Characterizing ARS2 localization and function in differentiating myoblasts
Date
2015-04-29
Authors
Christie, Jennifer
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Abstract
ARS2 is a member of the nuclear cap-binding complex (CBC) that is critical for a
number of RNA processing pathways. The emerging model is that ARS2 acts as a master
regulator of RNAPII transcript maturation by bringing capped RNA substrates together
with the appropriate processing machinery. ARS2 is essential for early mammalian
development but it remains unclear precisely how ARS2 functions in stem and progenitor
cell maintenance and differentiation. The purpose of this study was to answer basic
questions about the localization and function of ARS2 in muscle progenitor cells. Here I
describe the localization of ARS2 in proliferating myoblasts and post-mitotic
differentiating myotubes and show that disruption of ARS2 expression levels by
knockdown or overexpression results in impaired myogenic differentiation. I also
discovered a new isoform of ARS2 that is localized exclusively in the cytoplasm and
found preliminary evidence that ARS2 is required for nonsense-mediated decay (NMD).
This study includes the first evidence that an ARS2 isoform is expressed in the cytoplasm
and opens the door for the discovery of new ARS2 functions beyond its reported roles in
the nucleus.
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Keywords
myogenesis, nonsense-mediated decay, histone processing, ARS2