1
|
Kleiner VA, Fearns R. How does the polymerase of non-segmented negative strand RNA viruses commit to transcription or genome replication? J Virol 2024; 98:e0033224. [PMID: 39078194 PMCID: PMC11334523 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00332-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/31/2024] Open
Abstract
The Mononegavirales, or non-segmented negative-sense RNA viruses (nsNSVs), includes significant human pathogens, such as respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza virus, measles virus, Ebola virus, and rabies virus. Although these viruses differ widely in their pathogenic properties, they are united by each having a genome consisting of a single strand of negative-sense RNA. Consistent with their shared genome structure, the nsNSVs have evolved similar ways to transcribe their genome into mRNAs and replicate it to produce new genomes. Importantly, both mRNA transcription and genome replication are performed by a single virus-encoded polymerase. A fundamental and intriguing question is: how does the nsNSV polymerase commit to being either an mRNA transcriptase or a replicase? The polymerase must become committed to one process or the other either before it interacts with the genome template or in its initial interactions with the promoter sequence at the 3´ end of the genomic RNA. This review examines the biochemical, molecular biology, and structural biology data regarding the first steps of transcription and RNA replication that have been gathered over several decades for different families of nsNSVs. These findings are discussed in relation to possible models that could explain how an nsNSV polymerase initiates and commits to either transcription or genome replication.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Victoria A. Kleiner
- Department of Virology, Immunology & Microbiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rachel Fearns
- Department of Virology, Immunology & Microbiology, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Lenk R, Kleindienst W, Szabó GT, Baiersdörfer M, Boros G, Keller JM, Mahiny AJ, Vlatkovic I. Understanding the impact of in vitro transcription byproducts and contaminants. Front Mol Biosci 2024; 11:1426129. [PMID: 39050733 PMCID: PMC11266732 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2024.1426129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
The success of messenger (m)RNA-based vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic has led to rapid growth and innovation in the field of mRNA-based therapeutics. However, mRNA production, whether in small amounts for research or large-scale GMP-grade for biopharmaceutics, is still based on the In Vitro Transcription (IVT) reaction developed in the early 1980s. The IVT reaction exploits phage RNA polymerase to catalyze the formation of an engineered mRNA that depends on a linearized DNA template, nucleotide building blocks, as well as pH, temperature, and reaction time. But depending on the IVT conditions and subsequent purification steps, diverse byproducts such as dsRNA, abortive RNAs and RNA:DNA hybrids might form. Unwanted byproducts, if not removed, could be formulated together with the full-length mRNA and cause an immune response in cells by activating host pattern recognition receptors. In this review, we summarize the potential types of IVT byproducts, their known biological activity, and how they can impact the efficacy and safety of mRNA therapeutics. In addition, we briefly overview non-nucleotide-based contaminants such as RNases, endotoxin and metal ions that, when present in the IVT reaction, can also influence the activity of mRNA-based drugs. We further discuss current approaches aimed at adjusting the IVT reaction conditions or improving mRNA purification to achieve optimal performance for medical applications.
Collapse
|
3
|
Goovaerts Q, Shen J, De Wijngaert B, Basu U, Patel SS, Das K. Structures illustrate step-by-step mitochondrial transcription initiation. Nature 2023; 622:872-879. [PMID: 37821701 PMCID: PMC10600007 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06643-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Transcription initiation is a key regulatory step in gene expression during which RNA polymerase (RNAP) initiates RNA synthesis de novo, and the synthesized RNA at a specific length triggers the transition to the elongation phase. Mitochondria recruit a single-subunit RNAP and one or two auxiliary factors to initiate transcription. Previous studies have revealed the molecular architectures of yeast1 and human2 mitochondrial RNAP initiation complexes (ICs). Here we provide a comprehensive, stepwise mechanism of transcription initiation by solving high-resolution cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of yeast mitochondrial RNAP and the transcription factor Mtf1 catalysing two- to eight-nucleotide RNA synthesis at single-nucleotide addition steps. The growing RNA-DNA is accommodated in the polymerase cleft by template scrunching and non-template reorganization, creating stressed intermediates. During early initiation, non-template strand scrunching and unscrunching destabilize the short two- and three-nucleotide RNAs, triggering abortive synthesis. Subsequently, the non-template reorganizes into a base-stacked staircase-like structure supporting processive five- to eight-nucleotide RNA synthesis. The expanded non-template staircase and highly scrunched template in IC8 destabilize the promoter interactions with Mtf1 to facilitate initiation bubble collapse and promoter escape for the transition from initiation to the elongation complex (EC). The series of transcription initiation steps, each guided by the interplay of multiple structural components, reveal a finely tuned mechanism for potential regulatory control.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Quinten Goovaerts
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jiayu Shen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Brent De Wijngaert
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Urmimala Basu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Smita S Patel
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
| | - Kalyan Das
- Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Wang J, Shi Y, Reiss K, Allen B, Maschietto F, Lolis E, Konigsberg WH, Lisi GP, Batista VS. Insights into Binding of Single-Stranded Viral RNA Template to the Replication-Transcription Complex of SARS-CoV-2 for the Priming Reaction from Molecular Dynamics Simulations. Biochemistry 2022; 61:424-432. [PMID: 35199520 PMCID: PMC8887646 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
A minimal replication-transcription complex (RTC) of SARS-CoV-2 for synthesis of viral RNAs includes the nsp12 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and two nsp8 RNA primase subunits for de novo primer synthesis, one nsp8 in complex with its accessory nsp7 subunit and the other without it. The RTC is responsible for faithfully copying the entire (+) sense viral genome from its first 5'-end to the last 3'-end nucleotides through a replication-intermediate (RI) template. The single-stranded (ss) RNA template for the RI is its 33-nucleotide 3'-poly(A) tail adjacent to a well-characterized secondary structure. The ssRNA template for viral transcription is a 5'-UUUAU-3' next to stem-loop (SL) 1'. We analyze the electrostatic potential distribution of the nsp8 subunit within the RTC around the template strand of the primer/template (P/T) RNA duplex in recently published cryo-EM structures to address the priming reaction using the viral poly(A) template. We carried out molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with a P/T RNA duplex, the viral poly(A) template, or a generic ssRNA template. We find evidence that the viral poly(A) template binds similarly to the template strand of the P/T RNA duplex within the RTC, mainly through electrostatic interactions, providing new insights into the priming reaction by the nsp8 subunit within the RTC, which differs significantly from the existing proposal of the nsp7/nsp8 oligomer formed outside the RTC. High-order oligomerization of nsp8 and nsp7 for SARS-CoV observed outside the RTC of SARS-CoV-2 is not found in the RTC and not likely to be relevant to the priming reaction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jimin Wang
