Superoxide radical-induced loss of nuclear restriction of immature mRNA: a possible cause for ageing

In eucaryotic cells, immature mRNA is normally restricted to the nucleus, where it is posttranscriptionally processed to mature mRNA. The intranuclear binding site for both the immature and mature mRNA is thought to be the nuclear matrix which serves as a platform for posttranscriptional RNA maturation and transport. The selectivity of nucleocytoplasmic transport for mature mRNA species seems to be due to the selectivity of the ATP-caused release of mature mRNA from the nuclear matrix; the attachment of immature mRNA to the matrix is not altered in the presence of this nucleotide. Here we show that in the presence of superoxide radical anions (O2-), which are very likely one of the causative factors in ageing, the selection mechanism for mature mRNA at the level of nuclear matrix attachment is disturbed. In the presence of a superoxide radical-generating system (xanthine/xanthine oxidase), both the mature ovalbumin mRNA and the immature ovalbumin mRNA precursors were found to be released from the nuclear matrix of hen oviduct cells, in the absence as well as in the presence of ATP. This result was also obtained when whole, isolated nuclei preincubated with xanthine/xanthine oxidase were used. The superoxide radical-caused effect could be partially prevented by co-addition of superoxide dismutase (SOD) which dismutates O2- to H2O2 and O2. On the other hand, in the presence of antibodies against the SOD, the effect of superoxide anions on RNA-matrix attachment was enhanced and its inhibition by SOD was abolished. Our results suggest that cellular ageing may be partially caused by superoxide radical-induced release of immature mRNA from its intranuclear binding site resulting in the appearance of immature messengers in the cytoplasm. This may cause both qualitative and quantitative changes in protein synthesis. Thus, ageing may be associated not only with the expression of genes coding for proteins not characteristic for the proper state of differentiation of a given cell (as suggested by the dysdifferentiative hypothesis of ageing) but also with impaired maturation of the primary gene transcripts due to the interference of superoxide radicals, not sufficiently eliminated by antioxidant mechanisms with age, with RNA-matrix attachment.