Profiling of terminating ribosomes reveals translational control at stop codons

  1. Longfei Jia
  2. Yuanhui Mao
  3. Saori Uematsu
  4. Xinyi Ashley Liu
  5. Leiming Dong
  6. Leonardo Henrique França de Lima
  7. Shu-Bing Qian  Is a corresponding author
  1. Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, United States
  2. Laboratory of Molecular Modelling and Bioinformatics (LAMMB), Department of Physical and Biological Sciences, Campus Sete Lagoas, Universidade Federal de São João Del Rei, Brazil
7 figures, 1 table and 2 additional files

Figures

Figure 1 with 1 supplement
Characterizing terminating ribosomes using Ribo-seq.

(A) Aggregation plots of mean Ribo-seq reads around the start (left) and stop (right) codons. Both 5′ end (green) and 3′ end (orange) of footprint reads (29 nt) were used for mapping. For the bottom panels, the line plots show the distribution of footprints with different lengths, whereas the bar plots show the size distribution of initiating (left) and terminating (right) ribosome footprints relative to elongation ribosomes. (B) Aggregation plots of mean Ribo-seq reads around the stop codon. The reads were stratified by the length, followed by mapping using the 5′ end of footprint reads. (C) A histogram plot of ribosome pausing index at individual stop codons. The top shows the enriched sequence motif of mRNAs with strong ribosome pausing at stop codons. (D) Aggregation plots of mean Ribo-seq reads around the stop codon. ‘High’ and ‘Low’ refer to mRNAs with differential pausing indexes shown in (C). The 3′ UTR read density was highlighted in the insert.

Figure 1—figure supplement 1
Characterizing terminating ribosomes.

(A) HEK293 cells were treated with cycloheximide (CHX, 100 μg/mL) for varied times followed by Ribo-seq. Aggregation plots show the distribution of mean reads across the transcriptome aligned at start and stop codons. (B) A representative mRNA (RPS2) with reads obtained from ribo-seq in cells as (A). The 5’ end of reads were used for mapping. (C) The ratio of ribosome density in 3’ UTR over the density in coding sequence (CDS). The mRNAs were stratified into different groups based on the identify of stop codons and the nucleotide immediately after the stop codon. The mRNAs were stratified into different groups based on the identify of stop codons and the nucleotide immediately after the stop codon. (D) Relative fractions of Ribo-seq reads mapped to different reading frames. Reads in CDS and 3’ UTR were shown.

Figure 2 with 1 supplement
Characterizing terminating ribosomes using eRF1-seq.

(A) The left panel shows the schematic of eRF1-seq procedures. The right top panel shows the aggregation plots of Ribo-seq (green) and eRF1-seq (orange). The right bottom panel shows a representative mRNA (RPS2) with reads obtained from Ribo-seq and eRF1-seq. The 5′ end of reads was used for mapping. (B) Heatmaps of individual mRNAs with reads obtained from Ribo-seq (right) and eRF1-seq (left). (C) Aggregation plots of mean eRF1-seq reads around the stop codon. The reads were stratified by the length, followed by mapping using the 5′ end of footprint reads. (D) Comparison of codon frequencies upstream of stop codons between mRNAs with and without eRF1 peaks. The right panel shows the enriched sequence motif for mRNAs with eRF1 peaks at stop codons.

Figure 2—figure supplement 1
Developing eRF1-seq to capture terminating ribosomes.

(A) HEK293 cells with or without crosslinking by formaldehyde were subjected to eRF1 immunoprecipitation followed by western blotting using antibodies indicated. Representative results of three independent experiments are shown. (B) A scatter plot shows the correlation of read counts between two biological replicates of eRF1-seq (Rho = 0.89). (C) Comparison of 3’ UTR length (left) and folding free energy (right) between mRNAs with and without eRF1 peaks at the stop codon. (D) Aggregation plots of ribosome density using Ribo-seq and eRF1-seq data sets on mRNAs with different stop codons. (E) The enriched sequence motif preceding different stop codons on mRNAs with eRF1 peaks.