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry,
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8114,
United States
| | - Yuanjun Shi
- Department of Chemistry, Yale
University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511-8499, United
States
| | - Krystle Reiss
- Department of Chemistry, Yale
University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511-8499, United
States
| | - Brandon Allen
- Department of Chemistry, Yale
University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511-8499, United
States
| | - Federica Maschietto
- Department of Chemistry, Yale
University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511-8499, United
States
| | - Elias Lolis
- Department of Pharmacology, Yale
University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8066, United
States
| | - William H. Konigsberg
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry,
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8114,
United States
| | - George P. Lisi
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and
Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912,
United States
| | - Victor S. Batista
- Department of Chemistry, Yale
University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511-8499, United
States
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Basu U, Bostwick AM, Das K, Dittenhafer-Reed KE, Patel SS. Structure, mechanism, and regulation of mitochondrial DNA transcription initiation. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:18406-18425. [PMID: 33127643 PMCID: PMC7939475 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.rev120.011202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2020] [Revised: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria are specialized compartments that produce requisite ATP to fuel cellular functions and serve as centers of metabolite processing, cellular signaling, and apoptosis. To accomplish these roles, mitochondria rely on the genetic information in their small genome (mitochondrial DNA) and the nucleus. A growing appreciation for mitochondria's role in a myriad of human diseases, including inherited genetic disorders, degenerative diseases, inflammation, and cancer, has fueled the study of biochemical mechanisms that control mitochondrial function. The mitochondrial transcriptional machinery is different from nuclear machinery. The in vitro re-constituted transcriptional complexes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast) and humans, aided with high-resolution structures and biochemical characterizations, have provided a deeper understanding of the mechanism and regulation of mitochondrial DNA transcription. In this review, we will discuss recent advances in the structure and mechanism of mitochondrial transcription initiation. We will follow up with recent discoveries and formative findings regarding the regulatory events that control mitochondrial DNA transcription, focusing on those involved in cross-talk between the mitochondria and nucleus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Urmimala Basu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | | | - Kalyan Das
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Smita S Patel
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
De Wijngaert B, Sultana S, Singh A, Dharia C, Vanbuel H, Shen J, Vasilchuk D, Martinez SE, Kandiah E, Patel SS, Das K. Cryo-EM Structures Reveal Transcription Initiation Steps by Yeast Mitochondrial RNA Polymerase. Mol Cell 2020; 81:268-280.e5. [PMID: 33278362 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2020.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Mitochondrial RNA polymerase (mtRNAP) is crucial in cellular energy production, yet understanding of mitochondrial DNA transcription initiation lags that of bacterial and nuclear DNA transcription. We report structures of two transcription initiation intermediate states of yeast mtRNAP that explain promoter melting, template alignment, DNA scrunching, abortive synthesis, and transition into elongation. In the partially melted initiation complex (PmIC), transcription factor MTF1 makes base-specific interactions with flipped non-template (NT) nucleotides "AAGT" at -4 to -1 positions of the DNA promoter. In the initiation complex (IC), the template in the expanded 7-mer bubble positions the RNA and NTP analog UTPαS, while NT scrunches into an NT loop. The scrunched NT loop is stabilized by the centrally positioned MTF1 C-tail. The IC and PmIC states coexist in solution, revealing a dynamic equilibrium between two functional states. Frequent scrunching/unscruching transitions and the imminent steric clashes of the inflating NT loop and growing RNA:DNA with the C-tail explain abortive synthesis and transition into elongation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brent De Wijngaert
- Rega Institute for Medical Research, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Shemaila Sultana
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Anupam Singh
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Chhaya Dharia
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Hans Vanbuel
- Rega Institute for Medical Research, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jiayu Shen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Daniel Vasilchuk
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Sergio E Martinez
- Rega Institute for Medical Research, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Eaazhisai Kandiah
- European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, 38043 Grenoble, France
| | - Smita S Patel
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
| | - Kalyan Das
- Rega Institute for Medical Research, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Sohn BK, Basu U, Lee SW, Cho H, Shen J, Deshpande A, Johnson LC, Das K, Patel SS, Kim H. The dynamic landscape of transcription initiation in yeast mitochondria. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4281. [PMID: 32855416 PMCID: PMC7452894 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-17793-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Controlling efficiency and fidelity in the early stage of mitochondrial DNA transcription is crucial for regulating cellular energy metabolism. Conformational transitions of the transcription initiation complex must be central for such control, but how the conformational dynamics progress throughout transcription initiation remains unknown. Here, we use single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer techniques to examine the conformational dynamics of the transcriptional system of yeast mitochondria with single-base resolution. We show that the yeast mitochondrial transcriptional complex dynamically transitions among closed, open, and scrunched states throughout the initiation stage. Then abruptly at position +8, the dynamic states of initiation make a sharp irreversible transition to an unbent conformation with associated promoter release. Remarkably, stalled initiation complexes remain in dynamic scrunching and unscrunching states without dissociating the RNA transcript, implying the existence of backtracking transitions with possible regulatory roles. The dynamic landscape of transcription initiation suggests a kinetically driven regulation of mitochondrial transcription.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Byeong-Kwon Sohn
- School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Urmimala Basu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Seung-Won Lee
- School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Hayoon Cho
- School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Jiayu Shen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Aishwarya Deshpande
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Laura C Johnson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
| | - Kalyan Das
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Smita S Patel
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA.
| | - Hajin Kim
- School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, Republic of Korea.
