Ribonuclease revisited: structural insights into ribonuclease III family enzymes

Monomeric linear RNA of citrus exocortis viroid resulting from processing in vivo has 5'-phosphomonoester and 3'-hydroxyl termini: implications for the RNase and RNA ligase involved in replication

Members of the family Pospiviroidae, like Citrus exocortis viroid (CEVd), replicate through an RNA-based asymmetric rolling-circle mechanism in which oligomeric plus-strand [(+)] RNA intermediates are cleaved to monomeric linear (ml) RNA and then circularized. Here we show, by rapid amplification of 5' and 3' cDNA ends and in vitro ligation assays, that ml CEVd (+) RNA resulting from cleavage of a dimeric transcript transgenically expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana contains 5'-phosphomonoester and 3'-hydroxyl termini. The nature of these termini and the double-stranded structure previously proposed as the substrate for cleavage in vivo suggest that a type III RNase catalyzes cleavage and an RNA ligase distinct from tRNA ligase promotes circularization.

Conifers have a unique small RNA silencing signature

Plants produce small RNAs to negatively regulate genes, viral nucleic acids, and repetitive elements at either the transcriptional or post-transcriptional level in a process that is referred to as RNA silencing. While RNA silencing has been extensively studied across the different phyla of the animal kingdom (e.g., mouse, fly, worm), similar studies in the plant kingdom have focused primarily on angiosperms, thus limiting evolutionary studies of RNA silencing in plants. Here we report on an unexpected phylogenetic difference in the size distribution of small RNAs among the vascular plants. By extracting total RNA from freshly growing shoot tissue, we conducted a survey of small RNAs in 24 vascular plant species. We find that conifers, which radiated from the other seed-bearing plants approximately 260 million years ago, fail to produce significant amounts of 24-nucleotide (nt) RNAs that are known to guide DNA methylation and heterochromatin formation in angiosperms. Instead, they synthesize a diverse population of small RNAs that are exactly 21-nt long. This finding was confirmed by high-throughput sequencing of the small RNA sequences from a conifer, Pinus contorta. A conifer EST search revealed the presence of a novel Dicer-like (DCL) family, which may be responsible for the observed change in small RNA expression. No evidence for DCL3, an enzyme that matures 24-nt RNAs in angiosperms, was found. We hypothesize that the diverse class of 21-nt RNAs found in conifers may help to maintain organization of their unusually large genomes.

The ORFeome of Staphylococcus aureus v 1.1

Background

The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus causes significant morbidity and mortality in humans, primarily due to the emergence of strains that are resistant to antibiotics – notably methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates. Development of effective strategies for the control and treatment of MRSA infections may best be achieved through 'omics' approaches, which first requires cloning the entire set of S. aureus' protein-encoding open reading frames (ORFs), or ORFeome.

Results

The complete genome sequence of S. aureus strain Mu50 has 2697 predicted protein-coding ORFs. Based on the sequence of this strain we designed PCR primers to construct from an S. aureus (non-MRSA) clinical isolate an ORFeome library that contains 2562 unique Gateway^® entry clones (95% coverage), each corresponding to a defined ORF. The high quality of the ORFeome library was verified by DNA sequencing and PCR amplification, and its functionality was demonstrated by expressing recombinant proteins and observing protein interactions in a yeast 2-hybrid homodimerization screen.

Conclusion

This first ORFeome library for S. aureus provides an essential new tool for investigating the systems biology of this important pathogen.

Autoinhibition of human dicer by its internal helicase domain

Dicer, a member of the ribonuclease III family of enzymes, processes double-stranded RNA substrates into approximately 21- to 27-nt products that trigger sequence-directed gene silencing by RNA interference. Although the mechanism of RNA recognition and length-specific cleavage by Dicer has been established, the way in which dicing activity is regulated is unclear. Here, we show that the N-terminal domain of human Dicer, which is homologous to DExD/H-box helicases, substantially attenuates the rate of substrate cleavage. Deletion or mutation of this domain activates human Dicer in both single- and multiple-turnover assays. The catalytic efficiency (k(cat)/K(m)) of the deletion construct is increased by 65-fold over that exhibited by the intact enzyme. Kinetic analysis shows that this activation is almost entirely due to an enhancement in k(cat). Modest stimulation of catalysis by the full-length Dicer enzyme was observed in the presence of the TAR-RNA binding protein, which physically interacts with the DExD/H-box domain. These results suggest that the DExD/H-box domain likely disrupts the functionality of the Dicer active site until a structural rearrangement occurs, perhaps upon assembly with its molecular partners.

