A Dimeric Protein-RNA Glue Promotes Multivalent eIF4A-RNA Assembly

Ligand dimerization represents a powerful strategy to enhance avidity, potency, and selectivity. Leveraging the natural-product molecular glue rocaglamide (RocA), we identified BisRoc, a dimeric rocaglate ligand that potently and durably suppresses translation and exhibits greater specificity across a cancer cell line panel than the monomeric RocA. CRISPRi screening revealed that BisRoc activity is influenced by cellular context, including IFITM-mediated uptake, ABC-type efflux transporters, and the translation initiation factor eIF4A2. Mechanistic studies showed that the paralogs eIF4A1 and eIF4A2 are differentially sensitive to BisRoc-induced dimerization. Owing to the presence of multiple binding sites on RNAs, BisRoc-bridged eIF4A-RNA motifs assemble into higher-order complexes that promote stress-granule formation more efficiently than monomeric RocA. Given the widespread multivalency of RNA-RBP interactions, this ligand dimerization strategy may be extended to modulate the higher-order assembly of other RNA-binding proteins.