- Institute for Basic Science, Ulsan, Republic of Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Basu U, Lee SW, Deshpande A, Shen J, Sohn BK, Cho H, Kim H, Patel SS. The C-terminal tail of the yeast mitochondrial transcription factor Mtf1 coordinates template strand alignment, DNA scrunching and timely transition into elongation. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:2604-2620. [PMID: 31980825 PMCID: PMC7049685 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkaa040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitochondrial RNA polymerases depend on initiation factors, such as TFB2M in humans and Mtf1 in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, for promoter-specific transcription. These factors drive the melting of promoter DNA, but how they support RNA priming and growth was not understood. We show that the flexible C-terminal tails of Mtf1 and TFB2M play a crucial role in RNA priming by aiding template strand alignment in the active site for high-affinity binding of the initiating nucleotides. Using single-molecule fluorescence approaches, we show that the Mtf1 C-tail promotes RNA growth during initiation by stabilizing the scrunched DNA conformation. Additionally, due to its location in the path of the nascent RNA, the C-tail of Mtf1 serves as a sensor of the RNA-DNA hybrid length. Initially, steric clashes of the Mtf1 C-tail with short RNA-DNA hybrids cause abortive synthesis but clashes with longer RNA-DNA trigger conformational changes for the timely release of the promoter DNA to commence the transition into elongation. The remarkable similarities in the functions of the C-tail and σ3.2 finger of the bacterial factor suggest mechanistic convergence of a flexible element in the transcription initiation factor that engages the DNA template for RNA priming and growth and disengages when needed to generate the elongation complex.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Urmimala Basu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School of the Rutgers University, USA
| | - Seung-Won Lee
- School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Aishwarya Deshpande
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Jiayu Shen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
- Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School of the Rutgers University, USA
| | - Byeong-Kwon Sohn
- School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Hayoon Cho
- School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Hajin Kim
- School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan, Republic of Korea
- Center for Genomic Integrity, Institute for Basic Science, Ulsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Smita S Patel
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Yang S, Kim S, Kim DK, Jeon An H, Bae Son J, Hedén Gynnå A, Ki Lee N. Transcription and translation contribute to gene locus relocation to the nucleoid periphery in E. coli. Nat Commun 2019; 10:5131. [PMID: 31719538 PMCID: PMC6851099 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13152-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2019] [Accepted: 10/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription by RNA polymerase (RNAP) is coupled with translation in bacteria. Here, we observe the dynamics of transcription and subcellular localization of a specific gene locus (encoding a non-membrane protein) in living E. coli cells at subdiffraction-limit resolution. The movement of the gene locus to the nucleoid periphery correlates with transcription, driven by either E. coli RNAP or T7 RNAP, and the effect is potentiated by translation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sora Yang
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Korea
| | - Seunghyeon Kim
- Department of Physics, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, 37673, Korea
| | - Dong-Kyun Kim
- School of Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Bioengineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, 37673, Korea
| | - Hyeong Jeon An
- Department of Physics, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, 37673, Korea
| | - Jung Bae Son
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Korea
| | - Arvid Hedén Gynnå
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, 75236, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Nam Ki Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Korea.
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Mohapatra S, Lin CT, Feng XA, Basu A, Ha T. Single-Molecule Analysis and Engineering of DNA Motors. Chem Rev 2019; 120:36-78. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.9b00361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Taekjip Ha
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Koh HR, Roy R, Sorokina M, Tang GQ, Nandakumar D, Patel SS, Ha T. Correlating Transcription Initiation and Conformational Changes by a Single-Subunit RNA Polymerase with Near Base-Pair Resolution. Mol Cell 2018; 70:695-706.e5. [PMID: 29775583 PMCID: PMC5983381 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2018.04.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2017] [Revised: 02/23/2018] [Accepted: 04/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
We provide a comprehensive analysis of transcription in real time by T7 RNA Polymerase (RNAP) using single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer by monitoring the entire life history of transcription initiation, including stepwise RNA synthesis with near base-pair resolution, abortive cycling, and transition into elongation. Kinetically branching pathways were observed for abortive initiation with an RNAP either recycling on the same promoter or exchanging with another RNAP from solution. We detected fast and slow populations of RNAP in their transition into elongation, consistent with the efficient and delayed promoter release, respectively, observed in ensemble studies. Real-time monitoring of abortive cycling using three-probe analysis showed that the initiation events are stochastically branched into productive and failed transcription. The abortive products are generated primarily from initiation events that fail to progress to elongation, and a majority of the productive events transit to elongation without making abortive products.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hye Ran Koh
- Department of Physics and Center for the Physics of Living Cells, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; Department of Chemistry, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Korea
| | - Rahul Roy
- Department of Physics and Center for the Physics of Living Cells, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Maria Sorokina
- Department of Physics and Center for the Physics of Living Cells, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Guo-Qing Tang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Divya Nandakumar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Smita S Patel
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
| | - Taekjip Ha
- Department of Physics and Center for the Physics of Living Cells, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Departments of Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry, Biophysics, and Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, MD 21205, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Alhadid Y, Chung S, Lerner E, Taatjes DJ, Borukhov S, Weiss S. Studying transcription initiation by RNA polymerase with diffusion-based single-molecule fluorescence. Protein Sci 2017; 26:1278-1290. [PMID: 28370550 PMCID: PMC5477543 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Revised: 03/11/2017] [Accepted: 03/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Over the past decade, fluorescence-based single-molecule studies significantly contributed to characterizing the mechanism of RNA polymerase at different steps in transcription, especially in transcription initiation. Transcription by bacterial DNA-dependent RNA polymerase is a multistep process that uses genomic DNA to synthesize complementary RNA molecules. Transcription initiation is a highly regulated step in E. coli, but it has been challenging to study its mechanism because of its stochasticity and complexity. In this review, we describe how single-molecule approaches have contributed to our understanding of transcription and have uncovered mechanistic details that were not observed in conventional assays because of ensemble averaging.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yazan Alhadid
