A small RNA derived from RNA coactivator SRA blocks steroid receptor signaling via inhibition of Pus1p-mediated pseudouridylation of SRA: evidence of a novel RNA binding domain in the N-terminus of steroid receptors

Biochemistry. 2012 Oct 16;51(41):8163-72. doi: 10.1021/bi300602r. Epub 2012 Oct 3.

Abstract

Estrogen receptors (ERs) and androgen receptors (ARs) are important targets for cancer therapy; however, the efficacy of receptor antagonists is limited, and alternative strategies are needed. Steroid receptor RNA Activator (SRA) is a long, noncoding RNA coactivator (although some protein-encoding 5' splice variants have also been reported) that requires pseudouridylation by Pus1p to stimulate steroid receptor signaling. A uridine at position 206 (U206), which is located in small hairpin structure STR5 in the conserved SRA core sequence, is a critical target for pseudouridylation. We assessed if synthetic STR5 could serve as a novel competitive inhibitor of ERα and AR signaling by disrupting the Pus1p-SRA-steroid receptor axis. STR5 specifically inhibited Pus1p-dependent pseudouridylation of SRA with higher efficiency than STR5 mutant U206A. We show that SRA binds to the N-terminal domain (NTD) of ERα and AR with high affinity despite the absence of a recognizable RNA binding motif (RBM). Finally, we show that STR5 specifically inhibits ERα- and AR-dependent transactivation of target genes in steroid-sensitive cancer cells, consistent with disruption of the targeted Pus1p-SRA pathway. Together, our results show that the NTD of ERα and AR contains a novel RBM that directly binds SRA, and that STR5 can serve as a novel class of RNA inhibitor of ERα and AR signaling by interfering with Pus1p-mediated SRA pseudouridylation. Targeting this unexplored receptor signaling pathway may pave the way for the development of new types of cancer therapeutics.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Base Sequence
  • Binding Sites
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • DNA Primers
  • Humans
  • Hydro-Lyases / metabolism*
  • Nucleic Acid Conformation
  • Protein Binding
  • Pseudouridine / metabolism*
  • RNA / metabolism*
  • RNA, Long Noncoding / chemistry
  • RNA, Long Noncoding / genetics
  • RNA, Long Noncoding / metabolism*
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Receptors, Steroid / chemistry
  • Receptors, Steroid / metabolism*
  • Signal Transduction*

Substances

  • DNA Primers
  • RNA, Long Noncoding
  • Receptors, Steroid
  • steroid receptor RNA activator
  • Pseudouridine
  • RNA
  • Hydro-Lyases
  • pseudouridylate synthetase