TDP-43 binds heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A/B through its C-terminal tail: an important region for the inhibition of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator exon 9 splicing

J Biol Chem. 2005 Nov 11;280(45):37572-84. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M505557200. Epub 2005 Sep 12.

Abstract

TDP-43 is a highly conserved nuclear factor of yet unknown function that binds to ug-repeated sequences and is responsible for cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator exon 9 splicing inhibition. We have analyzed TDP-43 interactions with other splicing factors and identified the critical regions for the protein/protein recognition events that determine this biological function. We show here that the C-terminal region of TDP-43 is capable of binding directly to several proteins of the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein (hnRNP) family with well known splicing inhibitory activity, in particular, hnRNP A2/B1 and hnRNP A1. Mutational analysis showed that TDP-43 proteins lacking the C-terminal region could not inhibit splicing probably because they were unable to form the hnRNP-rich complex involved in splicing inhibition. Finally, through splicing complex analysis, we show that splicing inhibition mediated by TDP-43 occurs at the earliest stages of spliceosomal assembly.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alternative Splicing / genetics
  • Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator / genetics*
  • Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator / metabolism
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / chemistry*
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Exons / genetics*
  • HeLa Cells
  • Heterogeneous-Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein Group A-B / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Multigene Family
  • Protein Binding
  • RNA Splicing / genetics*

Substances

  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Heterogeneous-Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein Group A-B
  • Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator