Affinage

SMG7

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay factor SMG7 · UniProt Q92540

Length
1137 aa
Mass
127.3 kDa
Annotated
2026-06-10
23 papers in source corpus 15 papers cited in narrative 15 extracted findings
Cross-family judge vs UniProt: Affinage preferred faithfulness: 6/6 claims corpus-supported (100%)

Mechanistic narrative

Synthesis pass · prose summary of the discoveries below

SMG7 is an essential nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) factor that operates as a phosphoserine-binding adaptor through an N-terminal 14-3-3-like domain, channeling aberrant transcripts marked by phosphorylated UPF1 into degradation (PMID:15721257, PMID:9927455). Its 14-3-3-like domain conserves canonical phosphoserine-binding residues that recognize the C-terminal Ser-Gln motifs of UPF1 phosphorylated by SMG1, and mutation of these residues impairs UPF1 binding and recruitment to cytoplasmic mRNA decay foci (PMID:15721257, PMID:25013172). SMG7 heterodimerizes with SMG5 via a perpendicular back-to-back arrangement of their 14-3-3-like domains; this dimerization raises affinity for phosphorylated UPF1, and the degradative activity of the complex resides specifically in SMG7 (PMID:23348841, PMID:25013172). SMG7 co-purifies with UPF1/UPF2/UPF3X/SMG1 and the PP2A catalytic subunit, targeting PP2A to dephosphorylate UPF1 (PMID:12554878), while its degradative output requires interaction with the CCR4-NOT deadenylase complex (PMID:31519907). SMG5-SMG7 and the endonuclease SMG6 act on largely the same NMD targets, and loss of SMG5-SMG7 inactivates the SMG6 branch, establishing SMG5-SMG7 as an upstream licensing factor required to authorize both decay routes (PMID:27864472, PMID:34172724). Beyond NMD, SMG7 functions in the DNA damage response: it binds phospho-Ser15-p53 and Mdm2 to promote ATM-mediated inhibitory Mdm2 phosphorylation and p53 stabilization (PMID:27462439), and through its 14-3-3 domain binds phospho-Ser635-RAD17 to promote chromatin retention of the 9-1-1 complex and activate ATR-CHK1 signaling (PMID:33820915).

Mechanistic history

Synthesis pass · year-by-year structured walk · 15 steps
  1. 1999 Medium

    Established that smg-7 is a genuine, genetically essential component of NMD in vivo, before any molecular mechanism was known.

    Evidence Genetic screen and null-allele mRNA-stability analysis in C. elegans

    PMID:9927455

    Open questions at the time
    • No molecular activity or biochemical partners defined
    • Ortholog system; human function not addressed
  2. 2003 Medium

    Resolved how SMG7 connects to the decay machinery by showing it co-purifies with UPF1/2/3, SMG1 and PP2A and directs UPF1 dephosphorylation, positioning it as a PP2A-targeting adaptor.

    Evidence Co-purification/Co-IP, dephosphorylation assay, subcellular fractionation in human cells

    PMID:12554878

    Open questions at the time
    • Direct vs. indirect PP2A recruitment not separated
    • Structural basis of UPF1 recognition unknown
  3. 2005 High

    Defined the molecular basis of target recognition by revealing a 14-3-3-like domain whose conserved phosphoserine-binding residues mediate phospho-UPF1 binding and recruitment to decay foci.

    Evidence X-ray crystallography with phosphoserine-mutant binding and in vivo localization

    PMID:15721257

    Open questions at the time
    • Did not address SMG5 partnership
    • Did not resolve downstream degradation enzymology
  4. 2007 Medium

    Linked SMG7 function to P-body-associated decay by showing the yeast ortholog Ebs1p binds Upf1p and recruits it to P-bodies, with both loss and excess stabilizing NMD targets.

    Evidence Co-IP, P-body fluorescence microscopy, mRNA stability in S. cerevisiae

    PMID:17984081

    Open questions at the time
    • Ortholog assignment based on sequence; human conservation untested here
    • Mechanism of biphasic loss/overexpression effect unexplained
  5. 2012 Medium

    Distinguished SMG5-SMG7 from PNRC2-dependent routes, showing SMG7 partners SMG5 and that SMG6 is required for efficient UPF1-mediated degradation, indicating segregated decay sub-pathways.

