CARMing down the SINEs of anarchy: Two paths to freedom from paraspeckle detention

Abstract

A subset of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) that contain inverted Alu elements in their 3′ untranslated region are inefficiently exported to the cytoplasm and retained in subnuclear bodies called paraspeckles. The arginine methyltransferase CARM1 (coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1) promotes the nuclear export of these mRNAs by methylating the paraspeckle component p54 nrb, which reduces the binding of p54 nrb to the inverted Alu elements, and down-regulating synthesis of another paraspeckle component, the long noncoding RNA NEAT1, which inhibits paraspeckle formation.