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Elias G Bechara,
Marie Cecile Didiot,
Mireille Melko,
Laetitia Davidovic,
Mounia Bensaid,
Patrick Martin, Marie Castets,
Philippe Pognonec,
Edouard W Khandjian,
Hervé Moine,
Barbara Bardoni
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ABSTRACT: Fragile X syndrome, the most frequent form of inherited mental retardation, is due to the absence of Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein (FMRP), an RNA-binding protein involved in several steps of RNA metabolism. To date, two RNA motifs have been found to mediate FMRP/RNA interaction, the G-quartet and the "kissing complex," which both induce translational repression in the presence of FMRP. We show here a new role for FMRP as a positive modulator of translation. FMRP specifically binds Superoxide Dismutase 1 (Sod1) mRNA with high affinity through a novel RNA motif, SoSLIP (Sod1 mRNA Stem Loops Interacting with FMRP), which is folded as three independent stem-loop structures. FMRP induces a structural modification of the SoSLIP motif upon its interaction with it. SoSLIP also behaves as a translational activator whose action is potentiated by the interaction with FMRP. The absence of FMRP results in decreased expression of Sod1. Because it has been observed that brain metabolism of FMR1 null mice is more sensitive to oxidative stress, we propose that the deregulation of Sod1 expression may be at the basis of several traits of the physiopathology of the Fragile X syndrome, such as anxiety, sleep troubles, and autism.
PLoS Biology 02/2009; 7(1):e16. · 11.45 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: FMRP, whose lack of expression causes the X-linked fragile X syndrome, is a modular RNA binding protein thought to be involved in posttranslational regulation. We have solved the structure in solution of the N-terminal domain of FMRP (NDF), a functionally important region involved in multiple interactions. The structure consists of a composite fold comprising two repeats of a Tudor motif followed by a short alpha helix. The interactions between the three structural elements are essential for the stability of the NDF fold. Although structurally similar, the two repeats have different dynamic and functional properties. The second, more flexible repeat is responsible for interacting both with methylated lysine and with 82-FIP, one of the FMRP nuclear partners. NDF contains a 3D nucleolar localization signal, since destabilization of its fold leads to altered nucleolar localization of FMRP. We suggest that the NDF composite fold determines an allosteric mechanism that regulates the FMRP functions.
Structure 02/2006; 14(1):21-31. · 6.35 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Fragile X syndrome, the most common form of inherited mental retardation, is caused by absence of FMRP, an RNA-binding protein implicated in regulation of mRNA translation and/or transport. We have previously shown that dFMR1, the Drosophila ortholog of FMRP, is genetically linked to the dRac1 GTPase, a key player in actin cytoskeleton remodeling. Here, we demonstrate that FMRP and the Rac1 pathway are connected in a model of murine fibroblasts. We show that Rac1 activation induces relocalization of four FMRP partners to actin ring areas. Moreover, Rac1-induced actin remodeling is altered in fibroblasts lacking FMRP or carrying a point-mutation in the KH1 or in the KH2 RNA-binding domain. In absence of wild-type FMRP, we found that phospho-ADF/Cofilin (P-Cofilin) level, a major mediator of Rac1 signaling, is lowered, whereas the level of protein phosphatase 2A catalytic subunit (PP2Ac), a P-Cofilin phosphatase, is increased. We show that FMRP binds with high affinity to the 5'-UTR of pp2acbeta mRNA and is thus a likely negative regulator of its translation. The molecular mechanism unraveled here points to a role for FMRP in modulation of actin dynamics, which is a key process in morphogenesis of dendritic spines, synaptic structures abnormally developed in Fragile X syndrome patient's brain.
Human Molecular Genetics 04/2005; 14(6):835-44. · 7.64 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: FMRP is an RNA binding protein whose absence produces pathological manifestations of the fragile-X syndrome. FMRP is a component of mRNP complexes found in association with actively translating polyribosomes, RNA complexes trafficking in neurites, RNA granules in cytoplasm and, in Drosophila, with the RNAi machinery. We report here the identification and characterization of a novel FMRP-interacting protein associated to polyribosomes as a component of mRNP complexes containing FMRP. We named this protein 82-FIP (82-kD FMRP Interacting Protein). FMRP interacts with 82-FIP through a novel interaction motif located in its N-terminal region. The distribution of 82-FIP in different areas of the brain is very similar to that of FMRP. However, unlike FMRP, 82-FIP is found in both nucleus and cytoplasm in some neurons, while it appears only cytoplasmic in others. Subcellular distribution of 82-FIP is cell cycle-dependent in cultured cells, suggesting that the composition of some FMRP-containing RNP complexes may be cell cycle-modulated.
Human Molecular Genetics 08/2003; 12(14):1689-98. · 7.64 Impact Factor
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Elias Bechara,
Marie Cecile Didiot,
Mireille Melko,
Laetitia Davidovic,
Mounia Bensaid,
Patrick Martin, Marie Castets,
Philippe Pognonec,
Edouard Khandjian,
Hervé Moine,
Barbara Bardoni
[show abstract]
[hide abstract]
ABSTRACT: Fragile X syndrome, the most frequent form of inherited mental retardation, is due to the absence of Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein (FMRP), an RNA-binding protein involved in several steps of RNA metabolism. To date, two RNA motifs have been found to mediate FMRP/RNA interaction, the G-quartet and the "kissing complex," which both induce translational repression in the presence of FMRP. We show here a new role for FMRP as a positive modulator of translation. FMRP specifically binds Superoxide Dismutase 1 (Sod1) mRNA with high affinity through a novel RNA motif, SoSLIP (Sod1 mRNA Stem Loops Interacting with FMRP), which is folded as three independent stem-loop structures. FMRP induces a structural modification of the SoSLIP motif upon its interaction with it. SoSLIP also behaves as a translational activator whose action is potentiated by the interaction with FMRP. The absence of FMRP results in decreased expression of Sod1. Because it has been observed that brain metabolism of FMR1 null mice is more sensitive to oxidative stress, we propose that the deregulation of Sod1 expression may be at the basis of several traits of the physiopathology of the Fragile X syndrome, such as anxiety, sleep troubles, and autism.