Mini-III, a fourth class of RNase III catalyses maturation of the Bacillus subtilis 23S ribosomal RNA

Ribonuclease III (RNase III) type of enzymes are double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-specific endoribonucleases that have important roles in RNA maturation and mRNA decay. They are involved in processing precursors of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) in bacteria as well as precursors of short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) in eukaryotes. RNase III proteins have been grouped in three major classes according to their domain organization. In this issue of Molecular Microbiology, Redko et al. identified a novel class of bacterial RNase III, named Mini-III, consisting only of the RNase III catalytic domain and functioning in the maturation of the 23S rRNA in Bacillus subtilis. Its absence from proteobacteria reveals that this step is mechanistically different from the corresponding step in Escherichia coli. The fact that Mini-III orthologues are present in unicellular photosynthetic eukaryotes and in plants opens new opportunities for functional studies of this type of RNases.

Heterodimer-based analysis of subunit and domain contributions to double-stranded RNA processing by Escherichia coli RNase III in vitro

Members of the RNase III family are the primary cellular agents of dsRNA (double-stranded RNA) processing. Bacterial RNases III function as homodimers and contain two dsRBDs (dsRNA-binding domains) and two catalytic sites. The potential for functional cross-talk between the catalytic sites and the requirement for both dsRBDs for processing activity are not known. It is shown that an Escherichia coli RNase III heterodimer that contains a single functional wt (wild-type) catalytic site and an inactive catalytic site (RNase III[E117A/wt]) cleaves a substrate with a single scissile bond with a k(cat) value that is one-half that of wt RNase III, but exhibits an unaltered K(m). Moreover, RNase III[E117A/wt] cleavage of a substrate containing two scissile bonds generates singly cleaved intermediates that are only slowly cleaved at the remaining phosphodiester linkage, and in a manner that is sensitive to excess unlabelled substrate. These results demonstrate the equal probability, during a single binding event, of placement of a scissile bond in a functional or nonfunctional catalytic site of the heterodimer and reveal a requirement for substrate dissociation and rebinding for cleavage of both phosphodiester linkages by the mutant heterodimer. The rate of phosphodiester hydrolysis by RNase III[E117A/wt] has the same dependence on Mg(2+) ion concentration as that of the wt enzyme, and exhibits a Hill coefficient (h) of 2.0+/-0.1, indicating that the metal ion dependence essentially reflects a single catalytic site that employs a two-Mg(2+)-ion mechanism. Whereas an E. coli RNase III mutant that lacks both dsRBDs is inactive, a heterodimer that contains a single dsRBD exhibits significant catalytic activity. These findings support a reaction pathway involving the largely independent action of the dsRBDs and the catalytic sites in substrate recognition and cleavage respectively.

Specific recognition of RNA/DNA hybrid and enhancement of human RNase H1 activity by HBD

Human RNase H1 contains an N-terminal domain known as dsRHbd for binding both dsRNA and RNA/DNA hybrid. We find that dsRHbd binds preferentially to RNA/DNA hybrids by over 25-fold and rename it as hybrid binding domain (HBD). The crystal structure of HBD complexed with a 12 bp RNA/DNA hybrid reveals that the RNA strand is recognized by a protein loop, which forms hydrogen bonds with the 2'-OH groups. The DNA interface is highly specific and contains polar residues that interact with the phosphate groups and an aromatic patch that appears selective for binding deoxyriboses. HBD is unique relative to non-sequence-specific dsDNA- and dsRNA-binding domains because it does not use positive dipoles of alpha-helices for nucleic acid binding. Characterization of full-length enzymes with defective HBDs indicates that this domain dramatically enhances both the specific activity and processivity of RNase H1. Similar activity enhancement by small substrate-binding domains linked to the catalytic domain likely occurs in other nucleic acid enzymes.

Identification of functional microRNAs released through asymmetrical processing of HIV-1 TAR element

The interaction between human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and RNA silencing pathways is complex and multifaceted. Essential for efficient viral transcription and supporting Tat-mediated transactivation of viral gene expression, the trans-activation responsive (TAR) element is a structured RNA located at the 5′ end of all transcripts derived from HIV-1. Here, we report that this element is a source of microRNAs (miRNAs) in cultured HIV-1-infected cell lines and in HIV-1-infected human CD4+ T lymphocytes. Using primer extension and ribonuclease (RNase) protection assays, we delineated both strands of the TAR miRNA duplex deriving from a model HIV-1 transcript, namely miR-TAR-5p and miR-TAR-3p. In vitro RNase assays indicate that the lack of a free 3′ extremity at the base of TAR may contribute to its low processing reactivity in vivo. Both miR-TAR-5p and miR-TAR-3p down-regulated TAR miRNA sensor activity in a process that required an integral miRNA-guided RNA silencing machinery. miR-TAR-3p exerted superior gene downregulatory effects, probably due to its preferential release from HIV-1 TAR RNA by the RNase III Dicer. Our study suggests that the TAR element of HIV-1 transcripts releases functionally competent miRNAs upon asymmetrical processing by Dicer, thereby providing novel insights into viral miRNA biogenesis.

