miRNA–target chimeras reveal miRNA 3′-end pairing as a major determinant of Argonaute target specificity

Michael J. Moore (), Troels K. H. Scheel, Joseph M. Luna, Christopher Y. Park, John J. Fak, Eiko Nishiuchi, Charles M. Rice and Robert B. Darnell ()
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Michael J. Moore: Laboratory of Molecular Neuro-Oncology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, Box 226, New York, New York 10065, USA
Troels K. H. Scheel: Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease, Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, The Rockefeller University
Joseph M. Luna: Laboratory of Molecular Neuro-Oncology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, Box 226, New York, New York 10065, USA
Christopher Y. Park: Laboratory of Molecular Neuro-Oncology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, Box 226, New York, New York 10065, USA
John J. Fak: Laboratory of Molecular Neuro-Oncology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, Box 226, New York, New York 10065, USA
Eiko Nishiuchi: Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease, Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, The Rockefeller University
Charles M. Rice: Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease, Center for the Study of Hepatitis C, The Rockefeller University
Robert B. Darnell: Laboratory of Molecular Neuro-Oncology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, Box 226, New York, New York 10065, USA

Nature Communications, 2015, vol. 6, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: Abstract microRNAs (miRNAs) act as sequence-specific guides for Argonaute (AGO) proteins, which mediate posttranscriptional silencing of target messenger RNAs. Despite their importance in many biological processes, rules governing AGO–miRNA targeting are only partially understood. Here we report a modified AGO HITS-CLIP strategy termed CLEAR (covalent ligation of endogenous Argonaute-bound RNAs)-CLIP, which enriches miRNAs ligated to their endogenous mRNA targets. CLEAR-CLIP mapped ∼130,000 endogenous miRNA–target interactions in mouse brain and ∼40,000 in human hepatoma cells. Motif and structural analysis define expanded pairing rules for over 200 mammalian miRNAs. Most interactions combine seed-based pairing with distinct, miRNA-specific patterns of auxiliary pairing. At some regulatory sites, this specificity confers distinct silencing functions to miRNA family members with shared seed sequences but divergent 3′-ends. This work provides a means for explicit biochemical identification of miRNA sites in vivo, leading to the discovery that miRNA 3′-end pairing is a general determinant of AGO binding specificity.

Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9864

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