mRNA decay can be uncoupled from deadenylation during stress response

Abstract

The polyadenosine tail (pA-tail) regulates mRNA nuclear export, stability, and translatability. Based on reporter constructs, the prevailing model suggests that pA-tail removal mediated by Ccr4-NOT or PAN2/3 deadenylases is required for mRNA decapping and degradation. Here, we use direct RNA sequencing to track mRNA deadenylation and decay at steady-state and in stress conditions to show a global correlation between deadenylation and decay. Interestingly, codon optimality, previously postulated to dictate mRNA stability, only strongly affects decay of conserved and abundant transcripts, such as coding for ribosomal protein subunits. Degradation of those mRNAs is also accelerated in response to stress. Still, the in-depth analysis revealed that deadenylation is a factor that contributes to degradation but is not indispensable for decapping. We further demonstrate that deadenylation is the fastest for newly made tails depending on polyA-binding protein Pab1. Unexpectedly, decapping initiates on mRNAs of pA-tails of 20-35 adenosines presumably bound by Pab1.