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Vol. 19, Issue 11, 4980-4992, November 2008

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A Novel Class of mRNA-containing Cytoplasmic Granules Are Produced in Response to UV-Irradiation

Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, and Centro Andaluz de Biología Molecular and Medicina Regenativa CABIMER, Universidad de Sevilla-CSIC, 41092 Sevilla, Spain

Submitted February 22, 2008; Revised August 4, 2008; Accepted August 21, 2008
Monitoring Editor: Karsten Weis

Nucleic acids are substrates for different types of damage, but little is known about the fate of damaged RNAs. We addressed the existence of an RNA-damage response in yeast. The decay kinetics of GAL1p-driven mRNAs revealed a dose-dependent mRNA stabilization upon UV-irradiation that was not observed after heat or saline shocks, or during nitrogen starvation. UV-induced mRNA stabilization did not depend on DNA repair, damage checkpoint or mRNA degradation machineries. Notably, fluorescent in situ hybridization revealed that after UV-irradiation, polyadenylated mRNA accumulated in cytoplasmic foci that increased in size with time. In situ colocalization showed that these foci are not processing-bodies, eIF4E-, eIF4G-, and Pab1-containing bodies, stress granules, autophagy vesicles, or part of the secretory or endocytic pathways. These results point to the existence of a specific eukaryotic RNA-damage response, which leads to new polyadenylated mRNA-containing granules (UV-induced mRNA granules; UVGs). We propose that potentially damaged mRNAs, which may be deleterious to the cell, are temporarily stored in UVG granules to safeguard cell viability.

Address correspondence to: Andrés Aguilera (aguilo{at}us.es).

Abbreviations used: EGP-bodies, eIF4E-,eIF4G-, and Pab1-containing bodies; N starvation, nitrogen starvation; P-body, processing body; poly-A+, polyadenylated; SG, stress granule; UVG, UV-induced granule.