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Plant Physiology 136:3414-3419 (2004) © 2004 American Society of Plant Biologists Targeting of Proteins to Endoplasmic Reticulum-Derived Compartments in Plants. The Importance of RNA Localization1Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 991646340 (A.J.C., H.W., T.W.O.); Department of Life Science, Yamaguchi Prefectural University, Yamaguchi 7538502, Japan (M.O.); and Institute of Genetic Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyushu University, Hakozaki, Fukuoka 8128581, Japan (T.K., H.S.)
The targeting of proteins to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a topic of considerable interest since this organelle serves as an entry point for proteins destined for other organelles, as well as for the ER itself. A unique feature of plants is that they are able to store proteins in the ER in addition to other endomembrane compartments, and the deposition of such storage proteins provides important sources of both human and animal nutrition. Thus, increasing our knowledge of the mechanisms required for the targeting of storage proteins to this crucial organelle will ultimately allow the modification of critical steps, leading to improvements in plants as a protein source as well as in crop yield and productivity. The entry of proteins into the endomembrane system is dependent on the presence of a transient N-terminal signal peptide. However, recent developments indicate that the localization of RNAs to specific ER subdomains may facilitate protein targeting within the endomembrane system. The aim of this Update is to introduce RNA localization as a means of targeting protein synthesis to specific intracellular locations with a focus on the localization of prolamine mRNA, and thus protein, to the ER-derived compartment known as the protein body. In addition to summarizing published research concerning prolamine mRNA localization, unpublished data showing the existence of multiple RNA localization pathways to specific ER subdomains and the role of mRNA targeting with respect to protein localization will be discussed.
In recent years, it has become clear that mRNA localization is a widespread and efficient means of targeting gene products to specific intracellular regions (for review, see Jansen, 2001
Historically, the most complete and best-characterized model systems for RNA localization are axis specification in the Drosophila oocyte and pole definition in the Xenopus embryo (Jansen, 2001
RNAs are localized by several different mechanisms, but the most common one, often called the RNA localization pathway (Wilhelm and Vale, 1993
Although mRNA localization is a cytoplasmic event, it has become increasingly apparent that early events in the nucleus are important. It is now believed that proteins that determine the destinations of mRNAs are recruited on native transcripts in the nucleus to form a precursor transport particle (Farina and Singer, 2002
Upon exiting the nucleus, the assembly of a large ribonucleoprotein particle or granule occurs as a result of the interaction of RNA-binding proteins with the targeted RNA, changing its conformation and thus triggering the binding of additional proteins. This RNA transport particle may contain multiple localized RNAs in addition to factors involved in targeting, anchoring, and translation so that protein synthesis can begin immediately once the target site is reached (Carson et al., 1998
The transport of RNA particles from the nucleus to the target site generally occurs via the cytoskeleton (other mechanisms exist but will not be discussed here), most frequently, but not always, using microtubules. These can form longer structures than actin microfilaments and are thus better suited for RNA localization in polarized, differentiated, vertebrate cells and oocytes (Kloc et al., 2002 In summary, the RNA localization pathway contains a number of distinct components to identify and characterize: (1) cis-acting RNA signals, which determine the mRNA localization site; (2) trans-acting RNA-binding proteins (and cointeracting proteins) that recognize these signals; (3) motor proteins and cytoskeleton elements (either actin filaments or microtubules) responsible for directed transport of RNA particles from the nucleus to the target site; and finally (4) proteins involved in translational regulation and RNA anchoring. Significant progress has been made with respect to identifying signals and the cytoskeletal elements required for transport. Recent findings on these aspects in rice are described below together with additional questions that have been raised and currently remain unanswered.
Unlike most plants, which preferentially accumulate a single major class of storage proteins, developing rice seeds synthesize large and essentially equimolar amounts of prolamines, the typical type accumulated by cereals, and glutelins, proteins homologous to the 11S globulins accumulated by legumes. In addition, the alcohol-soluble prolamines and salt-soluble globulin-like glutelins are stored within different compartments of the endomembrane system (Okita and Choi, 2002
Over the last decade, our lab has been working to elucidate the mechanisms by which selective targeting of prolamine and glutelin to different compartments is accomplished. Considerable progress has been made in this regard, and it is now known that the targeting of the mRNAs encoding these proteins to different subdomains of the ER is responsible for their distinct protein localizations (Li et al., 1993
Figure 1 shows how both prolamine and glutelin mRNAs are targeted via separate RNA-based mechanisms from their site of transcription in the nucleus to distinct subdomains of the ER (Choi et al., 2000
Both the PB-ER and C-ER subdomains are a part of the cortical ER in developing rice endosperm, a region closely associated with the cytoskeleton (Muench et al., 2000 , a protein synthesis factor that recruits aminoacyl-tRNAs to the acceptor site of ribosomes during peptide chain elongation (Clore et al., 1996
The nature of RNA transport and the role of the cytoskeleton were determined by real-time observation of prolamine RNA transport in living rice seeds. This was accomplished by using a modified two-gene expression system where the green fluorescent protein (GFP) was employed as a fluorescent tag to monitor RNA transport (Hamada et al., 2003a
Identification of cis-acting RNA localization signals indicates that there are multiple transport pathways to the cortical ER in rice. Initial studies demonstrated that prolamine peptide sequences were not essential for RNA localization, although initiation of translation is a prerequisite for correct prolamine mRNA localization to the PB-ER (Choi et al., 2000 -glucuronidase (Hamada et al., 2003b
Interestingly, replacing the prolamine 3'UTR with that of glutelin results in prolamine RNAs being redirected to the cisternal ER (Choi et al., 2000
The existence of these multiple RNA transport pathways is also supported by ongoing studies of rice storage protein mutants. Satoh and his colleagues (Ogawa et al., 1989 Based on the available evidence, we can devise a model of RNA transport in rice. Figure 2 shows the three separate (glutelin, prolamine, and default) RNA localization pathways from the nucleus to subdomains of the cortical ER, including branch points indicating their relative dominance and their relationship as well as the effect of the glup2, glup4, and glup6 mutations on RNA transport. The existence of a single shared pathway would presumably allow the use of common components to transport different RNAs. It remains to be resolved whether different RNA species are contained within the same transport particle or are present in different particles. In either case, additional components are necessary to confer specificity and to dictate which pathway should be followed by a particular RNA.
