Work

Systematic characterization of the composition and dynamics of processing body-associated mRNAs

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Processing bodies (PBs) are dynamic, membraneless organelles consisting of RNAs and proteins. While PB proteins have been extensively characterized, the methods for systematically profiling PB-associated RNAs are limited. To address this, we developed PB-TRIBE-STAMP, a new tool based on two orthogonal RNA editing enzymes. Simultaneously applying APOBEC1-DDX6 and LSM14A-ADAR2dd, PB-TRIBE-STAMP identified 1,639 and 2,577 PB-associated mRNAs in HCT116 and HEK293T cells, respectively. Further genetic perturbation demonstrated that these transcripts were translationally repressed by PBs. Integration of PB-TRIBE-STAMP with long-read sequencing revealed that the PB-associated transcripts possessed shorter poly(A)-tails. Moreover, we established a TRIBE-ID-based tool to characterize the mRNA-PB association at high temporal resolution and unveiled a higher splicing efficiency of PB-associated XBP1 transcripts during unfolded protein response (UPR). Finally, based on single-cell LSM14A-TRIBE-ID (sc-LSM14A-TRIBE-ID), we demonstrated the dynamic pattern of mRNA-PB association during cell cycle progression.

Source: Nature Communications

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-64848-3