The Drosophila ribonucleoprotein Clueless is required for ribosome biogenesis in vivo

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As hubs of metabolism, mitochondria contribute critical processes to coordinate and optimize energy and intermediate metabolites. Drosophila Clueless (Clu) and vertebrate CLUH are ribonucleoproteins critical for supporting mitochondrial function yet do so in multiple ways. Clu/CLUH bind mRNAs and CLUH regulates mRNA localization and translation of mRNAs encoding proteins destined for mitochondrial import. In addition, Clu associates with ribosomal proteins and translation factors, yet whether it is required for fundamental ribosome function in vivo is not clear. In this study, we examine the Clu interactome and probe Clu’s requirement in ribosome biogenesis. We previously showed that Clu associates with ribosomal proteins. In this study, we extend these observations to show that clu null mutants display a significant decrease in overall protein synthesis. In addition, Clu associates with ribosomal proteins in an mRNA-independent manner, suggesting Clu’s core ribosomal function may be separate from its role in localizing and translating specific mRNAs. We find that Clu is present in the nucleus and associates with the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) processing protein fibrillarin but, surprisingly, that processed rRNA products are normal in the absence of Clu. Furthermore, Clu loss does not affect ribosomal protein levels, but does result in a decrease in 40S and 60S ribosomal subunits abundance. Together, these results demonstrate that Clu is present in the nucleus and required for 40S and 60S biogenesis and global translation in vivo. These results highlight the multifaceted role of Clu in supporting cell function through regulation of mRNA encoding mitochondrial proteins and ribosome biogenesis.