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Muller-McNicoll, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Muller-McNicoll, M..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

TRIM28 regulates pre-mRNA splicing via phosphorylation and SUMOylation networks

Pre-mRNA splicing is a highly regulated process orchestrated by splicing factors, cis-acting elements, and interconnected cellular processes such as transcription and chromatin remodeling. Here, we identify a novel regulatory axis involving phosphorylation and SUMOylation that governs the function of Tripartite motif-containing 28 protein (TRIM28) and its role in pre-mRNA splicing. We demonstrate that TRIM28 interacts with the spliceosomal protein USP39 in a phosphorylation-dependent manner, with non-phosphorylated TRIM28 promoting USP39 SUMOylation at defined lysine residues. This post-translational modification enhances USP39s role within the U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP complex. Functionally, TRIM28 knockdown induces widespread alterations in alternative splicing patterns, underscoring its importance in splicing regulation. Together, our findings uncover a mechanistic link between TRIM28-mediated post-translational modifications and the modulation of spliceosomal activity, offering new insights into how splicing decisions are integrated with cellular signaling pathways.

cell biology↗

hGRAD - a versatile 'one-fits-all' system for the acute depletion of RNA binding proteins in nuclear condensates

Nuclear RNA binding proteins (RBPs) are difficult to study because they often belong to large protein families and form extensive networks of auto- and cross- regulation. They are highly abundant and often localize to condensates with a slow turnover, requiring long depletion times or knockouts that cannot distinguish between direct and indirect or compensatory effects. Here, we developed a system that is optimized for the rapid degradation of nuclear RBPs, called hGRAD. It comes as a 'one-fits-all' plasmid, and integration into any cell line that expresses endogenously GFP-tagged proteins allows an inducible, rapid and complete knockdown. We show that the nuclear RBPs SRSF3, SRSF5, SRRM2 and NONO are completely cleared from nuclear speckles and paraspeckles within two hours. hGRAD works in various cell types, is more efficient than other methods and does not require the expression of exogenous ubiquitin ligases. Combining SRSF5 hGRAD degradation with Nascent-seq uncovered highly dynamic transient transcript changes, compensatory mechanisms and that SRSF5 promotes transcript stability.

cell biology↗