- Interdepartmental Program in Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, 90095
| | - SangYoon Chung
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California, 90095
| | - Eitan Lerner
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California, 90095
| | - Dylan J Taatjes
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, 80303
| | - Sergei Borukhov
- Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine, Stratford, New Jersey, 08084
| | - Shimon Weiss
- Interdepartmental Program in Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, 90095
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California, 90095
- Molecular Biology Institute (MBI), University of California, Los Angeles, California, 90095
- California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California, 90095
- Department of Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, 90095
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Lerner E, Ingargiola A, Lee JJ, Borukhov S, Michalet X, Weiss S. Different types of pausing modes during transcription initiation. Transcription 2017; 8:242-253. [PMID: 28332923 DOI: 10.1080/21541264.2017.1308853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In many cases, initiation is rate limiting to transcription. This due in part to the multiple cycles of abortive transcription that delay promoter escape and the transition from initiation to elongation. Pausing of transcription in initiation can further delay promoter escape. The previously hypothesized pausing in initiation was confirmed by two recent studies from Duchi et al. 1 and from Lerner, Chung et al. 2 In both studies, pausing is attributed to a lack of forward translocation of the nascent transcript during initiation. However, the two works report on different pausing mechanisms. Duchi et al. report on pausing that occurs during initiation predominantly on-pathway of transcript synthesis. Lerner, Chung et al. report on pausing during initiation as a result of RNAP backtracking, which is off-pathway to transcript synthesis. Here, we discuss these studies, together with additional experimental results from single-molecule FRET focusing on a specific distance within the transcription bubble. We show that the results of these studies are complementary to each other and are consistent with a model involving two types of pauses in initiation: a short-lived pause that occurs in the translocation of a 6-mer nascent transcript and a long-lived pause that occurs as a result of 1-2 nucleotide backtracking of a 7-mer transcript.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eitan Lerner
- a Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry , University of California , Los Angeles , CA , USA
| | - Antonino Ingargiola
- a Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry , University of California , Los Angeles , CA , USA
| | - Jookyung J Lee
- b Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine , Stratford , NJ , USA
| | - Sergei Borukhov
- b Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine , Stratford , NJ , USA
| | - Xavier Michalet
- a Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry , University of California , Los Angeles , CA , USA
| | - Shimon Weiss
- a Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry , University of California , Los Angeles , CA , USA.,c Molecular Biology Institute , University of California , Los Angeles , CA , USA.,d Department of Physiology , University of California , Los Angeles , CA , USA
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Backtracked and paused transcription initiation intermediate of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:E6562-E6571. [PMID: 27729537 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1605038113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Initiation is a highly regulated, rate-limiting step in transcription. We used a series of approaches to examine the kinetics of RNA polymerase (RNAP) transcription initiation in greater detail. Quenched kinetics assays, in combination with gel-based assays, showed that RNAP exit kinetics from complexes stalled at later stages of initiation (e.g., from a 7-base transcript) were markedly slower than from earlier stages (e.g., from a 2- or 4-base transcript). In addition, the RNAP-GreA endonuclease accelerated transcription kinetics from otherwise delayed initiation states. Further examination with magnetic tweezers transcription experiments showed that RNAP adopted a long-lived backtracked state during initiation and that the paused-backtracked initiation intermediate was populated abundantly at physiologically relevant nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) concentrations. The paused intermediate population was further increased when the NTP concentration was decreased and/or when an imbalance in NTP concentration was introduced (situations that mimic stress). Our results confirm the existence of a previously hypothesized paused and backtracked RNAP initiation intermediate and suggest it is biologically relevant; furthermore, such intermediates could be exploited for therapeutic purposes and may reflect a conserved state among paused, initiating eukaryotic RNA polymerase II enzymes.
Collapse
|
15
|
Förster resonance energy transfer and protein-induced fluorescence enhancement as synergetic multi-scale molecular rulers. Sci Rep 2016; 6:33257. [PMID: 27641327 PMCID: PMC5027553 DOI: 10.1038/srep33257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2016] [Accepted: 08/24/2016] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Advanced microscopy methods allow obtaining information on (dynamic) conformational changes in biomolecules via measuring a single molecular distance in the structure. It is, however, extremely challenging to capture the full depth of a three-dimensional biochemical state, binding-related structural changes or conformational cross-talk in multi-protein complexes using one-dimensional assays. In this paper we address this fundamental problem by extending the standard molecular ruler based on Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) into a two-dimensional assay via its combination with protein-induced fluorescence enhancement (PIFE). We show that donor brightness (via PIFE) and energy transfer efficiency (via FRET) can simultaneously report on e.g., the conformational state of double stranded DNA (dsDNA) following its interaction with unlabelled proteins (BamHI, EcoRV, and T7 DNA polymerase gp5/trx). The PIFE-FRET assay uses established labelling protocols and single molecule fluorescence detection schemes (alternating-laser excitation, ALEX). Besides quantitative studies of PIFE and FRET ruler characteristics, we outline possible applications of ALEX-based PIFE-FRET for single-molecule studies with diffusing and immobilized molecules. Finally, we study transcription initiation and scrunching of E. coli RNA-polymerase with PIFE-FRET and provide direct evidence for the physical presence and vicinity of the polymerase that causes structural changes and scrunching of the transcriptional DNA bubble.
