Nuclear sorting of short RNA polymerase II transcripts

TY - JOUR

T1 - Nuclear sorting of short RNA polymerase II transcripts

AU - Garland, William

AU - Jensen, Torben Heick

PY - 2024/10/3

Y1 - 2024/10/3

N2 - Mammalian genomes produce an abundance of short RNA. This is, to a large extent, due to the genome-wide and spurious activity of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII). However, it is also because the vast majority of initiating RNAPII, regardless of the transcribed DNA unit, terminates within a ∼3-kb early “pausing zone.” Given that the resultant RNAs constitute both functional and non-functional species, their proper sorting is critical. One way to think about such quality control (QC) is that transcripts, from their first emergence, are relentlessly targeted by decay factors, which may only be avoided by engaging protective processing pathways. In a molecular materialization of this concept, recent progress has found that both “destructive” and “productive” RNA effectors assemble at the 5′ end of capped RNA, orchestrated by the essential arsenite resistance protein 2 (ARS2) protein. Using this principle, we here discuss early QC mechanisms and how these might sort short RNAs to their final fates.

AB - Mammalian genomes produce an abundance of short RNA. This is, to a large extent, due to the genome-wide and spurious activity of RNA polymerase II (RNAPII). However, it is also because the vast majority of initiating RNAPII, regardless of the transcribed DNA unit, terminates within a ∼3-kb early “pausing zone.” Given that the resultant RNAs constitute both functional and non-functional species, their proper sorting is critical. One way to think about such quality control (QC) is that transcripts, from their first emergence, are relentlessly targeted by decay factors, which may only be avoided by engaging protective processing pathways. In a molecular materialization of this concept, recent progress has found that both “destructive” and “productive” RNA effectors assemble at the 5′ end of capped RNA, orchestrated by the essential arsenite resistance protein 2 (ARS2) protein. Using this principle, we here discuss early QC mechanisms and how these might sort short RNAs to their final fates.

KW - ARS2

KW - FLASH

KW - Integrator

KW - NEXT

KW - PAXT

KW - PHAX

KW - premature transcription termination

KW - Restrictor

KW - RNA decay

KW - RNA sorting

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85205763968&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.molcel.2024.08.024

DO - 10.1016/j.molcel.2024.08.024

M3 - Review

C2 - 39366352

AN - SCOPUS:85205763968

SN - 1097-2765

VL - 84

SP - 3644

EP - 3655

JO - Molecular Cell

JF - Molecular Cell

IS - 19

ER -