RNA interference, growth and differentiation appear normal in African trypanosomes lacking Tudor staphylococcal nuclease

TY - JOUR

T1 - RNA interference, growth and differentiation appear normal in African trypanosomes lacking Tudor staphylococcal nuclease

AU - Alsford, Sam

AU - Kemp, Louise E.

AU - Kawahara, Taemi

AU - Horn, David

PY - 2010/11

Y1 - 2010/11

N2 - Ribonucleases play important roles in the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. The Dicer endonuclease converts double-stranded (ds)RNA into small interfering (si)RNA and the Slicer endonuclease, as a component of the RNA induced silencing complex (RISC), cleaves mRNA. Tudor staphylococcal nuclease (Tudor-SN) is another component of RISC in humans, flies and nematodes and is therefore implicated in the RNAi pathway. Here, we explore the potential role of African trypanosome Tudor-SN in RNAi. First, we assembled tudor-sn null mutants and showed that the gene is dispensable for normal growth and for differentiation. Next, we developed an inducible RNAi reporter system and demonstrated that Tudor-SN is dispensable for RNAi. The kinetics of mRNA knock-down, protein knock-down and protein recovery following inactivation of dsRNA expression are all unperturbed in the absence of Tudor-SN. We conclude that if this nuclease plays a role in the destruction or processing of dsRNA, mRNA or siRNA in the RNAi pathway, it is likely a minor one. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

AB - Ribonucleases play important roles in the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. The Dicer endonuclease converts double-stranded (ds)RNA into small interfering (si)RNA and the Slicer endonuclease, as a component of the RNA induced silencing complex (RISC), cleaves mRNA. Tudor staphylococcal nuclease (Tudor-SN) is another component of RISC in humans, flies and nematodes and is therefore implicated in the RNAi pathway. Here, we explore the potential role of African trypanosome Tudor-SN in RNAi. First, we assembled tudor-sn null mutants and showed that the gene is dispensable for normal growth and for differentiation. Next, we developed an inducible RNAi reporter system and demonstrated that Tudor-SN is dispensable for RNAi. The kinetics of mRNA knock-down, protein knock-down and protein recovery following inactivation of dsRNA expression are all unperturbed in the absence of Tudor-SN. We conclude that if this nuclease plays a role in the destruction or processing of dsRNA, mRNA or siRNA in the RNAi pathway, it is likely a minor one. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

KW - ELEGANS

KW - REARRANGEMENTS

KW - RISC

KW - CLEAVAGE

KW - SN

KW - DOUBLE-STRANDED-RNA

KW - BRUCEI

KW - PROMOTES

KW - DICER

KW - Ribonuclease

KW - ARGONAUTE

KW - EXPRESSION

KW - Trypanosoma brucei

U2 - 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2010.06.006

DO - 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2010.06.006

M3 - Article

SN - 0166-6851

VL - 174

SP - 70

EP - 73

JO - Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology

JF - Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology

IS - 1

ER -