Several long non-coding RNAs function as scaffolds in the construction of nuclear bodies. Mannen et al. sought novel nuclear bodies containing such 'architectural RNA' (arcRNA). The proteins DBC1, HNRNPD, HNRNPL, ZNF346 and SAM68 localized to SAM68 nuclear bodies (SNBs). SNBs disappeared in the presence of RNase or in the absence of DBC1 or SAM68, suggesting that they require these proteins and RNA for their formation. Furthermore, depletion of HNRNPL resulted in two SNB substructures — one containing DBC1 and the other containing SAM68 and HNRNPD — that disappeared following RNase treatment. Protein domain mapping experiments suggested that HNRNPL bridges these substructures by binding to an arcRNA in the DBC1 substructure (to which DBC1 also binds), and to an arcRNA in the SAM68 substructure (to which HNRNPD and SAM68 also bind). This study confirms that arcRNAs can be essential components of nuclear bodies.
References
Mannen, T. et al. The Sam68 nuclear body is composed of two RNase-sensitive substructures joined by the adaptor HNRNPL. J. Cell Biol. 214, 45–59 (2016)
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Wrighton, K. Building nuclear bodies with RNA. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 17, 463 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm.2016.102
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm.2016.102
