Apobec1 complementation factor (A1CF) and RBM47 interact in tissue-specific regulation of C to U RNA editing in mouse intestine and liver

Mammalian C to U RNA is mediated by APOBEC1, the catalytic deaminase, together with RNA binding cofactors (including A1CF and RBM47) whose relative physiological requirements are unresolved. Although A1CF complements APOBEC1 for in vitro RNA editing, A1cf(-/-) mice exhibited no change in apolipoproteinB (apoB) RNA editing, while Rbm47 mutant mice exhibited impaired intestinal RNA editing of apoB as well as other targets. Here we examined the role of A1CF and RBM47 in adult mouse liver and intestine, following deletion of either one or both gene products and also following forced (liver or intestinal) transgenic A1CF expression. There were minimal changes in hepatic and intestinal apoB RNA editing in A1cf(-/-) mice and no changes in either liver- or intestine-specific A1CF transgenic mice. Rbm47 liver-specific knockout (Rbm47(LKO)) mice demonstrated reduced editing in a subset (11 of 20) of RNA targets, including apoB. By contrast, apoB RNA editing was virtually eliminated (<6% activity) in intestine-specific (Rbm47(IKO)) mice with only five of 53 targets exhibiting C-to-U RNA editing. Double knockout of A1cf and Rbm47 in liver (AR(LKO)) eliminated apoB RNA editing and reduced editing in the majority of other targets, with no changes following adenoviral APOBEC1 administration. Intestinal double knockout mice (AR(IKO)) demonstrated further reduced editing (<10% activity) in four of five of the residual APOBEC1 targets identified in ARIKO mice. These data suggest that A1CF and RBM47 each function independently, yet interact in a tissue-specific manner, to regulate the activity and site selection of APOBEC1 dependent C-to-U RNA editing.