Figure 3 with 1 supplement
eRF1-seq reveals prevailing termination sites.

(A) A pie chart shows fractions of eRF1 peaks mapped to different mRNA regions. ‘Inframe’ and ‘Outframe’ refer to the positions of eRF1 peaks within coding sequence (CDS) relative to the annotated start codons. (B) The left panel shows mean eRF1-seq reads around the position of eRF1 peaks within 5′ UTR. The dot plot shows the frequency of A-site codons at eRF1 peaks. The right panel shows mean Ribo-seq reads around the position of eRF1 peaks within 5′ UTR. The bar graph shows the mean ribosome densities before (-) and after (+) the eRF1 peaks. (C) The left panel shows mean eRF1-seq reads around the position of out-of-frame eRF1 peaks within CDS. The dot plot shows the frequency of A-site codons at eRF1 peaks. The right panel shows mean Ribo-seq reads around the position of out-of-frame eRF1 peaks within CDS. The bar graph shows the mean ribosome densities before (-) and after (+) the eRF1 peaks. (D) The distribution of eRF1 peaks before the annotated stop codon. Only the out-of-frame eRF1 peaks were used for plotting. (E) A bar graph shows the HiBiT-based reporter assays in HEK293-Kb cells. HiBiT signals were measured from cells transfected with mRNA reporters bearing different sequences between GFP and HiBiT. Error bars, mean ± SEM n=3 biological replicates. ****p≤0.0001 by unpaired two-tailed t-test.

Figure 3—figure supplement 1
eRF1-seq reveals prevailing termination sites in 3‘ UTR and coding sequence (CDS).

(A) A Venn diagram shows the number of uORFs identified by Ribo-seq and eRF1-seq. (B) The left panel shows mean eRF1-seq reads around the position of eRF1 peaks within 3’ UTR. The dot plot shows the frequency of A-site codons at eRF1 peaks. The right panel shows mean Ribo-seq reads around the position of eRF1 peaks within 3’ UTR. The bar graph shows the mean ribosome densities before (-) and after (+) the eRF1 peaks. (C) The left panel shows mean eRF1-seq reads around the position of in-frame eRF1 peaks within CDS. The dot plot shows the frequency of A-site codons at eRF1 peaks. The right panel shows mean Ribo-seq reads around the position of in-frame eRF1 peaks within CDS. The bar graph shows the mean ribosome densities before (-) and after (+) the eRF1 peaks.

Figure 4 with 3 supplements
Termination pausing is influenced by sequence contexts.

(A) The upper panel shows the schematic of a massively parallel reporter assay, where the stop codon of upstream open reading frame (uORF) was replaced with a random 9-nt sequence. The uORF translation was monitored by the number of associated ribosomes separated by a sucrose gradient (M, monosome; P, polysome). The heatmap shows the ratio of monosome fraction over polysome fraction (M/P) when different codons were placed at individual positions within the 9-nt random sequence (left). The bar graph (right) shows the mean M/P ratio averaged across all positions. The stop codons UGA, UAG, and UAA are highlighted in red. (B) Similar to (A) except that the random 9-nt sequences were placed before the stop codon UAG. (C) Bar graphs show the HiBiT signals in HEK293-Kb cells transfected with mRNA reporters bearing C-rich or GA-rich sequences between the uORF and HiBiT-GFP. The upper panel shows the control without the stop codon UAG. Error bars, mean ± SEM n=3 biological replicates. *p≤0.05; **p≤0.01 by unpaired two-tailed t-test. (D) A bar graph shows the HiBiT signals in HEK293-Kb cells transfected with mRNA reporters bearing C-rich or GA-rich sequences before the GFP stop codon UAG. The downstream HiBiT sequence was inserted into different reading frames. Error bars, mean ± SEM n=3 biological replicates. **p≤0.01; ***p≤0.001 by unpaired two-tailed t-test. (E) Representative western blots of GFP and HiBiT in HEK293-Kb cells transfected with C-rich or GA-rich reporters as described in (D).

