Rules that govern UPF1 binding to mRNA 3' UTRs

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), which degrades transcripts harboring a premature termination codon (PTC), depends on the helicase up-frameshift 1 (UPF1). However, mRNAs that are not NMDtargets also bind UPF1. What governs the timing, position, and function ofUPF1 binding tomRNAs remains unclear.Weprovide evidence that (i) multiple UPF1 molecules accumulate on the 3'-untranslated region (3' UTR) of PTC-containing mRNAs and to an extent that is greater per unit 3' UTR length if the mRNA is an NMD target; (ii) UPF1 binding begins ≥35 nt downstream of the PTC; (iii) enhanced UPF1 binding to the 3' UTR of PTC-containing mRNA relative to its PTC-free counterpart depends on translation; and (iv) the presence of a 3' UTR exon-junction complex (EJC) further enhances UPF1 binding and/or affinity. Our data suggest that NMD involves UPF1 binding along a 3' UTRwhether the 3' UTR contains an EJC. This binding explains how mRNAs without a 3' UTR EJC but with an abnormally long 3' UTR can be NMD targets, albeit not as efficiently as their counterparts that contain a 3' UTR EJC.