RIP-Seq analysis of non-PPR chloroplast editing factors reveals broad RNA interactions and enrichment of less efficiently translated RNAs by OZ1 and ORRM1 complexes

C-to-U RNA editing in angiosperm chloroplasts requires a large suite of proteins bound together in the editosome. The editosome is comprised of PPR proteins, RIP/MORFs, OZ proteins, and ORRM proteins that physically interact in high molecular weight complexes. The specific functions of non-PPR editing factors in the editosome are unclear, however, specific subsets of editing sites are affected by absence of non-PPR editing factors. Unlike the PPR components of editosomes that have predictable nucleotide specificities, domains present in non-PPR editing factors make RNA associations difficult to predict. In this study, chloroplast extracts were isolated from juvenile maize seedlings. RNAs were immunoprecipitated using polyclonal antibodies targeting non-PPR editing factors RIP9, OZ1, and ORRM1. RNA libraries from duplicate experiments were compared. RIP9 was associated with most of the non-ribosomal RNA content of chloroplasts, consistent with a general binding function to PPR L-motifs and tethering of large ribonucleoprotein complexes. The breadth of RNA associations was greater than predicted and include mRNAs without predicted editing sites, tRNA sequences, and introns. OZ1 and ORRM1 were associated with a highly similar pool of RNAs that have a bias toward lower translational efficiency values in mature chloroplasts. Lower translational efficiency was also associated with the pool of edited RNAs compared to RNAs without editing sites. The unexpected breadth of interactions by non-PPR editing factors suggests the editosome is large, diverse, and associated with RNAs with lower relative translational efficiency in mature chloroplasts.