    Evidence Co-IP, microarray, tethering assays in human cells

    PMID:23234702

    Open questions at the time
    • Extent of pathway overlap unresolved
    • Mechanistic basis of substrate segregation unclear
  6. 2013 High

    Provided the structural logic of the SMG5-SMG7 complex, showing perpendicular heterodimerization of 14-3-3-like domains that boosts phospho-UPF1 affinity and localizing degradative activity to SMG7.

    Evidence Crystal structure of C. elegans SMG5-SMG7 with structure-based mutagenesis validated in human NMD assays

    PMID:23348841

    Open questions at the time
    • Identity of effector engaged by SMG7's degradative region not defined
    • Human complex structure not solved
  7. 2014 High

    Reconstituted recognition in vitro, defining that SMG5-SMG7 binds a short phospho-UPF1 segment via two Ser-Gln motifs while monomeric SMG6 uses a phosphorylation-independent mode, establishing distinct non-overlapping UPF1 engagement.

    Evidence In vitro reconstitution with purified components, SMG6 14-3-3 crystal structure, binding assays

    PMID:25013172

    Open questions at the time
    • In-cell coordination of the two recognition modes not addressed
    • Kinetics of handoff to decay enzymes unknown
  8. 2016 Medium

    Mapped the transcriptome-scale division of labor, showing SMG6 and SMG7 act on essentially the same NMD targets, implying redundant endo- and exonucleolytic routes.

    Evidence Transcriptome profiling of UPF1/SMG6/SMG7 knockdown-rescue

    PMID:27864472

    Open questions at the time
    • Did not establish hierarchical dependency between branches
    • Target-feature determinants of branch choice unresolved
  9. 2016 Medium

    Extended SMG7 function beyond NMD by identifying it as a p53-binding protein required for DNA-damage-induced p53 stabilization via Mdm2 interaction and ATM-mediated Mdm2 phosphorylation.

    Evidence Somatic knockout, SMG7-p53 and SMG7-Mdm2 Co-IP, Mdm2 phosphorylation and cell-cycle assays

    PMID:27462439

    Open questions at the time
    • Direct vs. scaffolded effect on ATM-Mdm2 not separated
    • Relationship between NMD and DDR roles unclear
  10. 2019 Medium

    Connected SMG7 degradative output to a specific effector by showing it binds CCR4-NOT and contributes to Ago2/UPF1-dependent miRNA-targeted mRNA decay in a 3'UTR-length-dependent manner.

    Evidence Co-IP (Ago2-UPF1-SMG7), siRNA knockdown, RNA-seq, reporter assays

    PMID:31519907

    Open questions at the time
    • Direct CCR4-NOT contact residues not mapped
    • Generality across NMD targets vs. miRNA targets unresolved
  11. 2019 Medium

    Tested whether phosphoserine binding is the essential mechanism, finding the 14-3-3 K66E mutant abolishes p53/UPF1 binding in vitro yet cells retain p53 activation and functional NMD, revealing phospho-independent contributions.

    Evidence K66E knockin mutagenesis with NMD reporter, cell cycle and apoptosis assays

    PMID:31511540

    Open questions at the time
    • Alternative binding surfaces or redundant factors not identified
    • Reconciliation with strict phospho-dependence seen in vitro unresolved
  12. 2019 Medium

    Confirmed the obligate SMG5-SMG7 partnership for NMD while excluding a functional SMG5-PNRC2 axis, clarifying which interactions are necessary for decay.

    Evidence Reciprocal Co-IP, tethering, siRNA knockdown, NMD reporter assays

    PMID:29348139

    Open questions at the time
    • PNRC2's role in any subset of substrates not fully excluded
  13. 2021 Medium

    Reframed branch redundancy into a licensing hierarchy by showing loss of SMG5-SMG7 inactivates the SMG6 endonucleolytic branch, with either SMG5 or SMG7 sufficient — a two-factor authentication model for accessing SMG6.

    Evidence siRNA depletion of SMG5/SMG7, transcriptome-wide and functional NMD assays

    PMID:34172724

    Open questions at the time
    • Molecular signal that authorizes SMG6 not identified
    • Whether dephosphorylation or recruitment is the licensing trigger unresolved
  14. 2021 Medium

    Defined a second DDR role, showing SMG7 is required for ATR-CHK1 activation by binding phospho-Ser635-RAD17 through its 14-3-3 domain and promoting 9-1-1 chromatin retention.