The growing catalog of small RNAs and their association with distinct Argonaute/Piwi family members

Several distinct classes of small RNAs, some newly identified, have been discovered to play important regulatory roles in diverse cellular processes. These classes include siRNAs, miRNAs, rasiRNAs and piRNAs. Each class binds to distinct members of the Argonaute/Piwi protein family to form ribonucleoprotein complexes that recognize partially, or nearly perfect, complementary nucleic acid targets, and that mediate a variety of regulatory processes, including transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene silencing. Based on the known relationship of Argonaute/Piwi proteins with distinct classes of small RNAs, we can now predict how many new classes of small RNAs or silencing processes remain to be discovered.

Processing of nuclear viroids in vivo: an interplay between RNA conformations

Replication of viroids, small non-protein-coding plant pathogenic RNAs, entails reiterative transcription of their incoming single-stranded circular genomes, to which the (+) polarity is arbitrarily assigned, cleavage of the oligomeric strands of one or both polarities to unit-length, and ligation to circular RNAs. While cleavage in chloroplastic viroids (family Avsunviroidae) is mediated by hammerhead ribozymes, where and how cleavage of oligomeric (+) RNAs of nuclear viroids (family Pospiviroidae) occurs in vivo remains controversial. Previous in vitro data indicated that a hairpin capped by a GAAA tetraloop is the RNA motif directing cleavage and a loop E motif ligation. Here we have re-examined this question in vivo, taking advantage of earlier findings showing that dimeric viroid (+) RNAs of the family Pospiviroidae transgenically expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana are processed correctly. Using this methodology, we have mapped the processing site of three members of this family at equivalent positions of the hairpin I/double-stranded structure that the upper strand and flanking nucleotides of the central conserved region (CCR) can form. More specifically, from the effects of 16 mutations on Citrus exocortis viroid expressed transgenically in A. thaliana, we conclude that the substrate for in vivo cleavage is the conserved double-stranded structure, with hairpin I potentially facilitating the adoption of this structure, whereas ligation is determined by loop E and flanking nucleotides of the two CCR strands. These results have deep implications on the underlying mechanism of both processing reactions, which are most likely catalyzed by enzymes different from those generally assumed: cleavage by a member of the RNase III family, and ligation by an RNA ligase distinct from the only one characterized so far in plants, thus predicting the existence of at least a second plant RNA ligase.

Protein interactions and complexes in human microRNA biogenesis and function

Encoded in the genome of most eukaryotes, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been proposed to regulate specifically up to 90% of human genes through a process known as miRNA-guided RNA silencing. The aim of this review is to present this process as the integration of a succession of specialized molecular machines exerting well defined functions. The nuclear microprocessor complex initially recognizes and processes its primary miRNA substrate into a miRNA precursor (pre-miRNA). This structure is then exported to the cytoplasm by the Exportin-5 complex where it is presented to the pre-miRNA processing complex. Following pre-miRNA conversion into a miRNA:miRNA* duplex, this complex is assembled into a miRNA-containing ribonucleoprotein (miRNP) complex, after which the miRNA strand is selected. The degree of complementarity of the miRNA for its messenger RNA (mRNA) target guides the recruitment of the miRNP complex. Initially repressing its translation, the miRNP-silenced mRNA is directed to the P-bodies, where the mRNA is either released from its inhibition upon a cellular signal and/or actively degraded. The potency and specificity of miRNA biogenesis and function rely on the distinct protein x protein, protein x RNA and RNA:RNA interactions found in different complexes, each of which fulfill a specific function in a well orchestrated process.

