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Bidirectional processing of pri-miRNAs with branched terminal loops by Arabidopsis Dicer-like1

Hongliang Zhu1, Yuyi Zhou, Claudia Castillo-González

  • 11] Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA. [2] Institute of Plant Genomics and Biotechnology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA. [3] College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.

Nature Structural & Molecular Biology
|August 13, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Multibranched terminal loops in Arabidopsis pri-miRNAs suppress microRNA (miRNA) production. Dicer-like 1 (DCL1) processes these structures bidirectionally, impacting functional miRNA biogenesis.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Plant Science
  • Genetics

Background:

  • MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are key regulators of gene expression, derived from precursor transcripts (pri-miRNAs) with stem-loop structures.
  • Accurate processing of pri-miRNAs by Dicer-like 1 (DCL1) is essential for generating functional miRNAs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of terminal loops in pri-miRNA processing using the Arabidopsis thaliana pri-miR-166 family.
  • To elucidate the impact of complex secondary structures on miRNA biogenesis.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the pri-miR-166 family from Arabidopsis thaliana as a model system.
  • Analyzed pri-miRNA processing by Dicer-like 1 (DCL1) complexes.
  • Investigated the effect of multibranched terminal loops on miRNA expression in vivo.

Main Results:

  • Multibranched terminal loops in pri-miR-166 significantly suppress miRNA expression.
  • DCL1 processes terminal loop-branched pri-miRNAs bidirectionally (base-to-loop and loop-to-base).
  • Bidirectional processing leads to both productive and abortive miRNA generation, with DCL1 cutting 16-17 bp from a reference loop region.

Conclusions:

  • Terminal loop structures play a critical role in regulating miRNA biogenesis.
  • DCL1 exhibits flexibility in processing pri-miRNAs with complex secondary structures.
  • This study provides novel insights into the mechanisms of pri-miRNA processing, particularly for those with intricate structures.

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