    Evidence SMG7-null cells, SMG7-RAD17 Co-IP, chromatin fractionation, CHK1/RPA32 phosphorylation and DNA fiber assays

    PMID:33820915

    Open questions at the time
    • Direct vs. bridged RAD17 contact not structurally resolved
    • Integration with p53/Mdm2 DDR function unclear
  15. 2024 Low

    Began mapping the upstream assembly architecture by identifying UPF2 as a cross-link bridge between SMG1 and SMG7, with SMG7 contacts arising from connecting loops.

    Evidence Chemical cross-linking mass spectrometry and structural modelling

    PMID:38542156

    Open questions at the time
    • Single cross-linking MS study without orthogonal validation
    • Functional consequence of the UPF2-SMG7 bridge untested
    • No high-resolution structure of the assembly

Open questions

Synthesis pass · forward-looking unresolved questions
  • How SMG7 mechanistically reconciles a phosphoserine-binding adaptor activity with the phospho-independent functions revealed by K66E, and what molecular signal licenses SMG6 endonucleolysis, remain unresolved.
  • Licensing signal for SMG6 not identified
  • Structural basis of phospho-independent UPF1/p53 binding unknown
  • Mechanistic link between NMD and DDR roles undefined

Mechanism profile

Synthesis pass · controlled-vocabulary classification · explore literature graph →
Molecular activity
GO:0060090 molecular adaptor activity 3 GO:0140098 catalytic activity, acting on RNA 2
Localization
GO:0005829 cytosol 2
Pathway
R-HSA-8953854 Metabolism of RNA 6 R-HSA-73894 DNA Repair 2
Complex memberships
SMG5-SMG7 heterodimer

