FMRP is associated to the ribosomes via RNA

The FMR1 transcript is alternatively spliced and generates different splice variants coding for FMR1 proteins (FMRP) with a predicted molecular mass of 70-80 kDa. FMRP is widely expressed and localized in the cytoplasm. To study a possible interaction with other cellular components, FMRP was isolated and characterized under non-denaturing conditions. Under physiological salt conditions FMRP appears to have a molecular mass of >600 kDa, indicating a binding to other cellular components. This interaction is disrupted in the presence of high salt concentrations. The dissociation conditions to free FMRP from the complex are similar to the dissociation of FMRP from RNA as shown before. The binding of FMRP from the complex is also disrupted by RNAse treatment. That the association of FMRP to a high molecular weight complex possibly occurs via RNA, is further supported by the observation that the binding of FMRP, containing an Ile304Asn substitution, to the high molecular weight complex is reduced. An equal reduced binding of mutated FMRP to RNA in vitro was observed before under the same conditions. The reduced binding of FMRP with the Ile304Asn substitution further indicates that the interaction to the complex indeed occurs via FMRP and not via other RNA binding proteins. In a reconstitution experiment where the low molecular mass FMRP (70-80 kDa) is mixed with a reticulocyte lysate (enriched in ribosomes) it was shown that FMRP can associate to ribosomes and that this binding most likely occurs via RNA.