Figure 4—figure supplement 1
MPRA assays reveal the sequence context of stop codons.

(A) The up panel shows the schematic of a massively parallel reporter assay, where the stop codon of uORF was replaced with a random 9-nt sequences. The uORF translation was monitored by the number of associated ribosomes separated by sucrose gradient (M, monosome; P, polysome). The heatmap shows the codon frequency within the 9-nt random sequence in monosome (M) and polysome (P) fractions. (B) Bar graphs show the top 10 codons enriched in monosome (M) over polysome (P) at each reading frame. (C) The up panel shows the schematic of a massively parallel reporter assay, where a random 9-nt sequence was replaced after the uORF stop codon UAG. The uORF translation was monitored by the number of associated ribosomes separated by sucrose gradient (M, monosome; P, polysome). The heatmap shows the codon frequency within the 9-nt random sequence in monosome (M) and polysome (P) fractions. (D) A bar graph (right) shows the mean M/P ratio averaged across all positions in (C). (E) The up panel shows the schematic of a massively parallel reporter assay, where a random 9-nt sequence was replaced before the uORF stop codon UAG. The uORF translation was monitored by the number of associated ribosomes separated by sucrose gradient (M, monosome; P, polysome). The heatmap shows the codon frequency within the 9-nt random sequence in monosome (M) and polysome (P) fractions.

Figure 4—figure supplement 2
Dissecting the sequence context of stop codons using reporter assays.

(A) A bar graph shows the HiBiT signals in HEK293-Kb cells transfected with mRNA reporters bearing C-rich or GA-rich sequence before the GFP stop codon UAG. Error bars, mean ± SEM. n=3 biological replicates. **p< 0.01 by unpaired two-tailed t-test. (B) A bar graph shows the HiBiT signals in HEK293-Kb cells transfected with mRNA reporters bearing C-rich or GA-rich sequence before the GFP stop codon UAG. The downstream HiBiT sequence was inserted into different reading frames. Error bars, mean ± SEM. n=3 biological replicates. **p≤ 0.01 by unpaired two-tailed t-test. (C) A bar graph shows the HiBiT signals in HEK293-Kb cells transfected with mRNA reporters bearing C-rich or GA-rich sequence before the GFP stop codon UAG. Error bars, mean ± SEM. n=3 biological replicates. *p< 0.05; **p≤ 0.01; ***p< 0.001 by unpaired two-tailed t-test for two groups and ordinary one-way ANOVA test followed by Dunnett's multiple comparisons for more than two groups.

Figure 4—figure supplement 3
ABCE1 modulates termination pausing independent of the mRNA sequence context.

(A) Western blots of HEK293-Kb cells with or without ABCE1 knockdown. (B) Comparison of polysome profiles of cells with or without ABCE1 knockdown. (C) Aggregation plots show ribosome density around stop codons in cells with or without ABCE1 knockdown. (D) Aggregation plots of mean Ribo-seq reads around the stop codon in cells with or without ABCE1 knockdown. The reads were stratified by the length followed by mapping using the 5’ end of footprint reads. (E) A bar graph shows the HiBiT signals in HEK293-Kb cells with or without ABCE1 knockdown after transfection with mRNA reporters bearing C-rich or GA-rich sequence before the GFP stop codon UAG. Error bars, mean ± SEM. n=3 biological replicates. **p< 0.01 by unpaired two-tailed t-test.

Figure 5 with 1 supplement
The 3′ end of 18 S rRNA influences the dynamics of terminating ribosome.

