Noncanonical mRNA decay by the endoplasmic-reticulum stress sensor IRE1-alpha promotes cancer cell survival [RNA-seq]

Eukaryotic IRE1 mitigates endoplasmic-reticulum (ER) stress by orchestrating the unfolded-protein response (UPR). IRE1 spans the ER membrane, and signals through a cytosolic kinase-endoribonuclease module. The endoribonuclease generates the transcription factor XBP1s by intron excision between similar RNA stem-loop endomotifs, and depletes select cellular mRNAs through regulated IRE1-dependent decay (RIDD). Paradoxically, mammalian RIDD seemingly targets only mRNAs with XBP1-like endomotifs, while in flies RIDD exhibits little sequence restriction. By comparing nascent and total IRE1a-controlled mRNAs in human breast cancer cells, we discovered not only canonical endomotif-containing RIDD substrates, but also many targets lacking recognizable motifs—degraded by a process we coin RIDDLE, for RIDD lacking endomotif. IRE1a displayed two basic endoribonuclease modalities: endomotif-specific cleavage, minimally requiring dimers; and endomotif-independent promiscuous processing, requiring phospho-oligomers. An oligomer-deficient mutant that did not support RIDDLE failed to rescue cancer-cell viability. These results link IRE1a oligomers, RIDDLE, and cell survival, advancing mechanistic understanding of the UPR. Overall design: RNAseq in MDAMB231 cells WT and IRE1 KO, during triggered ER stress (Thapsigargin for 8h). This dataset is used to identified genome wide IRE1 RIDD targets (n=3 per group).