Ago1 Interacts with RNA Polymerase II and Binds to the Promoters of Actively Transcribed Genes in Human Cancer Cells

Abstract

Argonaute proteins are often credited for their cytoplasmic activities in which they function as central mediators of the RNAi platform and microRNA (miRNA)-mediated processes. They also facilitate heterochromatin formation and establishment of repressive epigenetic marks in the nucleus of fission yeast and plants. However, the nuclear functions of Ago proteins in mammalian cells remain elusive. In the present study, we combine ChIP-seq (chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with massively parallel sequencing) with biochemical assays to show that nuclear Ago1 directly interacts with RNA Polymerase II and is widely associated with chromosomal loci throughout the genome with preferential enrichment in promoters of transcriptionally active genes. Additional analyses show that nuclear Ago1 regulates the expression of Ago1-bound genes that are implicated in oncogenic pathways including cell cycle progression, growth, and survival. Our findings reveal the first landscape of human Ago1-chromosomal interactions, which may play a role in the oncogenic transcriptional program of cancer cells.

Author Summary

Argonaute (Ago) proteins are an evolutionarily conserved family of proteins indispensable for a gene regulation mechanism known as RNA interference (RNAi) which is mediated by small RNA including microRNA (miRNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA) and occurs mainly in the cytoplasm. In mammalian cells, however, the function of Agos in the nucleus is largely unknown despite a few examples in which Agos are shown to be involved in regulating gene transcription and alternative splicing. In this study, by taking a genome-wide approach, we found that human Ago1, but not Ago2, is pervasively associated with gene regulatory sequences known as promoter and interacts with the core component of the gene transcription machinery to exert positive impact on gene expression in cancer cells. Strikingly, the genes bound and regulated by Ago1 are mostly genes that stimulate cell growth and survival, and are known to be involved in the development of cancer. The findings from our study unveil an unexpected role of nuclear Ago1 in regulating gene expression which may be important both in normal cellular processes and in disease such as cancer.