(A) A cryoEM structure of mammalian initiating ribosomes (PDB: 6ZMW) showing the proximity of the 3′ terminus of 18 S rRNA and mRNA. (B) Superposition of different conformations sampled by normal mode analysis (NMA) of the region mentioned in (A). The analysis was carried out with the mRNA segment from the –10 nt to the +5 nt related to the A-site. The superposition is outlined only for the Rps26 protein (green surface), the mRNA segment (blue surface), and the last 10 nucleotides at the 3′ rRNA extremity (dark red surface), with the remaining proteins and rRNA segments at the site described only by the average structure (silver transparent surface and cartoon). The tRNA anticodon loop at the P ribosomal site is shown in dark cyan. (C) HEK293 cells were transfected with plasmids encoding 18 S rRNA WT or mutant followed by Ribo-seq. Aggregation plots show the mean reads around stop codons of mRNAs with the GA sequence motif or C-rich sequence element. (D) HEK293 cells were transfected with plasmids encoding 18 S rRNA WT or mutant followed by transfection with mRNA reporters shown in (4D). Bar graphs show the HiBiT signals in transfected cells with HiBiT at different reading frames. Error bars, mean ± SEM n=3 biological replicates. *p≤0.05; **p≤0.01; ***p≤0.001; ****p≤0.0001 by unpaired two-tailed t-test.

Figure 5—figure supplement 1
The putative role of 3’ terminus of 18S rRNA in termination pausing.

(A) A schematic shows the secondary structure of 18S rRNA with the 3’ end sequence highlighted. (B) Comparison of polysome profiles of cells expressing the 18S rRNA WT or mutant. (C) HEK293 cells were transfected with plasmids encoding 18S rRNA WT or mutant followed by Ribo-seq. Aggregation plots show the distribution of mean reads across the transcriptome aligned at start and stop codons. (D) Sequence alignment of the 3’ end of 18S rRNA across multiple species. (E) Relative frequency of stop codons preceded with GA-rich or C-rich seqeunces in human genome. Note the different fractions between annotated and out-of-frame stop codons.

Figure 6 with 1 supplement
Differential termination pausing in mouse tissues.

(A) Different mouse tissues were collected followed by Ribo-seq. Metagene analysis shows the distribution of mean ribosome reads across the transcriptome aligned to start and stop codons. (B) Representative western blots of different mouse tissues using the indicated antibodies. The experiment was independently repeated three times with similar results. (C) Mouse liver and testis were subjected to polysome profiling using a sucrose gradient. Representative western blots of ribosome fractions were conducted using the indicated antibodies. The experiment was independently repeated three times with similar results.

Figure 6—figure supplement 1
Tissue specificity of termination pausing.

(A) Different mouse tissues were collected followed by polysome profiling on sucrose gradients. (B) Mouse liver and testis were subjected to Ribo-seq. Aggregation plots show the distribution of mean reads across the common or tissue-specific transcripts aligned at start and stop codons. (C) Mouse liver and testis were subjected to Ribo-seq. Aggregation plots show the mean reads around stop codons of mRNAs with the GA sequence motif.

Figure 7 with 1 supplement
Rps26 modulates termination pausing.

(A) A cryo-EM structure of the human 48 S pre-initiation complex (PDB: 6YAL) depicted in cartoon and colored in yellow. The region at the 5′ exit of the mRNA tunnel centered in Rps26 and extended around 30 Å of this protein is highlighted in transparent surface and in dark colors. (B) Conformational sampling by normal mode analysis (NMA) of the region mentioned in (A). The analysis was carried out with the mRNA segment from the –10 nt related to the P-site to the +5 nt related to the A-site. The superposition is outlined only for the Rps26 protein (green surface), the mRNA segment (blue cartoon), and the last 10 nucleotides at the 3′ rRNA extremity (dark red cartoon), with the remaining proteins and rRNA segments at the site described only by the average structure (silver transparent surface and cartoon). The tRNA anticodon loop at the P ribosomal site is omitted on the image. (C) HEK293 cells with or without Rps26 knockdown were subjected to Ribo-seq. Aggregation plots show the mean reads around stop codons of mRNAs with the GA sequence motif or C-rich sequence element. (D) HEK293 cells with or without Rps26 knockdown were transfected with mRNA reporters shown in 4D. Bar graph shows the HiBiT signals at different reading frames upon normalization to upstream GFP levels. Error bars, mean ± SEM n=3 biological replicates. ns, nonsignificant; **p≤0.01; ***p≤0.001 by unpaired two-tailed t-test. (E) HEK293 cells with or without Rps26 overexpression were subjected to Ribo-seq. Aggregation plots show the mean reads around stop codons of mRNAs with the GA sequence motif or C-rich sequence element. (F) HEK293 cells with or without Rps26 overexpression were transfected with mRNA reporters shown in 4(D). Bar graph shows the HiBiT signals at different reading frames. Error bars, mean ± SEM n=3 biological replicates. *p≤0.05; **p≤0.01 by unpaired two-tailed t-test.

