Molecular motors: directing traffic during RNA localization

Abstract

RNA localization, the enrichment of RNA in a specific subcellular region, is a mechanism for the establishment and maintenance of cellular polarity in a variety of systems. Ultimately, this results in a universal method for spatially restricting gene expression. Although the consequences of RNA localization are well-appreciated, many of the mechanisms that are responsible for carrying out polarized transport remain elusive. Several recent studies have illuminated the roles that molecular motor proteins play in the process of RNA localization. These studies have revealed complex mechanisms in which the coordinated action of one or more motor proteins can act at different points in the localization process to direct RNAs to their final destination. In this review, we discuss recent findings from several different systems in an effort to clarify pathways and mechanisms that control the directed movement of RNA.

Keywords::

• RNA localization
• transport
• molecular motor
• cell polarity
• posttranscriptional control

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the work of all investigators in the field and apologize for any omissions due to limitations on space and the scope of this review. We thank E. Powrie, C. Pratt, and T. Wood for critical review of the manuscript and T. Messitt for Figure 1.

Declaration of interest

The authors report that they have no conflicts of interest. Our work on RNA localization is funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health (GM071049) to K.L.M. J.A.G. was a predoctoral trainee supported in part by grant T32-GM07601.

Editor: Michael M. Cox