The ADAR1 editome reveals drivers of editing-specificity for ADAR1-isoforms

Adenosine deaminase acting on RNA (ADAR) (also known as ADAR1) promotes A-to-I conversion in double-stranded and highly structured RNAs. ADAR1 has two isoforms transcribed from different promoters: ADAR1p150, which is mainly cytoplasmic and interferon-inducible, and constitutively expressed ADAR1p110 that is primarily localized in the nucleus. Mutations in ADAR1 cause Aicardi – Goutières syndrome (AGS), a severe autoinflammatory disease in humans associated with aberrant IFN production. In mice, deletion of ADAR1 or selective knockout of the p150 isoform alone leads to embryonic lethality driven by overexpression of interferon-stimulated genes. This phenotype can be rescued by concurrent deletion of cytoplasmic dsRNA-sensor MDA5. These findings indicate that the interferon-inducible p150 isoform is indispensable and cannot be rescued by the ADAR1p110 isoform. Nevertheless, editing sites uniquely targeted by ADAR1p150 but also mechanisms of isoform-specificity remain elusive. Here we combine RIP-seq on human cells expressing ADAR1 isoforms and combine this with analysis of isoform-specific editing patterns in genetically modified mouse cells to extensively investigate ADAR1-isoform binding- and editing characteristics. Moreover, using mutated ADAR variants, we examine the effect of two unique features of ADAR1p150 on its target specificity: 1) cytoplasmic localization and 2) Z-DNA binding domain α. Our findings indicate that ZBDa contributes only minimally to p150 editing-specificity and that isoform-specific editing is directed mainly by the cytoplasmic localization of the editase. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.