Characterization of a ribonuclease III-like protein required for cleavage of the pre-rRNA in the 3'ETS in Arabidopsis

Ribonuclease III (RNaseIII) is responsible for processing and maturation of RNA precursors into functional rRNA, mRNA and other small RNA. In contrast to bacterial and yeast cells, higher eukaryotes contain at least three classes of RNaseIII, including class IV or dicer-like proteins. Here, we describe the functional characterization of AtRTL2, an Arabidopsis thaliana RNaseIII-like protein that belongs to a small family of genes distinct from the dicer family. We demonstrate that AtRTL2 is required for 3′external transcribed spacer (ETS) cleavage of the pre-rRNA in vivo. AtRTL2 localizes in the nucleus and cytoplasm, a nuclear export signal (NES) in the N-terminal sequence probably controlling AtRTL2 cellular localization. The modeled 3D structure of the RNaseIII domain of AtRTL2 is similar to the bacterial RNaseIII domain, suggesting a comparable catalytic mechanism. However, unlike bacterial RNaseIII, the AtRTL2 protein forms a highly salt-resistant homodimer that is only disrupted on treatment with DTT. These data indicate that AtRTL2 may use a dimeric mechanism to cleave double-stranded RNA, but unlike bacterial or yeast RNase III proteins, AtRTL2 forms homodimers through formation of disulfide bonds, suggesting that redox conditions may operate to regulate the activity of RNaseIII.

In vitro binding of single-stranded RNA by human Dicer

While Dicer alone has been shown to form stable complexes with double-stranded RNAs and short interfering RNAs, its interactions with single-stranded RNAs (ssRNAs) have not been characterized. Here, we show that recombinant human Dicer alone can bind 21-nt ssRNAs in vitro, independent of their sequence and structure. We also demonstrate that Dicer binds ssRNAs having a 5'-phosphate with greater affinity versus those with a 5'-hydroxyl. In addition, 3'-biotinylated ssRNAs are bound by Dicer with lower affinity than 3'-hydroxyl ssRNAs. The stability of ssRNA-Dicer complexes was found to depend on divalent cations. Together, our results suggest a role for the PAZ domain of Dicer in binding ssRNAs and may indicate roles for Dicer in cellular function beyond those currently known.

A ribonuclease III domain protein functions in group II intron splicing in maize chloroplasts

Chloroplast genomes in land plants harbor approximately 20 group II introns. Genetic approaches have identified proteins involved in the splicing of many of these introns, but the proteins identified to date cannot account for the large size of intron ribonucleoprotein complexes and are not sufficient to reconstitute splicing in vitro. Here, we describe an additional protein that promotes chloroplast group II intron splicing in vivo. This protein, RNC1, was identified by mass spectrometry analysis of maize (Zea mays) proteins that coimmunoprecipitate with two previously identified chloroplast splicing factors, CAF1 and CAF2. RNC1 is a plant-specific protein that contains two ribonuclease III (RNase III) domains, the domain that harbors the active site of RNase III and Dicer enzymes. However, several amino acids that are essential for catalysis by RNase III and Dicer are missing from the RNase III domains in RNC1. RNC1 is found in complexes with a subset of chloroplast group II introns that includes but is not limited to CAF1- and CAF2-dependent introns. The splicing of many of the introns with which it associates is disrupted in maize rnc1 insertion mutants, indicating that RNC1 facilitates splicing in vivo. Recombinant RNC1 binds both single-stranded and double-stranded RNA with no discernible sequence specificity and lacks endonuclease activity. These results suggest that RNC1 is recruited to specific introns via protein-protein interactions and that its role in splicing involves RNA binding but not RNA cleavage activity.

Physical and functional coupling of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and Dicer in the biogenesis of endogenous siRNAs

Many classes of small RNA (sRNA) involved in RNA silencing are generated by double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) processing. Although principles of sRNA biogenesis have emerged, newly identified classes of sRNAs have features that suggest additional biogenesis mechanisms. Tetrahymena thermophila expresses one such class, comprising sRNAs of 23 and 24 nucleotides (nt) with an absolute strand bias in accumulation. Here we demonstrate sRNA production by the T. thermophila Dicer Dcr2 and the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase Rdr1, which purifies as a multisubunit RNA-dependent RNA polymerase complex (RDRC). Dcr2 and RDRC interact, stimulating Dcr2 activity. Moreover, Dcr2 specificity is influenced by RDRC beyond this physical interaction, as Dcr2 generates discrete 23- and 24-nt sRNAs only from dsRNA with a 5'-triphosphate. These findings suggest that sRNA strand bias arises from Dcr2 processing polarity, conferred by physical and functional coupling of RDRC and Dicer enzymes.

Information available at cut rates: structure and mechanism of ribonucleases

Ribonucleases are counterweights in the balance of gene expression and are also involved in the maturation of functional RNA. Recent structural data reveal how ribonucleases recognize and cleave targets, in most cases with the catalytic assistance of metal cofactors. Many of these enzymes are ‘processive’, in that they make multiple scissions following the binding of substrates; crystallographic data can account for this solution behaviour. These data not only explain how ribonucleases turn over transcripts, but also provide hints about how they often play dual roles in quality control checks on structured RNA.