Collapse
|
16
|
Single molecule fluorescence spectroscopy for quantitative biological applications. QUANTITATIVE BIOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s40484-016-0083-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
17
|
Qiu Y, Antony E, Doganay S, Koh HR, Lohman TM, Myong S. Srs2 prevents Rad51 filament formation by repetitive motion on DNA. Nat Commun 2014; 4:2281. [PMID: 23939144 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2013] [Accepted: 07/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Srs2 dismantles presynaptic Rad51 filaments and prevents its re-formation as an anti-recombinase. However, the molecular mechanism by which Srs2 accomplishes these tasks remains unclear. Here we report a single-molecule fluorescence study of the dynamics of Rad51 filament formation and its disruption by Srs2. Rad51 forms filaments on single-stranded DNA by sequential binding of primarily monomers and dimers in a 5'-3' direction. One Rad51 molecule binds to three nucleotides, and six monomers are required to achieve a stable nucleation cluster. Srs2 exhibits ATP-dependent repetitive motion on single-stranded DNA and this activity prevents re-formation of the Rad51 filament. The same activity of Srs2 cannot prevent RecA filament formation, indicating its specificity for Rad51. Srs2's DNA-unwinding activity is greatly suppressed when Rad51 filaments form on duplex DNA. Taken together, our results reveal an exquisite and highly specific mechanism by which Srs2 regulates the Rad51 filament formation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yupeng Qiu
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
18
|
Tang GQ, Nandakumar D, Bandwar RP, Lee KS, Roy R, Ha T, Patel SS. Relaxed rotational and scrunching changes in P266L mutant of T7 RNA polymerase reduce short abortive RNAs while delaying transition into elongation. PLoS One 2014; 9:e91859. [PMID: 24651161 PMCID: PMC3961267 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0091859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2013] [Accepted: 02/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Abortive cycling is a universal feature of transcription initiation catalyzed by DNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RNAP). In bacteriophage T7 RNAP, mutation of proline 266 to leucine (P266L) in the C-linker region connecting the N-terminal promoter binding domain with the C-terminal catalytic domain drastically reduces short abortive products (4–7 nt) while marginally increasing long abortives (9–11 nt). Here we have investigated the transcription initiation pathway of P266L with the goal of understanding the mechanistic basis for short and long abortive synthesis. We show that the P266L mutation does not alter the affinity for the promoter, mildly affects promoter opening, and increases the +1/+2 GTP Kd by 2-fold. However, unlike wild-type T7 RNAP that undergoes stepwise rotation of the promoter binding domain and DNA scrunching during initial transcription, the P266L mutant does not undergo coupled rotational/scrunching movements until 7 nt RNA synthesis. The lack of rotation/scrunching correlates with greater stabilities of the initiation complexes of the P266L and decreased short abortive products. The results indicate that the increased flexibility in the C-linker due to P266L mutation enables T7 RNAP to absorb the stress from the growing RNA:DNA hybrid thereby decreasing short abortive products. Increased C-linker flexibility, however, has an adverse effect of delaying the transition into elongation by 1–2 nt, which gives rise to long abortive products. However, a mutation in the upstream promoter region greatly decreases long abortive products in P266L reactions, rendering the combination of P266L and A-15C promoter a desirable pair for efficient in vitro transcription for RNA production. We conclude that the conformational rigidity in the C-linker region conferred by the proline at position 266 is responsible for the undesirable short abortive products, but the rigidity is critical for efficient promoter clearance and transition into elongation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guo-Qing Tang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Divya Nandakumar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Rajiv P. Bandwar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Kyung Suk Lee
- Department of Physics and Center for the Physics of Living Cells, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Rahul Roy
- Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Taekjip Ha
- Department of Physics and Center for the Physics of Living Cells, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Center for Biophysics and Computational Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institutes, Urbana, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Smita S. Patel
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Rutgers University, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Heller I, Hoekstra TP, King GA, Peterman EJG, Wuite GJL. Optical tweezers analysis of DNA-protein complexes. Chem Rev 2014; 114:3087-119. [PMID: 24443844 DOI: 10.1021/cr4003006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Iddo Heller
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and LaserLaB Amsterdam, VU University Amsterdam , De Boelelaan 1081, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
20
|
Fluorescent methods to study transcription initiation and transition into elongation. EXPERIENTIA SUPPLEMENTUM (2012) 2014; 105:105-30. [PMID: 25095993 PMCID: PMC4430081 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-0348-0856-9_6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/10/2023]
Abstract
The DNA-dependent RNA polymerases induce specific conformational changes in the promoter DNA during transcription initiation. Fluorescence spectroscopy sensitively monitors these DNA conformational changes in real time and at equilibrium providing powerful ways to estimate interactions in transcriptional complexes and to assess how transcription is regulated by the promoter DNA sequence, transcription factors, and small ligands. Ensemble fluorescence methods described here probe the individual steps of promoter binding, bending, opening, and transition into the elongation using T7 phage and mitochondrial transcriptional systems as examples.
