging the growing oligoU tail through uracil-specific interactions.

Slicer and the Argonautes

Argonautes are the central protein component in small RNA silencing pathways. Of the four human Argonautes (hAgo1-4) only hAgo2 is an active slicer. We have determined structures of the catalytically active hAgo2 as well as the catalytically inactive hAgo1, both bound to discrete miRNAs. The structures are strikingly similar. A conserved catalytic tetrad within the PIWI domain of hAgo2 is required for its slicing activity. Completion of the tetrad combined with a mutation on a loop adjacent to the active site of hAgo1 results in slicer activity that is substantially enhanced by swapping in the N domain of hAgo2. hAgo3, with an intact tetrad, becomes an active slicer by swapping the N domain of hAgo2, without additional mutations. Intriguingly, the elements that make Argonaute an active slicer involve a sophisticated interplay between the active site and more distant regions of the enzyme.

Abstract 5156: Upstream activation of PTEN.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DCnnThe PTEN tumor suppressor is among the most frequently altered genes of cancer. PTEN suppression at the protein level is critically associated with disease since PTEN is haploinsufficient in many cancer types, including prostate. We have recently shown strong cooperation between protein phosphatases and PTEN to suppress PI 3-Kinase and AKT signaling in prostate cancer. Intriguingly, our findings showed that PTEN status orchestrates a PHLPP2 response by controlling the protein levels of this phosphatase.nnYet, little is known about genes that control the levels and activity of PTEN to a degree that they critically maintain its function in disease. Therefore, it is assumed that PTEN is constitutively active in normal cells.nnHere we identify the upstream activation mechanism of PTEN and discuss the consequences for cancer diagnosis and therapy with PI 3-Kinase pathway inhibitors.nnCitation Format: Adam Naguib, Gyula Bencze, Christopher R. Faehnle, Thomas Schalch, Zsolt Lazar, Cristian I. Ruse, Leemor Joshua-Tor, Darryl J. Pappin, Lloyd C. Trotman. Upstream activation of PTEN. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5156. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-5156