Figure 7—figure supplement 1
The role of Rps26 in termination pausing.

(A) Western blots of HEK293 cells with or without Rps26 knockdown. (B) Comparison of polysome profiles of cells with or without Rps26 knockdown. (C) HEK293 cells with or without Rps26 knockdown were subjected to Ribo-seq. Aggregation plots show the distribution of mean reads across the transcriptome aligned at start and stop codons. (D) Western blots of HEK293 cells with or without Rps26 overexpression. (E) Comparison of polysome profiles of cells with or without Rps26 overexpression. (F) HEK293 cells with or without Rps26 overexpression were subjected to Ribo-seq. Aggregation plots show the distribution of mean reads across the transcriptome aligned at start and stop codons.

Tables

Key resources table
Reagent type (species) or resourceDesignationSource or referenceIdentifiersAdditional information
Gene (Homo sapiens)Rps26GenBankpcDNA3.1 (myc-His B)-Rps26
Gene (H. sapiens)18 S rRNABurman and Mauro, 2012pRL-CMV-18S rRNA wild type
Gene (H. sapiens)18 S rRNA (mut)This paperpRL-CMV-18S rRNA mutant
Cell line (H. sapiens)HEK293-KbLaboratory of Jonathan YewdellHEK293-KbCell line maintained in DMEM
Cell line (H. sapiens)Lenti-X 293TTakara BioCat# 632180Cell line maintained in DMEM
Strain, strain background (E. coli)DH5aThermo Fisher ScientificCat# 18265–017Strain maintained in LB
Transfected construct (human)shRNACellectaDECIPHER pRSI9-U6-(sh)-UbiC-TagRFP-2A-PuroLentivirus production
AntibodyAnti-GFP antibodyProteintechCat# 50430–2-AP; RRID:AB_11042881WB (1:1000)
AntibodyAnti-eRF1 antibodySanta Cruz BiotechnologyCat# sc-365686; RRID:AB_10843214WB (1:2000)
AntibodyAnti-eRF3 antibodySanta Cruz BiotechnologyCat# sc-515615WB (1:1000)
AntibodyAnti-Rps26 antibodyProteintechCat# 14909–1-AP; RRID:AB_2180361WB (1:1000)
AntibodyAnti-Rpl4 antibodyProteintechCat# 11302–1-AP; RRID:AB_2181909WB (1:1000)
AntibodyAnti-myc antibodyCell SignalingCat# 2272 SWB (1:1000)
AntibodyAnti-RACK1 antibodyBD Transduction LaboratoriesCat# 610177; RRID:AB_397576WB (1:1000)
AntibodyAnti-β-Actin antibodyMillipore SigmaCat# A5441; RRID:AB_476744WB (1:1000)
AntibodyAnti-Mouse IgG (Fc specific)-Peroxidase antibodyMillipore SigmaCat# A0168; RRID:AB_257867WB (1:10000)
AntibodyAnti-Rabbit IgG (whole molecule)-Peroxidase antibodyMillipore SigmaCat# A9169; RRID:AB_258434WB (1:10000)
Commercial assay or kitQIAquick Gel Extraction KitQiagenCat# 28706
Commercial assay or kitQ5 Site-Directed Mutagenesis KitNew England BioLabsCat# AM1344
Commercial assay or kitmMESSAGE mMACHINE T7 Transcription KitInvitrogenClontech:639647
Commercial assay or kitPoly(A) Tailing KitInvitrogenCat# AM1350
Commercial assay or kitRNA Clean and Concentrator-25 KitZymoCat# R1018
