Roquin targets mRNAs in a 3'-UTR-specific manner by different modes of regulation

The RNA-binding proteins Roquin-1 and Roquin-2 redundantly control gene expression and cell-fate decisions. Here, we show that Roquin not only interacts with stem-loop structures, but also with a linear sequence element present in about half of its targets. Comprehensive analysis of a minimal response element of the Nfkbid 3'-UTR shows that six stem-loop structures cooperate to exert robust and profound post-transcriptional regulation. Only binding of multiple Roquin proteins to several stem-loops exerts full repression, which redundantly involved deadenylation and decapping, but also translational inhibition. Globally, most Roquin targets are regulated by mRNA decay, whereas a small subset, including the Nfat5 mRNA, with more binding sites in their 3'-UTRs, are also subject to translational inhibition. These findings provide insights into how the robustness and magnitude of Roquin-mediated regulation is encoded in complex cis-elements.