Collapse
|
21
|
Shimamoto N. Nanobiology of RNA polymerase: biological consequence of inhomogeneity in reactant. Chem Rev 2013; 113:8400-22. [PMID: 24074222 DOI: 10.1021/cr400006b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Nobuo Shimamoto
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Kyoto Sangyo University , Kamigamo-Motoyama, Kita-Ku, Kyoto, 603-8555 Japan
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Deshayes S, Divita G. Fluorescence technologies for monitoring interactions between biological molecules in vitro. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2013; 113:109-43. [PMID: 23244790 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-386932-6.00004-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Over the last two centuries, the discovery and understanding of the principle of fluorescence have provided new means of characterizing physical/biological/chemical processes in a noninvasive manner. Fluorescence spectroscopy has become one of the most powerful and widely applied methods in the life sciences, from fundamental research to clinical applications. In vitro, fluorescence approaches offer the potential to sense in real-time extra and intracellular molecular interactions and enzymatic reactions, which constitutes a major advantage over other approaches to the study of biomolecular interactions. This technology has been used for the characterization of protein/protein, protein/nucleic acid, protein/substrate, and biomembrane/biomolecule interactions, which play crucial roles in the regulation of cellular pathways. This chapter reviews the different fluorescence strategies that have been developed for sensing molecular interactions in vitro at both steady- and pre-steady-state levels.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sebastien Deshayes
- Centre de Recherches de Biochimie Macromoléculaire, Department of Chemical Biology and Nanotechnology for Therapeutics, CRBM-CNRS, UMR-5237, UM1-UM2, University of Montpellier, 1919 Route de Mende, Montpellier, France
| | | |
Collapse
|
23
|
Kim H, Ha T. Single-molecule nanometry for biological physics. REPORTS ON PROGRESS IN PHYSICS. PHYSICAL SOCIETY (GREAT BRITAIN) 2013; 76:016601. [PMID: 23249673 PMCID: PMC3549428 DOI: 10.1088/0034-4885/76/1/016601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Precision measurement is a hallmark of physics but the small length scale (∼nanometer) of elementary biological components and thermal fluctuations surrounding them challenge our ability to visualize their action. Here, we highlight the recent developments in single-molecule nanometry where the position of a single fluorescent molecule can be determined with nanometer precision, reaching the limit imposed by the shot noise, and the relative motion between two molecules can be determined with ∼0.3 nm precision at ∼1 ms time resolution, as well as how these new tools are providing fundamental insights into how motor proteins move on cellular highways. We will also discuss how interactions between three and four fluorescent molecules can be used to measure three and six coordinates, respectively, allowing us to correlate the movements of multiple components. Finally, we will discuss recent progress in combining angstrom-precision optical tweezers with single-molecule fluorescent detection, opening new windows for multi-dimensional single-molecule nanometry for biological physics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hajin Kim
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
24
|
Nakano T, Ouchi R, Kawazoe J, Pack SP, Makino K, Ide H. T7 RNA polymerases backed up by covalently trapped proteins catalyze highly error prone transcription. J Biol Chem 2012; 287:6562-72. [PMID: 22235136 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m111.318410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA polymerases (RNAPs) transcribe genes through the barrier of nucleoproteins and site-specific DNA-binding proteins on their own or with the aid of accessory factors. Proteins are often covalently trapped on DNA by DNA damaging agents, forming DNA-protein cross-links (DPCs). However, little is known about how immobilized proteins affect transcription. To elucidate the effect of DPCs on transcription, we constructed DNA templates containing site-specific DPCs and performed in vitro transcription reactions using phage T7 RNAP. We show here that DPCs constitute strong but not absolute blocks to in vitro transcription catalyzed by T7 RNAP. More importantly, sequence analysis of transcripts shows that RNAPs roadblocked not only by DPCs but also by the stalled leading RNAP become highly error prone and generate mutations in the upstream intact template regions. This contrasts with the transcriptional mutations induced by conventional DNA lesions, which are delivered to the active site or its proximal position in RNAPs and cause direct misincorporation. Our data also indicate that the trailing RNAP stimulates forward translocation of the stalled leading RNAP, promoting the translesion bypass of DPCs. The present results provide new insights into the transcriptional fidelity and mutual interactions of RNAPs that encounter persistent roadblocks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Toshiaki Nakano
- Department of Mathematical and Life Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8526, Japan
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
25
|
Real-time monitoring of a stepwise transcription reaction on a quartz-crystal microbalance. Anal Biochem 2011; 421:732-41. [PMID: 22182728 DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2011.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2011] [Revised: 11/18/2011] [Accepted: 11/19/2011] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
We monitored real-time DNA transcription by T7 RNAP using a 27-MHz DNA-immobilized quartz-crystal microbalance (QCM) in buffer solution to investigate the stepwise reaction of transcription. We designed a template double-stranded DNA that consisted of a T7 promoter, a stall position (15 bp downstream from the promoter), and a 73-bp transcription region. Based on the frequency (mass) changes of the template-immobilized QCM in response to the addition of T7 RNAP and monomers of NTP, we obtained the kinetic parameters of each step of the T7 RNAP reactions: the enzyme-binding rate (k(on)) to and the dissociation rate (k(off)) from the promoter, the proceeding rate (k(for)) from the promoter to the forward stall position, the polymerization rate (k(cat)) of RNA along DNA, and the release rate (k(r)) from the end of the template DNA. We found that k(cat) (120 s⁻¹) was extremely large compared with k(off) (0.014 s⁻¹), k(for) (0.062 s⁻¹), and k(r) (0.014 s⁻¹), revealing that the rate-limiting steps of T7 RNAP involve the binding to the promoter, the movement to the stall position, and the release from DNA. These kinetic parameters were compared with values for other DNA-binding enzymes.
