Structure of the human core transcription-export complex reveals a hub for multivalent interactions

The export of mRNA from nucleus to cytoplasm requires the conserved and essential transcription and export (TREX) complex (THO–UAP56/DDX39B–ALYREF). TREX selectively binds mRNA maturation marks and licenses mRNA for nuclear export by loading the export factor NXF1–NXT1. How TREX integrates these marks and achieves high selectivity for mature mRNA is poorly understood. Here, we report the cryo-electron microscopy structure of the human THO–UAP56/DDX39B complex at 3.3 Å resolution. The seven-subunit THO–UAP56/DDX39B complex multimerizes into a 28-subunit tetrameric assembly, suggesting that selective recognition of mature mRNA is facilitated by the simultaneous sensing of multiple, spatially distant mRNA regions and maturation marks. Two UAP56/DDX39B RNA helicases are juxtaposed at each end of the tetramer, which would allow one bivalent ALYREF protein to bridge adjacent helicases and regulate the TREX–mRNA interaction. Our structural and biochemical results suggest a conserved model for TREX complex function that depends on multivalent interactions between proteins and mRNA.
eLife digest The DNA of human and other eukaryotic cells is stored inside a compartment called the nucleus. DNA carries the genetic code and provides a blueprint for all of the cell’s proteins. However, protein production occurs outside the nucleus, in the main body of the cell. To transmit genetic information from one compartment to the other, the DNA sequences are first transcribed into another molecule called messenger RNA, or mRNA for short. Once made, mRNA exits the nucleus and enters the cell’s main body to encounter the machinery that translates its sequence into a protein. Before mRNA can exit the nucleus, it must first undergo a series of modifications, which result in the mRNA molecule being successively bound to specific proteins. Once mRNA has passed through these steps, it is recognized by the transcription-and-export complex, or TREX for short, which is comprised of several proteins. When TREX binds to mRNA, it adds on a final protein which allows the mRNA molecule to be transported out of the nucleus. However, it remained unclear how TREX selects the completed mRNA-protein complexes that are ready for export while at the same time recognizing the wide variety of mRNA molecules produced by cells. Now, Pühringer and Hohmann et al. have identified the first three-dimensional structure of the core of the human TREX complex using a technique called cryo-electron microscopy. This revealed that the seven proteins of the TREX core assemble into a large complex that has four copies of each protein. The structure suggests that TREX can bind to mRNA and its attached proteins in various ways. These different binding arrangements may help the complex select which mRNA molecules are fully modified and ready to be exported. The structure also sheds light on how mutations in this complex can lead to diseases such as Beaulieu–Boycott–Innes syndrome (BBIS). This work will help guide future research into the activity of TREX, including how its structure changes when it binds to mRNA and deposits the final transport protein. Identifying these structures will make it easier to design experiments that target specific aspects of TREX activity and provide new insights into how these complexes work.