likely correspond to the RNA-recognition motif
and protein interaction domain of Orb2 (Fig.
4C, gray density). We could identify densities
that correspond to peptide-group oxygen atoms,
ordered solvent molecules in each interface, and
alternative conformations of histidine side
chains(fig.S10,AtoC).Consequently,we
could build and stereochemically refine an
atomic model de novo. The resulting model of
the amyloid core comprised 31 amino acid
residues from the glutamine-rich prion-like
domain of Orb2 (Fig. 4, D and E). Orb2 pro-
tein has two isoforms in the fly brain ( 10 )that
share the prion-like domain but differ in their
N-terminal extension (Fig. 4F). The low-
abundant Orb2A seeds aggregation of preva-
lent Orb2B, which can subsequently seed Orb2B
protein ( 10 ). Of the protein in our sample, 97.5%
is Orb2B (fig. S1C), and the protofilament core
structure extends from residues 176 to 206 of
Orb2B (Fig. 4, D and E).
The protofilament core adopts a simple
hairpin-like fold, composed of twob-strands,
b1(residues176to186)andb2 (residues 197 to
206), with a wide turn (residues 187 to 196) in
between (Fig. 4G). Perpendicular to the helical
axis, a difference in height of 6 Å between the
highest point in the turn and the lowest point
in the tip of theb2 allows an ordered hydrogen-
bonding network of theb-stranded regions
(Fig. 4H). The cross-bpacking of the two
b-strands is made of a tight interdigitation
of glutamine residues, Q179, Q181, Q183, and
Q185 fromb1 and Q200, Q202, and Q204
fromb2 (Fig. 4I). A single leucine, L198, sep-
arates this block of seven glutamines from a
clusteroffourmoreinteriorglutamineresi-
dues in the hairpin turn: Q187, Q190, Q193,
and Q196 (Fig. 4E). Next to H189, there is an
Hervaset al.,Science 367 , 1230–1234 (2020) 13 March 2020 3of5
Fig. 3. Biochemical activity of
Orb2 monomer, oligomer, and
filament isolated from adult head.
(A) Schematic representation of
the biochemical activity of Orb2.
CG13928 binds to Orb2 monomer
and recruit translation repression
complex (indicated in yellow).
CG4612 binds to aggregated Orb2
and recruit translation promoting
complex (indicated in green).
(B) Negative-stain EM of nanogold-
labeled 3′UTR of Tequila mRNA
bound to Orb2 filaments. Black
dots indicated with white arrows
are nanogold particle (~2 nm) attached
to target mRNA. (C) Immuno-EM
of CG4612 bound to Orb2 filaments.
Black dots indicated with black
arrows are gold particles (~6 nm)
attached to CG4612 protein. (D)EM
of Orb2 filaments bound to nanogold-
labeled 3′UTR of Tequila mRNA
and CG4612 protein. The larger
gold particle (~6 nm, black arrows)
represents CG4612 protein, and
the smaller gold particle (~2 nm,
white arrows) represents the mRNA.
(E) Translation of Orb2-target
mRNA in presence of different Orb2
species, obtained from embryo,
adult fly head, or seeding reaction.
Purified Orb2 monomer represses
translation, while Orb2 oligomer
and filament enhance translation. Bovine
serum albumin (BSA) was used as
a control. ***P= 0.0003, ****P<
0.0001; Student’sttest; two tailed.
Data are expressed as mean ± SEM.
AAA AAAAAAA^ AAA^
A A A AAAAA A
A^ AAA AAAAAA
Au
Mono-amino
nanogold
45 min RT
AAAAA
113 bp Tequila
3’UTR mRNA
CGUUGU M2P
UUUUGU Wt
Au-labelled-mRNA
BC
500 Å 500 Å 500 Å 500 Å
gold-labelled anti-CG4612
45 min RT
Au-labelled-
mRNA
500 Å
CG4612 CG4612Δ
Te q 5 ’ Teq 3’
Firefly
60 min RT
AT P
aa Mix
FF/RL
translation extractΔorb2 ratio
SV40 5’ SV40 3’
Renila
E
seeded
D
10x wash
+ Au +
mRNA-binding protein-binding
mRNA and protein-binding
A A
A
Orb2
Ribosomemonomer
PolyA tail
CG13928
A A
A
A A A
Ribosome filamentOrb2
PolyA tail
Translation
repression
Translation
activation
A
100 Å 100 Å
100 Å
Wt mRNA-Orb2 filament M2P mRNA-Orb2 filament CG4612-Orb2 filament CG4612Δ-Orb2 filament
Wt mRNA-CG4612-Orb2 filament M2P-CG4612Δ-Orb2 filament
CG4612
A
500
400
300
200
100
0
120
80
60
40
20
0
100
***
****
BSA
seeded seeded
BSA
Repression
complex CGG Activationcomplex
Rib Rib RibRiRiRib
A (^) A
A A
G46
(^) AA
46
(^) A AAAAAAAAA A AAAA A A AAAAAA
C CCCC
A A
A
A AA
A AAA
....
.
.
....
..
% Normalized FF/RL
or
or
Au
30 min RT, 30 min 4°C
CG4612 CG4612Δ
- gold-labelled
anti-CG4612
- gold-labelled
- 10x wash
M2P
Wt
M2P
Wt
- 10x wash
RESEARCH | REPORT