Summary RNAi is widely appreciated as a powerful regulator of mRNA translation in the cytoplasm of mammalian cells. However, the presence and activity of RNAi factors in the mammalian nucleus has been the subject of considerable debate. Here we show that Argonaute-2 (Ago2) and RNAi factors Dicer, TRBP and TRNC6A/GW182 are in the human nucleus and associate together in multi-protein complexes. Small RNAs can silence nuclear RNA and guide site-specific cleavage of the targeted RNA, demonstrating that RNAi can function in the human nucleus. Nuclear Dicer is active and miRNAs are bound to nuclear Ago2, consistent with the existence of nuclear miRNA pathways. Notably, we do not detect loading of duplex small RNAs in nuclear extracts and known loading factors are absent. These results extend RNAi into the mammalian nucleus and suggest that regulation of RNAi via small RNA loading of Ago2 differs between the cytoplasm and the nucleus.
RNAi Factors are Present and Active in Human Cell Nuclei
Keith T. Gagnon,Liande Li,Yongjun Chu,B. A. Janowski,D. Corey
Published 2014 in Cell Reports
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PUBLICATION RECORD
- Publication year
2014
- Venue
Cell Reports
- Publication date
2014-01-02
- Fields of study
Biology, Medicine
- Identifiers
- External record
- Source metadata
Semantic Scholar, PubMed
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