Commercial assay or kitNano-Glo HiBiT Lytic Detection SystemPromegaCat# N3040
Commercial assay or kitNano-Glo HiBiT Blotting SystemPromegaCat# N2410
Commercial assay or kitSuperScript III Reverse TranscriptaseThermo Fisher ScientificCat#18080–044
Commercial assay or kitRNA Clean and Concentrator-25 KitZymoCat# R1018
Chemical compound, drugLipofectamine MessengerMAXInvitrogenCat# LMRNA015
Chemical compound, drugLipofectamine 2000InvitrogenCat# 11668–500
Chemical compound, drugDL-DithiothreitolMillipore SigmaCat# D0632-5G
Chemical compound, drugBlotting-Grade BlockerBio-RadCat# 1706404
Chemical compound, drugTween-20Millipore SigmaCat# P7949-500ML
Chemical compound, drugTriton-X100Millipore SigmaCat# T9284-100mL
Chemical compound, drugEDTA-free Protease Inhibitor Cocktail TabletsMillipore SigmaCat# 11 836 170 001
Chemical compound, drugPuromycinMillipore SigmaCat# P7255
Chemical compound, drugCycloheximideMillipore SigmaCat# C1988-1G
Chemical compound, drugTRIzol LS ReagentInvitrogenCat# 10296–028
Chemical compound, drugNuclease-Free WaterInvitrogenCat# AM9932
Chemical compound, drugSUPERase⋅In RNase InhibitorInvitrogenCat# AM2696
Chemical compound, drugRNase IInvitrogenCat# AM2295
Chemical compound, drug15% TBE-Urea GelsInvitrogenCat# EC6885BOX
Chemical compound, drugSYBR Gold nucleic acid gel stainInvitrogenCat# S-11494
Chemical compound, drugSodium acetate buffer solutionMillipore SigmaCat# S7899-500ML
Chemical compound, drugT4 Polynucleotide KinaseNew England BioLabsCat# M0201L
Chemical compound, drugcoli Poly(A) PolymeraseNew England BioLabsCat# M0276L
Chemical compound, drugT4 RNA Ligase 2, truncatedNew England BioLabsCat# M0242L
Chemical compound, drugUltraPure SSC, 20 XInvitrogenCat# 15557044
Chemical compound, drugStreptavidin Magnetic BeadsNew England BioLabsCat# S1420S
Chemical compound, drugRNaseOUT Recombinant Ribonuclease InhibitorInvitrogenCat# 10777–019
Chemical compound, drug8% TBE GelInvitrogenCat# EC6215BOX
Chemical compound, drugPierce Protein A/G AgaroseThermo Fisher ScientificCat# 20421
Chemical compound, drugTRIzol LS ReagentInvitrogenCat# 10296–028
Software, algorithmGraphPad PrismDotmaticsRRID:SCR_002798
Software, algorithmSnapgeneDotmaticsRRID:SCR_015052
Software, algorithmRThe R Projecthttps://www.r-project.org/
OtherOligonucleotidesThis paperSupplementary file 1

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  1. Longfei Jia
  2. Yuanhui Mao
  3. Saori Uematsu
  4. Xinyi Ashley Liu
  5. Leiming Dong
  6. Leonardo Henrique França de Lima
  7. Shu-Bing Qian
(2026)
Profiling of terminating ribosomes reveals translational control at stop codons
eLife 14:RP109257.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.109257.3