Collapse
|
26
|
Kim H, Tang GQ, Patel SS, Ha T. Opening-closing dynamics of the mitochondrial transcription pre-initiation complex. Nucleic Acids Res 2011; 40:371-80. [PMID: 21911357 PMCID: PMC3245942 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkr736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Promoter recognition and local melting of DNA are key steps of transcription initiation catalyzed by RNA polymerase and initiation factors. From single molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer studies of the yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) mitochondrial RNA polymerase Rpo41 and its transcription factor Mtf1, we show that the pre-initiation complex is highly dynamic and undergoes repetitive opening-closing transitions that are modulated by Mtf1 and ATP. We found that Rpo41 alone has the intrinsic ability to bend the promoter but only very briefly. Mtf1 enhances bending/opening transition and suppresses closing transition, indicating its dual roles of nucleating promoter opening and stabilizing the open state. The cognate initiating ATP prolongs the lifetime of the open state, plausibly explaining the 'ATP sensing mechanism' suggested for the system. We discovered short-lived opening trials upon initial binding of Rpo41-Mtf1 before the establishment of the opening/closing equilibrium, which may aid in promoter selection before the formation of stable pre-initiation complex. The dynamics of open complex formation provides unique insights into the interplay between RNA polymerase and transcription factors in regulating initiation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hajin Kim
- Physics Department and Center for Physics of Living Cells, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
27
|
Vahia AV, Martin CT. Direct tests of the energetic basis of abortive cycling in transcription. Biochemistry 2011; 50:7015-22. [PMID: 21776950 DOI: 10.1021/bi200620q] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Although the synthesis of RNA from a DNA template is (and must be) a generally very stable process to enable transcription of kilobase transcripts, it has long been known that during initial transcription of the first 8-10 bases of RNA complexes are relatively unstable, leading to the release of short abortive RNA transcripts. A wealth of structural data in the past decade has led to specific mechanistic models elaborating an earlier "stressed intermediate" model for initial transcription. In this study, we test fundamental predictions of each of these models in the simple model enzyme T7 RNA polymerase. Nicking or gapping the nontranscribed template DNA immediately upstream of the growing hybrid yields no systematic reduction in abortive falloff, demonstrating clearly that compaction or "scrunching" of this DNA is not a source of functional instability. Similarly, transcription on DNA in which the nontemplate strand in the initially transcribed region is either mismatched or removed altogether leads to at most modest reductions in abortive falloff, indicating that expansion or "scrunching" of the bubble is not the primary driving force for abortive cycling. Finally, energetic stress derived from the observed steric clash of the growing hybrid against the N-terminal domain contributes at most mildly to abortive cycling, as the addition of steric bulk (additional RNA bases) at the upstream end of the hybrid does not lead to predicted positional shifts in observed abortive patterns. We conclude that while structural changes (scrunching) clearly occur in initial transcription, stress from these changes is not the primary force driving abortive cycling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ankit V Vahia
- Program in Molecular & Cellular Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | | |
Collapse
|
28
|
Skinner GM, Kalafut BS, Visscher K. Downstream DNA tension regulates the stability of the T7 RNA polymerase initiation complex. Biophys J 2011; 100:1034-41. [PMID: 21320448 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2010.11.092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2010] [Revised: 11/11/2010] [Accepted: 11/15/2010] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Gene transcription by the enzyme RNA polymerase is tightly regulated. In many cases, such as in the lac operon in Escherichia coli, this regulation is achieved through the action of protein factors on DNA. Because DNA is an elastic polymer, its response to enzymatic processing can lead to mechanical perturbations (e.g., linear stretching and supercoiling) that can affect the operation of other DNA processing complexes acting elsewhere on the same substrate molecule. Using an optical-tweezers assay, we measured the binding kinetics between single molecules of bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase and DNA, as a function of tension. We found that increasing DNA tension under conditions that favor formation of the open complex results in destabilization of the preinitiation complex. Furthermore, with zero ribonucleotides present, when the closed complex is favored, we find reduced tension sensitivity, implying that it is predominantly the open complex that is sensitive. This result strongly supports the "scrunching" model for T7 transcription initiation, as the applied tension acts against the movement of the DNA into the scrunched state, and introduces linear DNA tension as a potential regulatory quantity for transcription initiation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gary M Skinner
- Department of Physics, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
29
|
FRET (fluorescence resonance energy transfer) sheds light on transcription. Biochem Soc Trans 2011; 39:122-7. [DOI: 10.1042/bst0390122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The complex organization of the transcription machinery has been revealed mainly by biochemical and crystallographic studies. X-ray structures describe RNA polymerases and transcription complexes on an atomic level, but fail to portray their dynamic nature. The use of fluorescence techniques has made it possible to add a new layer of information to our understanding of transcription by providing details about the structural rearrangement of mobile elements and the network of interactions within transcription complexes in solution and in real-time.
