Bicc1 polymerization regulates the localization and silencing of bound mRNA

B Rothé, L Leal-Esteban, F Bernet, S Urfer… - … and cellular biology, 2015 - Taylor & Francis
B Rothé, L Leal-Esteban, F Bernet, S Urfer, N Doerr, T Weimbs, J Iwaszkiewicz, DB Constam
Molecular and cellular biology, 2015Taylor & Francis
Loss of the RNA-binding protein Bicaudal-C (Bicc1) provokes renal and pancreatic cysts as
well as ectopic Wnt/β-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 …
Loss of the RNA-binding protein Bicaudal-C (Bicc1) provokes renal and pancreatic cysts as well as ectopic Wnt/β-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/β-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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