Abstract
Drosophila Dicer-2 processes RNA substrates into short interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Loquacious-PD (Loqs-PD), a dsRNA-binding protein that associates with Dicer-2, is required for processing of a subset of RNA substrates including hairpin RNAs into siRNAs. Inorganic phosphate—a small molecule present in all cell types—inhibits Dicer-2 from processing precursor of microRNAs (pre-miRNAs), which are processed by Dicer-1. Whether or how Loqs-PD modulates the inhibitory effect of inorganic phosphate on Dicer-2 processing of RNA substrates is unknown. To address this question, I performed in vitro hairpin RNA processing assay with Dicer-2 in the presence or absence of Loqs-PD and/or inorganic phosphate. I found that inorganic phosphate inhibits Dicer-2 alone, but not Dicer-2 + Loqs-PD, from processing blunt-end hairpin RNAs into siRNAs. Thus, Loqs-PD removes the inhibitory effect of inorganic phosphate on Dicer-2 processing of blunt-end hairpin RNAs, allowing siRNA production in the presence of inorganic phosphate.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1022-1027 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications |
Volume | 498 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 15 2018 |
Keywords
- Dicer-2
- Inorganic phosphate
- Loquacious
- RNA silencing
- dsRNA
- siRNA
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biophysics
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology