An Argonaute Transports SiRNAs from the Cytoplasm to the Nucleus

Overview

Journal Science

Specialty Science

Date 2008 Jul 26

PMID 18653886

Citations 200

Authors

Shouhong Guang

Aaron F Bochner

Derek M Pavelec

Kirk B Burkhart

Sandra Harding

Jennifer Lachowiec

Scott Kennedy

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Ribonucleoprotein complexes consisting of Argonaute-like proteins and small regulatory RNAs function in a wide range of biological processes. Many of these small regulatory RNAs are predicted to act, at least in part, within the nucleus. We conducted a genetic screen to identify factors essential for RNA interference (RNAi) in nuclei of Caenorhabditis elegans and identified the Argonaute protein NRDE-3. In the absence of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), NRDE-3 resides in the cytoplasm. NRDE-3 binds siRNAs generated by RNA-dependent RNA polymerases acting on messenger RNA templates in the cytoplasm and redistributes to the nucleus. Nuclear redistribution of NRDE-3 requires a functional nuclear localization signal, is required for nuclear RNAi, and results in NRDE-3 association with nuclear-localized nascent transcripts. Thus, specific Argonaute proteins can transport specific classes of small regulatory RNAs to distinct cellular compartments to regulate gene expression.

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