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mirMachine: A One-Stop Shop for Plant miRNA Annotation
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Structural Basis for pri-miRNA Recognition by Drosha.

Wenxing Jin1, Jia Wang2, Chao-Pei Liu1

  • 1National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.

Molecular Cell
|March 30, 2020
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The Drosha-DGCR8 Microprocessor complex binds pri-miRNA using specific structural elements. Cryo-EM structures reveal how Drosha recognizes RNA structures, providing insights into microRNA biogenesis.

Keywords:
DGCR8DroshaMicroprocessorcryo-EMmiRNApri-miRNAstructure

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Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Structural Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • MicroRNA (miRNA) biogenesis is crucial for gene regulation.
  • The Microprocessor complex, containing Drosha and DGCR8, initiates miRNA production by processing pri-miRNAs.
  • The precise mechanism of Drosha-pri-miRNA binding and cleavage site selection remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the structural basis of Drosha-DGCR8 complex interaction with pri-miRNA.
  • To understand how Drosha recognizes and binds pri-miRNA substrates.
  • To investigate the conformational dynamics of Drosha during pri-miRNA processing.

Main Methods:

  • Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) was used to determine the structures of the Drosha-DGCR8 complex.
  • Structures were obtained both with and without a bound pri-miRNA.
  • Detailed structural analysis of protein-RNA interactions was performed.

Main Results:

  • The cryo-EM structure of the RNA-bound complex visualizes pri-miRNA tertiary structure.
  • Drosha's PAZ domain helix hairpin and RNase IIIa domain MB helix recognize the RNA single-stranded to double-stranded junction.
  • The dsRNA binding domain interacts extensively with the RNA stem.
  • The RNA-free structure reveals an autoinhibitory conformation of the PAZ helix hairpin.

Conclusions:

  • The study provides direct structural evidence for pri-miRNA recognition by Drosha.
  • Mechanistic insights into pri-miRNA cleavage site selection by the Microprocessor complex are offered.
  • Conformational dynamics of Drosha are key to substrate recognition in miRNA biogenesis.