Evidence

Reading pass · 15 per-paper findings extracted from the source corpus
Year Finding Method Journal Conf PMIDs
2005 Crystal structure of the N-terminal domain of SMG7 reveals a 14-3-3-like domain. Residues equivalent to phosphoserine-binding residues in canonical 14-3-3 proteins are conserved in SMG7 and mediate binding to phosphorylated UPF1. Mutation of these residues impairs UPF1 binding to SMG7 in vitro and UPF1 recruitment to cytoplasmic mRNA decay foci in vivo, establishing SMG7 as a phospho-adaptor that targets mRNAs associated with phosphorylated UPF1 for degradation. X-ray crystallography, in vitro binding assay with phosphoserine mutants, in vivo localization (mRNA decay foci) Molecular cell High 15721257
2003 Human SMG7 (hSmg5/7a) copurifies with UPF1, UPF2, UPF3X, SMG1, and the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), and functions in dephosphorylation of UPF1 but not UPF2, indicating that SMG7 targets PP2A to UPF1. SMG7 is predominantly cytoplasmic in HEK293T cells. Co-purification/Co-IP, dephosphorylation assay, subcellular fractionation/Western blot RNA (New York, N.Y.) Medium 12554878
1999 C. elegans smg-7 is required for nonsense-mediated mRNA decay; null alleles of smg-7 confer temperature-sensitive stabilization of nonsense mutant mRNAs, establishing smg-7 as an essential NMD factor in vivo. Genetic screen, cloning, null allele analysis, mRNA stability assay Genetics Medium 9927455
2013 Crystal structure of the C. elegans SMG5-SMG7 complex shows the two 14-3-3-like domains heterodimerize in an unusual perpendicular back-to-back orientation. Structure-based mutants confirm the heterodimer interface is conserved and essential for efficient NMD in human cells. Heterodimerization increases the affinity of the SMG5-SMG7 complex for phosphorylated UPF1, and the degradative activity of the SMG5-SMG7 complex resides specifically in SMG7. X-ray crystallography, structure-based mutagenesis, NMD functional assay in human cells, binding affinity measurements Genes & development High 23348841
2014 In vitro reconstitution with purified components shows that a short C-terminal segment of phosphorylated UPF1 containing the last two Ser-Gln motifs is recognized by the SMG5-SMG7 heterodimer of 14-3-3-like proteins. SMG5 and SMG7 form a heterodimer, whereas the SMG6 14-3-3-like domain is monomeric. The dominant SMG6-UPF1 interaction is phosphorylation-independent, establishing that SMG5-SMG7 and SMG6 have distinct, non-overlapping modes of UPF1 recognition. In vitro reconstitution with purified components, crystal structure of SMG6 14-3-3-like domain, binding assays Nucleic acids research High 25013172
2016 SMG6 and SMG7 act on essentially the same endogenous NMD target transcripts, indicating extensive redundancy between the endonucleolytic (SMG6) and exonucleolytic (SMG7) decay routes. NMD target features include introns in 3' UTRs, upstream ORFs, and long 3' UTRs. Transcriptome profiling of knockdowns and rescues of UPF1, SMG6, and SMG7; meta-analysis RNA (New York, N.Y.) Medium 27864472
2016 SMG7 is a novel p53-binding protein that promotes DNA damage-induced p53 stabilization. SMG7 knockout abrogates DNA damage-induced p53 stabilization and impairs p53-mediated p21 activation and cell cycle arrest. SMG7 physically interacts with Mdm2 and promotes ATM-mediated inhibitory phosphorylation of Mdm2 following ionizing radiation, thereby preventing Mdm2-mediated p53 degradation. Somatic gene knockout, Co-IP (SMG7-p53 and SMG7-Mdm2), Mdm2 phosphorylation assay, cell cycle analysis Cell discovery Medium 27462439
2021 Loss of the SMG5-SMG7 pathway also inactivates the SMG6 endonucleolytic branch, demonstrating an unexpected functional dependency. Either SMG5 or SMG7 alone is sufficient to support SMG6-mediated endonucleolysis of NMD targets, establishing a two-factor authentication model where UPF1 phosphorylation and SMG5-SMG7 recruitment are both required to access SMG6 activity. siRNA depletion of SMG5 and SMG7, transcriptome-wide analysis, functional NMD assays Nature communications Medium 34172724
2012 SMG7 interacts with SMG5 but not with PNRC2; PNRC2 preferentially complexes with SMG5. Tethering experiments show that SMG6 is required for UPF1-mediated efficient mRNA degradation. SMG5/SMG7-dependent NMD substrates show less overlap with PNRC2-dependent NMD substrates, suggesting partial segregation of NMD pathways. Co-IP, microarray analysis, tethering assay Nucleic acids research Medium 23234702
2018 SMG7 interacts with SMG5 (confirmed by Co-IP), and this SMG5-SMG7 complex is functionally required for NMD. In contrast, no physical or functional interaction between SMG5 and PNRC2 was detected. UPF1 interacts with PNRC2 and triggers 5'-3' exonucleolytic decay in tethering assays; PNRC2 knockdown does not affect NMD reporter RNA levels, indicating PNRC2 is not required for NMD. Co-IP, tethering assay, siRNA knockdown, NMD reporter assay RNA (New York, N.Y.) Medium 29348139
2007 Yeast Ebs1p, identified as the putative S. cerevisiae ortholog of human SMG7, physically interacts with the NMD helicase Upf1p. Overexpressed Ebs1p recruits Upf1p into cytoplasmic P-bodies, and Ebs1p itself localizes to P-bodies upon glucose starvation. Both loss and overexpression of Ebs1p stabilize NMD targets. Sequence alignment, Co-IP, fluorescence microscopy (P-body localization), mRNA stability assay Nucleic acids research Medium 17984081
2019 SMG7 interacts with the CCR4-NOT deadenylase complex, and loss of the SMG7-deadenylase complex interaction increases the levels of transcripts regulated by UPF1-SMG7. In combination with Ago2 and UPF1, SMG7 mediates miRNA-targeted mRNA degradation in a 3'UTR-length-dependent manner. Co-IP (Ago2-UPF1-SMG7), siRNA knockdown, RNA-seq, reporter assay Nature communications Medium 31519907
2019 DNA damage-induced SMG7-p53 binding requires phosphorylated Ser15 on p53. Substitution of conserved lysine K66 in the SMG7 14-3-3-like domain with glutamic acid (K66E) abolishes interactions with p53 and UPF1 in vitro. Unexpectedly, cells expressing SMG7 K66E retain p53 stabilization/activation and fully functional NMD, indicating that phosphoserine-dependent SMG7 binding is not the sole or essential mechanism for these functions. Knockin mutagenesis (K66E), co-IP, cell cycle and apoptosis assays, NMD reporter assay Scientific reports Medium 31511540
2021 SMG7 is required for ATR-CHK1 axis activation upon genotoxic stress. SMG7-null cells exhibit attenuated phosphorylation of CHK1 and RPA32 and unhindered DNA replication after damage. Through its 14-3-3 domain, SMG7 directly interacts with Ser635-phosphorylated RAD17 and promotes chromatin retention of the 9-1-1 complex by RAD17-RFC, an essential step for CHK1 activation. SMG7 also controls G2-M transition and facilitates cell cycle recovery from replication stress. SMG7-null cells, Co-IP (SMG7-RAD17), chromatin fractionation, CHK1/RPA32 phosphorylation assay, DNA fiber assay Scientific reports Medium 33820915
2024 Chemical cross-linking mass spectrometry (CLMS) identifies protein-protein interactions among SMG1, UPF2, and SMG7, revealing UPF2 as a bridging protein between SMG1 and SMG7. The UPF2 N-terminal region mediates most interactions with SMG7, while SMG7 interactions emerge predominantly from connecting loops rather than well-defined secondary structures. Chemical cross-linking mass spectrometry (CLMS), structural modelling International journal of molecular sciences Low 38542156

