Effects of dyskeratosis congenita mutations in dyskerin, NHP2 and NOP10 on assembly of H/ACA pre-RNPs

Hum Mol Genet. 2010 Mar 1;19(5):825-36. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddp551. Epub 2009 Dec 15.

Abstract

Dyskeratosis congenita (DC) is a rare genetic syndrome that gives rise to a variety of disorders in affected individuals. Remarkably, all causative gene mutations identified to date share a link to telomere/telomerase biology. We found that the most prevalent dyskerin mutation in DC (A353V) did not affect formation of the NAF1-dyskerin-NOP10-NHP2 tetramer that normally assembles with nascent H/ACA RNAs in vivo. However, the A353V mutation slightly reduced pre-RNP assembly with the H/ACA-like domain of human telomerase RNA (hTR). In contrast, NHP2 mutations V126M and Y139H impaired association with NOP10, leading to major pre-RNP assembly defects with all H/ACA RNAs tested, including the H/ACA domain of hTR. Mutation R34W in NOP10 caused no apparent defect in protein tetramer formation, but it severely affected pre-RNP assembly with the H/ACA domain of hTR and a subset of H/ACA RNAs. Surprisingly, H/ACA sno/scaRNAs that encode miRNAs were not affected by the mutation R34W, and they were able to form pre-RNPs with NOP10-R34W. This indicates structural differences between H/ACA RNPs that encode miRNAs and those that do not. Altogether, our results suggest that, in addition to major defects in the telomere/telomerase pathways, some of the disorders occurring in DC may be caused by alteration of most H/ACA RNPs, or by only a subset of them.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cell Cycle Proteins / genetics*
  • Cell Cycle Proteins / metabolism
  • Dyskeratosis Congenita / genetics*
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • MicroRNAs / metabolism
  • Mutation*
  • Nuclear Proteins / genetics*
  • Nuclear Proteins / metabolism
  • Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nuclear / genetics*
  • Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nuclear / metabolism
  • Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nucleolar / genetics*
  • Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nucleolar / metabolism

Substances

  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • DKC1 protein, human
  • GAR1 protein, human
  • MicroRNAs
  • NHP2 protein, human
  • NOP10 protein, human
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nuclear
  • Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nucleolar