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PMID: 25976549 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

THO2, a core member of the THO/TREX complex, is required for microRNA production in Arabidopsis.

The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology ·Vol. 82 ·No. 6 ·2015-06-00 ·Pages 1018-1029

Francisco-Mangilet AG, Karlsson P, Kim MH, Eo HJ, Oh SA, Kim JH, Kulcheski FR, Park SK, Manavella PA

Abstract

The THO/TREX complex mediates transport of nascent mRNAs from the nucleus towards the cytoplasm in animals, and has a role in small interfering RNA-dependent processes in plants. Here we describe five mutant alleles of Arabidopsis thaliana THO2, which encodes a core subunit of the plant THO/TREX complex. tho2 mutants present strong developmental defects resembling those in plants compromised in microRNA (miRNA) activity. In agreement, not only were the levels of siRNAs reduced in tho2 mutants, but also those of mature miRNAs. As a consequence, a feedback mechanism is triggered, increasing the amount of miRNA precursors, and finally causing accumulation of miRNA-targeted mRNAs. Yeast two-hybrid experiments and confocal microscopy showed that THO2 does not appear to interact with any of the known miRNA biogenesis components, but rather with the splicing machinery, implying an indirect role of THO2 in small RNA biogenesis. Using an RNA immunoprecipitation approach, we found that THO2 interacts with miRNA precursors, and that tho2 mutants fail to recruit such precursors into the miRNA-processing complex, explaining the reduction in miRNA production in this mutant background. We also detected alterations in the splicing pattern of genes encoding serine/arginine-rich proteins in tho2 mutants, supporting a previously unappreciated role of the THO/TREX complex in alternative splicing.

Keywords
Arabidopsis thaliana THO/TREX complex THO2 gene silencing micro RNA small RNAs
MeSH Terms
Alternative Splicing Arabidopsis/genetics,metabolism Arabidopsis Proteins/genetics,metabolism Gene Expression Regulation, Plant MicroRNAs/genetics,metabolism Multiprotein Complexes/genetics,metabolism Mutation Plants, Genetically Modified RNA, Small Interfering/metabolism RNA-Binding Proteins/genetics,metabolism
Chemicals
Arabidopsis Proteins HYL1 protein, Arabidopsis MicroRNAs Multiprotein Complexes RNA, Small Interfering RNA-Binding Proteins SR34b protein, Arabidopsis THO2 protein, Arabidopsis
Authors & Affiliations
9 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Francisco-Mangilet Anchilie G
School of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 702-701, Korea.
Karlsson Patricia
Department of Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, D-72076, Tübingen, Germany.
Kim Myung-Hee
School of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 702-701, Korea.
Eo Hyeon Ju
School of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 702-701, Korea.
Oh Sung Aeong
School of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 702-701, Korea.
Kim Jeong Hoe
Department of Biology, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 702-701, Korea.
Kulcheski Franceli Rodrigues
Department of Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, D-72076, Tübingen, Germany.
Park Soon Ki
School of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, 702-701, Korea. | National Academy of Agricultural Science, Rural Development Administration, Jeonju, 560-500, Korea.
Manavella Pablo Andrés
Instituto de Agrobiotecnología del Litoral, Universidad Nacional del Litoral/CONICET, 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina.
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Article Info
Journal
The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology
Abbr.
Plant J
ISSN
1365-313X
DOI
10.1111/tpj.12874
Published
2015-06-00
Pages
1018-1029
Language
English
Region
England
NLM ID
9207397
Subset
IM
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1111/tpj.12874 View journal details
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