Source papers

Stage 0 corpus · 23 papers · ranked by NIH iCite citations
Year Title Journal Citations PMID
2005 SMG7 is a 14-3-3-like adaptor in the nonsense-mediated mRNA decay pathway. Molecular cell 193 15721257
2016 Transcriptome-wide identification of NMD-targeted human mRNAs reveals extensive redundancy between SMG6- and SMG7-mediated degradation pathways. RNA (New York, N.Y.) 157 27864472
2003 Characterization of human Smg5/7a: a protein with similarities to Caenorhabditis elegans SMG5 and SMG7 that functions in the dephosphorylation of Upf1. RNA (New York, N.Y.) 135 12554878
1999 smg-7 is required for mRNA surveillance in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 104 9927455
2014 Phospho-dependent and phospho-independent interactions of the helicase UPF1 with the NMD factors SMG5-SMG7 and SMG6. Nucleic acids research 90 25013172
2013 An unusual arrangement of two 14-3-3-like domains in the SMG5-SMG7 heterodimer is required for efficient nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. Genes & development 79 23348841
2021 SMG5-SMG7 authorize nonsense-mediated mRNA decay by enabling SMG6 endonucleolytic activity. Nature communications 73 34172724
2012 SMG5-PNRC2 is functionally dominant compared with SMG5-SMG7 in mammalian nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. Nucleic acids research 73 23234702
2007 Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ebs1p is a putative ortholog of human Smg7 and promotes nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. Nucleic acids research 67 17984081
2018 Dissecting the functions of SMG5, SMG7, and PNRC2 in nonsense-mediated mRNA decay of human cells. RNA (New York, N.Y.) 27 29348139
2019 UPF1/SMG7-dependent microRNA-mediated gene regulation. Nature communications 26 31519907
2016 SMG7 is a critical regulator of p53 stability and function in DNA damage stress response. Cell discovery 24 27462439
2011 Functional analysis of the grapevine paralogs of the SMG7 NMD factor using a heterolog VIGS-based gene depletion-complementation system. Plant molecular biology 15 21234790
2016 Decreased SMG7 expression associates with lupus-risk variants and elevated antinuclear antibody production. Annals of the rheumatic diseases 11 26783109
2020 Nonsense-mediated decay factor SMG7 sensitizes cells to TNFα-induced apoptosis via CYLD tumor suppressor and the noncoding oncogene Pvt1. Molecular oncology 10 32602581
2021 The cap-snatching frequency of a plant bunyavirus from nonsense mRNAs is low but is increased by silencing of UPF1 or SMG7. Molecular plant pathology 8 34954877
2023 Characterization of a rhabdomyosarcoma reveals a critical role for SMG7 in cancer cell viability and tumor growth. Scientific reports 5 37349371
2019 Characterization of SMG7 14-3-3-like domain reveals phosphoserine binding-independent regulation of p53 and UPF1. Scientific reports 5 31511540
2022 SNPs at SMG7 Associated with Time from Biochemical Recurrence to Prostate Cancer Death. Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology 4 35511739
2024 In Vitro Cross-Linking MS Reveals SMG1-UPF2-SMG7 Assembly as Molecular Partners within the NMD Surveillance. International journal of molecular sciences 3 38542156
2021 Critical role of SMG7 in activation of the ATR-CHK1 axis in response to genotoxic stress. Scientific reports 3 33820915
2026 SMG7 and eIF4A constitute a homeostatic module controlling P-body condensation and function of meiotic bodies. Nature communications 0 42014707
2026 Neural SMG7 deficiency induces autism-like behaviours via PKD1 upregulation. Brain : a journal of neurology 0 42249515

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