One question that remains unanswered is whether the same area of cisternal ER can serve as the target site for both glutelin and default RNA localization pathways. It is conceivable that the cisternal ER, often treated as a single entity, is in reality divided into regions with distinct functionalities. For example, RNAs that code for secretory proteins may be localized to an ER subdomain that is spatially isolated from that enriched for RNAs that code for proteins destined for the protein storage vacuole. This issue will undoubtedly be resolved by future research into ER function.
A prerequisite for RNA localization is the transport of RNAs in a quiescent state; otherwise, translation during transit would litter the protein throughout the cell. Two examples that illustrate the demand for translational arrest during RNA transport are oskar (Macdonald, 2004
A variety of repressor proteins that bind to the 3'UTR of the mRNA and suppress translation have been identified. However, except in a few cases, the mechanisms by which these proteins repress translation remain largely unknown (Kloc et al., 2002
One process for which an increasing number of occurrences are being documented is repression of translation by microRNAs, which bind to the 3'UTR of mRNA. The most relevant example with reference to RNA localization is the Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), which serves to modulate (mainly repress) translation as well as RNA transport in neurons (Siomi et al., 2004
There is currently no direct evidence for the involvement of RNAi in RNA transport in rice, although available data does not exclude this possibility. In addition to an FMRP homolog, the RISC of Drosophila S2 cells contain TSN-1 (Murchison and Hannon, 2004
The central tenet behind the targeting of mRNAs encoding seed storage proteins is that it directly influences the localization of the encoded protein, permitting high localized concentrations to be generated (Kloc et al., 2002 Examination of protein localization in glup2, glup4, and glup6 rice mutants has extended the evidence for tight coupling of RNA and protein localization. In these lines, mislocalization of prolamine RNAs to cisternal ER (glup2) or glutelin RNAs (glup4, glup6) to the PB-ER results in a corresponding relocalization of the resulting protein. For example, in glup4 and glup6 glutelin polypeptides were found not only in storage vacuole PB-II but also within the prolamine-containing PB-I (M. Ogawa, T. Kumamaru, and H. Satoh, unpublished data). This indicates that RNA localization is a crucial mechanism for ensuring correct mRNA and thus protein targeting. This new data does, however, raise a number of questions about protein transport and diffusivity within the ER lumen. First, how can redirecting prolamine mRNA to the cisternal ER cause that protein to interfere with glutelin deposition instead of being secreted? Second, why is it that glutelin encoded by an RNA that has been redirected to the PB-ER does not diffuse into the cisternal ER from where it might exit, but is instead trapped within this ER subdomain? It is possible that the answers to these questions lie in the physical properties of storage proteins and the high throughput of the actively synthesizing ER. A prolamine polypeptide that finds itself in the cisternal ER may become assembled with glutelins (with which it would not usually be in close proximity) and thus be escorted via the Golgi to protein storage vacuoles. The trapping of glutelin within prolamine protein bodies could be explained by limited lateral diffusion within the ER lumen. This would prevent such a protein from moving laterally into the cisternal ER. Irrespective of the mechanisms at work, it seems possible that interfering with RNA localization may trigger nonphysiological events, which, in the active cortical ER of endosperm tissue, contrive to result in aberrant protein localization.
Following the identification of zipcode sequences for prolamine mRNA targeting and characterization of the mRNA transport mechanism, the obvious next step is to identify and characterize trans-acting RNA-binding proteins and other cointeracting proteins. One strategy is to isolate RNA-binding proteins from cytoskeleton-rich developing rice seed extracts using biotinylated bait RNA with sequences corresponding to prolamine RNA localization signals. Map-based cloning of the glup2, glup4, and glup6 mutants is also under way to identify the genes that result in storage protein RNA mislocalization. The available information on RNA localization in plants raises a number of interesting questions that will be the subject of future research. Are there similar mRNA-targeting mechanisms that direct storage proteins to ER-derived protein bodies in other plant species, such as maize, or to storage vacuoles, as in legumes? What transport pathway is undertaken by RNAs that code for proteins packaged in precursor-accumulating vesicles? Are nonstorage protein RNAs targeted to specific regions of the ER according to their function or final subcellular destination? What is the role of RNA localization in the synthesis of cytoplasmic proteins? In the longer term, it is hoped that new model systems for RNA localization within the plant kingdom, such as embryogenesis and polar cell growth (root tip hairs, pollen tubes), will address the general significance of RNA localization in plant biology and lead to the identification of a whole crop of new protein targets to characterize.
Sequence data from this article have been deposited with the EMBL/GenBank data libraries under accession numbers 32990960, 32969243, 32977743, and 32986113. Received June 30, 2004; returned for revision August 10, 2004; accepted August 11, 2004.
1 This work was supported by the National Science Foundation (grant no. 0235140), by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (grant no. USDANRICRG 200300934), by the Agriculture Research Center, Washington State University (Project 0590), and by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan (grant nos. 10660009 and 1213826). www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/doi/10.1104/pp.104.048934. * Corresponding author; e-mail okita{at}wsu.edu; fax 5093357643.
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