The surveillance complex interacts with the translation release factors to enhance termination and degrade aberrant mRNAs

Kevin Czaplinski, Maria J. Ruiz-Echevarria, Sergey V. Paushkin, Xia Han, Youmin Weng, Haley A. Perlick, Harry C. Dietz, Michael D. Ter-Avanesyan, Stuart W. Peltz

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

286 Scopus citations

Abstract

The nonsense-mediated mRNA decay pathway is an example of an evolutionarily conserved surveillance pathway that rids the cell of transcripts that contain nonsense mutations. The product of the UPF1 gene is a necessary component of the putative surveillance complex that recognizes and degrades aberrant mRNAs. Recent results indicate that the Upf1p also enhances translation termination at a nonsense codon. The results presented here demonstrate that the yeast and human forms of the Upf1p interact with both eukaryotic translation termination factors eRF1 and eRF3. Consistent with Upf1p interacting with the eRFs, the Upf1p is found in the prion-like aggregates that contain eRF1 and eRF3 observed in yeast [PSI+] strains. These results suggest that interaction of the Upf1p with the peptidyl release factors may be a key event in the assembly of the putative surveillance complex that enhances translation termination, monitors whether termination has occurred prematurely, and promotes degradation of aberrant transcripts.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1665-1677
Number of pages13
JournalGenes and Development
Volume12
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1 1998

Keywords

  • MRNA decay
  • MRNA surveillance
  • Nonsense mutation
  • Release factors
  • Ribosome
  • Translation termination

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

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