RNA abasic sites in yeast and human cells

Abstract

Missing bases or abasic sites in the DNA were discovered in the 1960s and spawned the field of DNA repair and advanced our understanding of cancer and aging. In contrast, abasic sites in the RNA are not known except for the site in ribosomal RNA induced by the plant poison ricin. Here, we uncover RNA abasic sites in yeast and human cells, which are not as rare as assumed; there are about three abasic sites per million ribonucleotides. We identify a glycosylase that generates RNA abasic sites and an AP endonuclease that processes these sites. Additionally, we showed that RNA abasic sites are coupled to a regulatory nucleic acid structure, known as an R-loop, suggesting their role in RNA processing.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Aug 11, 2020
Source ID
10.1073/pnas.2011511117

Entities

People

  • Alan Bruzel
  • Christopher Grunseich
  • Dongjun Li
  • Jason A. Watts
  • Joshua T. Burdick
  • Patrick A. Limbach
  • Rajendra Prasad
  • Robert J Crouch
  • Robert L. Ross
  • Ruoxia Zhao
  • Samuel H. Wilson
  • Vivian G. Cheung
  • Yaojuan Liu
  • Yesenia Rodriguez

Organizations

  • Defense Threat Reduction Agency
  • Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  • National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
  • National Institutes of Health
  • University of Cincinnati
  • University of Michigan

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Biology

Readers

  • Molecular Genetics
  • Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology