Regulation and Function of Vault RNAs

The function of vault RNAs remains unclear. The human genome encodes four vault RNAs: vtRNA1-1, 1-2, 1-3 and 2-1. Previous literature suggests that vault RNAs protect cells from apoptosis, regulate autophagy, and stimulate the immune response during viral infection. However, studies have shown that at least some of these functions are contingent on the presence of a 5’ triphosphate moiety. DUSP11 (dual specificity phosphatase 11) is an RNA triphosphatase that removes the gamma and beta phosphates from the 5’ end of RNAs. Regulation of phosphorylation status is not fully characterized and may impact downstream pathways that vault RNAs are involved in. Here, I hypothesize that DUSP11 plays a key role in regulating vault RNA levels and consequently, impacts the function of vault RNAs. I demonstrate that DUSP11 knockout results in an increased abundance of vault RNAs. Moreover, results indicate that DUSP11 mediated removal of the triphosphate on vault RNAs results in their degradation over time. Preliminary data suggests that DUSP11 is an important regulator of vault RNAs.