PUBLICATION
A Seed Mismatch Enhances Argonaute2-Catalyzed Cleavage and Partially Rescues Severely Impaired Cleavage Found in Fish
- Authors
- Chen, G.R., Sive, H., Bartel, D.P.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-171223-9
- Date
- 2017
- Source
- Molecular Cell 68: 1095-1107.e5 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Sive, Hazel
- Keywords
- AGO2, Argonaute, RISC, RNAi, in vitro slicing, kinetic analysis, miR-451 processing, miRNA, siRNA design
- MeSH Terms
-
- MicroRNAs/genetics
- MicroRNAs/metabolism*
- Animals
- Humans
- Argonaute Proteins/genetics
- PubMed
- 29272705 Full text @ Mol. Cell
Abstract
The RNAi pathway provides both innate immunity and efficient gene-knockdown tools in many eukaryotic species, but curiously not in zebrafish. We discovered that RNAi is less effective in zebrafish at least partly because Argonaute2-catalyzed mRNA slicing is impaired. This defect is due to two mutations that arose in an ancestor of most teleost fish, implying that most fish lack effective RNAi. Despite lacking efficient slicing activity, these fish have retained the ability to produce miR-451, a microRNA generated by a cleavage reaction analogous to slicing. This ability is due to a G-G mismatch within the fish miR-451 precursor, which substantially enhances its cleavage. An analogous G-G mismatch (or sometimes also a G-A mismatch) enhances target slicing, despite disrupting seed pairing important for target binding. These results provide a strategy for restoring RNAi to zebrafish and reveal unanticipated opposing effects of a seed mismatch with implications for mechanism and guide-RNA design.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping