Proteome Profile of Endogenous Retrotransposon-Associated Complexes in Human Embryonic Stem Cells

Long Interspersed Element-1 (LINE-1 or L1) are transposable elements similar to retroviruses that have existed in the genome of primates for millions of years. They encode two Open Reading Frame (ORF) proteins (ORF1p and ORF2p) that bind L1 RNA to form a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex and are required for L1 integration into the host genome. Humans have evolved with L1 and found ways to limit L1 activity. To identify partners of the L1 RNP, previous studies used ectopic expression of L1 ORF1/2p or RNA in various cancer cells, which express low levels of the ORF proteins. Whether naturally occurring L1 RNP interacts with the same proteins in non-cancer cells is unknown. Here, the aim is to examine the natural assembly of endogenous L1 RNPs in normal human cells. L1 elements are expressed in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), derived from pre-implantation embryos. Therefore, these cells are used to immunoprecipitate ORF1p followed by MS to identify proteins that associate with the naturally-occurring L1 ORF1p. Some of the same proteins as well as unique proteins are found interacting with the endogenous L1 ORF1p complexes. The analysis of ORF1p-associated proteins in hESCs can help address important questions in both retrotransposon biology and the biology of hESCs.