3'-untranslated regions of oxidative phosphorylation mRNAs function in vivo as enhancers of translation.
Recent findings have indicated that the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of the mRNA encoding the beta-catalytic subunit of the mitochondrial H(+)-ATP synthase has an in vitro translation-enhancing activity (TEA) [Izquierdo and Cuezva, Mol. Cell. Biol. (1997) 17, 5255-5268; Izquierdo and Cuezva, Biochem. J. (2000) 346, 849-855]. In the present work, we have expressed chimaeric plasmids that encode mRNA variants of green fluorescent protein in normal rat kidney and liver clone 9 cells to determine whether the 3'-UTRs of nuclear-encoded mRNAs involved in the biogenesis of mitochondria have an intrinsic TEA. TEA is found in the 3'-UTR of the mRNAs encoding the alpha- and beta-subunits of the rat H(+)-ATP synthase complex, as well as in subunit IV of cytochrome c oxidase. No TEA is present in the 3'-UTR of the somatic mRNA encoding rat mitochondrial transcription factor A. Interestingly, the TEA of the 3'-UTR of mRNAs of oxidative phosphorylation is different, depending upon the cell type analysed. These data provide the first in vivo evidence of a novel cell-specific mechanism for the control of the translation of mRNAs required in mitochondrial function.
Di Liegro
C M
CM
Departamento de Biología Molecular, Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain.
Bellafiore
M
M
Izquierdo
J M
JM
Rantanen
A
A
Cuezva
J M
JM
D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002460:Cell Line; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D010085:Oxidative Phosphorylation; D010957:Plasmids / Q000378:metabolism; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D006180:Proton-Translocating ATPases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics*; D051381:Rats; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014162:Transfection
D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C489030:Tfam protein, rat; D014157:Transcription Factors; C422562:mitochondrial transcription factor A; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV; D006180:Proton-Translocating ATPases