RNA editing in Drosophila melanogaster: New targets and functional consequences.
Adenosine deaminases that act on RNA [adenosine deaminase, RNA specific (ADAR)] catalyze the site-specific conversion of adenosine to inosine in primary mRNA transcripts. These re-coding events affect coding potential, splice sites, and stability of mature mRNAs. ADAR is an essential gene, and studies in mouse, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Drosophila suggest that its primary function is to modify adult behavior by altering signaling components in the nervous system. By comparing the sequence of isogenic cDNAs to genomic DNA, we have identified and experimentally verified 27 new targets of Drosophila ADAR. Our analyses led us to identify new classes of genes whose transcripts are targets of ADAR, including components of the actin cytoskeleton and genes involved in ion homeostasis and signal transduction. Our results indicate that editing in Drosophila increases the diversity of the proteome, and does so in a manner that has direct functional consequences on protein function.
Stapleton
Mark
M
Berkeley Drosophila Genome Project, Department of Genome Biology, Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA. staple@fruitfly.org
Carlson
Joseph W
JW
Celniker
Susan E
SE
D000243:Adenosine Deaminase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000235:genetics; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D017344:Genes, Insect / Q000235:genetics*; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000235:genetics; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017393:RNA Editing / Q000235:genetics*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D018000:Receptors, Peptide / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics
D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005136:Eye Proteins; D007473:Ion Channels; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D018000:Receptors, Peptide; C072141:boss protein, Drosophila; C567955:ADARB1 protein, human; D000243:Adenosine Deaminase