Poster abstracts
Poster number 75 submitted by Misbah Khan
Post-Transcriptional Regulation of Nuclear Encoded Mitochondrial Genes by Pumilio Proteins.
Misbah Khan (The Ohio State University), Wayne Miles (The Ohio State University)
Abstract:
Mitochondria play a substantial role in altered energy dynamics of the cancer cells but its genome consists of only small number of genes and most of its genes are encoded in nucleus and need to be translated into protein on the mitochondrial surface. These nuclear encoded mitochondrial genes (NEMG) are transported out of nucleus using same machinery as cytoplasmic mRNAs however, how these genes are transported to mitochondrial surface is unclear. Pumilio complex proteins (PUM) are RNA binding proteins which bind to a specific 8-nucleotide motif (PRE-Pumilio Response Element) in 3’UTR of target transcripts. Through this interaction, the PUM proteins control the post-transcription regulation of their RNA target by changing their stability and localization. In our study, we found that over 50% of all NEMG have PRE in their 3’UTR and PUM deficient cells have altered ribosome occupancy and translation efficiency of NEMG. These changes result in widespread metabolic alterations in PUM-deficient cells. Our data shows that family of Pumilio RNA binding proteins is important for the translation efficiency of mitochondrial genes and that PUM deficient cells have significant metabolic defects. These findings suggest that the PUM proteins bind to 3’UTR of nuclear encoded mitochondrial genes and support there trafficking to the mitochondrial surface.
Keywords: PUMILIO, Nuclear Encoded Mitochondrial Genes, RNA Binding Protein