Structural features within the NORAD long noncoding RNA underlie efficient repression of Pumilio activity

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are increasingly appreciated for their important functions in mammalian cells. However, how their functional capacities are encoded in their sequences and manifested in their structures remains largely unknown. Some lncRNAs bind to and modulate the availability of RNA-binding proteins, but the structural principles that underlie this mode of regulation are unknown. The NORAD lncRNA is a known decoy for Pumilio proteins, which modulate the translation and stability of hundreds of messenger RNAs and, consequently, a regulator of genomic stability and aging. Here we probed the RNA structure and long-range RNA-RNA interactions formed by human NORAD inside cells under different stressful conditions. We discovered a highly modular structure consisting of well-defined domains that contribute independently to NORAD function. Following arsenite stress, most structural domains undergo relaxation and form interactions with other RNAs that are targeted to stress granules. We further revealed a unique structural organization that spatially clusters the multiple Pumilio binding sites along NORAD and consequently contributes to the derepression of Pumilio targets. We then applied these structural principles to design an effective artificial decoy for the let-7 microRNA. Our work demonstrates how the sequence of a lncRNA spatially clusters its function into separated domains and how structural principles can be employed for the rational design of lncRNAs with desired activities. Here the authors experimentally describe the secondary structure of the NORAD long noncoding RNA in human cells. NORAD's modular structure and specific structural elements allow it to efficiently antagonize the Pumilio RNA-binding proteins.