Collapse
|
30
|
Cordes T, Santoso Y, Tomescu AI, Gryte K, Hwang LC, Camará B, Wigneshweraraj S, Kapanidis AN. Sensing DNA opening in transcription using quenchable Förster resonance energy transfer. Biochemistry 2010; 49:9171-80. [PMID: 20818825 DOI: 10.1021/bi101184g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Many biological processes, such as gene transcription and replication, involve opening and closing of short regions of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). Few techniques, however, can study these processes in real time or at the single-molecule level. Here, we present a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay that monitors the state of DNA (double- vs single-stranded) at a specific region within a DNA fragment, at both the ensemble level and the single-molecule level. The assay utilizes two closely spaced fluorophores: a FRET donor fluorophore (Cy3B) on the first DNA strand and a FRET acceptor fluorophore (ATTO647N) on the complementary strand. Because our assay is based on quenching and dequenching FRET processes, i.e., the presence or absence of contact-induced fluorescence quenching, we have named it a "quenchable FRET" assay or "quFRET". Using lac promoter DNA fragments, quFRET allowed us to sense transcription bubble expansion and compaction during abortive initiation by bacterial RNA polymerase. We also used quFRET to confirm the mode of action of gp2 (a phage-encoded protein that acts as a potent inhibitor of Escherichia coli transcription) and rifampicin (an antibiotic that blocks transcription initiation). Our results demonstrate that quFRET should find numerous applications in many processes involving DNA opening and closing, as well as in the development of new antibacterial therapies involving transcription.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Thorben Cordes
- Biological Physics Research Group, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Clarendon Laboratory, Parks Road, Parks Road, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
31
|
Promoter melting triggered by bacterial RNA polymerase occurs in three steps. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2010; 107:12523-8. [PMID: 20615963 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1003533107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA synthesis, carried out by DNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RNAP) in a process called transcription, involves several stages. In bacteria, transcription initiation starts with promoter recognition and binding of RNAP holoenzyme, resulting in the formation of the closed (R.P(c)) RNAP-promoter DNA complex. Subsequently, a transition to the open R.P(o) complex occurs, characterized by separation of the promoter DNA strands in an approximately 12 base-pair region to form the transcription bubble. Using coarse-grained self-organized polymer models of Thermus aquatics RNAP holoenzyme and promoter DNA complexes, we performed Brownian dynamics simulations of the R.P(c) --> R.P(o) transition. In the fast trajectories, unwinding of the promoter DNA begins by local melting around the -10 element, which is followed by sequential unzipping of DNA till the +2 site. The R.P(c) --> R.P(o) transition occurs in three steps. In step I, dsDNA melts and the nontemplate strand makes stable interactions with RNAP. In step II, DNA scrunches into RNA polymerase and the downstream base pairs sequentially open to form the transcription bubble, which results in strain build up. Subsequently, downstream dsDNA bending relieves the strain as R.P(o) forms. Entry of the dsDNA into the active-site channel of RNAP requires widening of the channel, which occurs by a swing mechanism involving transient movements of a subdomain of the beta subunit caused by steric repulsion with the DNA template strand. If premature local melting away from the -10 element occurs first then the transcription bubble formation is slow involving reformation of the opened base pairs and subsequent sequential unzipping as in the fast trajectories.
Collapse
|
32
|
Real-time observation of the transition from transcription initiation to elongation of the RNA polymerase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2009; 106:22175-80. [PMID: 20018723 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0906979106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The transition from initiation to elongation of the RNA polymerase (RNAP) is an important stage of transcription that often limits the production of the full-length RNA. Little is known about the RNAP transition kinetics and the steps that dictate the transition rate, because of the challenge in monitoring subpopulations of the transient and heterogeneous transcribing complexes in rapid and real time. Here, we have dissected the complete transcription initiation pathway of T7 RNAP by using kinetic modeling of RNA synthesis and by determining the initiation (IC) to elongation (EC) transition kinetics at each RNA polymerization step using single-molecule and stopped-flow FRET methods. We show that the conversion of IC to EC in T7 RNAP consensus promoter occurs only after 8- to 12-nt synthesis, and the 12-nt synthesis represents a critical juncture in the transcriptional initiation pathway when EC formation is most efficient. We show that the slow steps of transcription initiation, including DNA scrunching/RNAP-promoter rotational changes during 5- to 8-nt synthesis, not the major conformational changes, dictate the overall rate of EC formation in T7 RNAP and represent key steps that regulate the synthesis of full-length RNA.
Collapse
|
33
|
Sorokina M, Koh HR, Patel SS, Ha T. Fluorescent lifetime trajectories of a single fluorophore reveal reaction intermediates during transcription initiation. J Am Chem Soc 2009; 131:9630-1. [PMID: 19552410 PMCID: PMC2726732 DOI: 10.1021/ja902861f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Single molecule (SM) techniques are relatively new additions to the field of biophysics that allow one to manipulate individual molecules and study their behavior. To make these studies more relevant to what actually happens in the cell, one needs to move beyond the studies of individual molecules in isolation and study many different molecules working in concert. This presents a technical challenge as most SM experiments measure only one observable as a function of time, whereas complex biomolecular systems require multidimensional SM analysis. Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is one of the most common single molecule approaches and can report on the real time distance changes. However, FRET requires two fluorophores which will ultimately limit the degree of multiplexing in future SM applications. It will be useful if a single fluorophore can be used to provide equivalent information. In this communication, we show that fluorescence lifetime analysis of a single Cy3 fluorophore attached to the promoter region of the DNA can be used to reveal transient reaction intermediates during transcription initiation by T7 RNA polymerase. This work represents the first demonstration of real-time biochemical reactions observed via single molecule fluorescence lifetime trajectories of immobilized molecules.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Sorokina
- Department of Physics and Center for the Physics of Living Cells, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
34
|
Template strand scrunching during DNA gap repair synthesis by human polymerase lambda. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2009; 16:967-72. [PMID: 19701199 PMCID: PMC2767187 DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2009] [Accepted: 06/26/2009] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Family X polymerases such as DNA polymerase lambda (Pol lambda) are well suited for filling short gaps during DNA repair because they simultaneously bind both the 5' and 3' ends of short gaps. DNA binding and gap filling are well characterized for 1-nucleotide (nt) gaps, but the location of yet-to-be-copied template nucleotides in longer gaps is unknown. Here we present crystal structures revealing that, when bound to a 2-nt gap, Pol lambda scrunches the template strand and binds the additional uncopied template base in an extrahelical position within a binding pocket that comprises three conserved amino acids. Replacing these amino acids with alanine results in less processive gap filling and less efficient NHEJ when 2-nt gaps are involved. Thus, akin to scrunching by RNA polymerase during transcription initiation, scrunching occurs during gap filling DNA synthesis associated with DNA repair.
Collapse
|
35
|
Person B, Stein IH, Steinhauer C, Vogelsang J, Tinnefeld P. Correlated Movement and Bending of Nucleic Acid Structures Visualized by Multicolor Single-Molecule Spectroscopy. Chemphyschem 2009; 10:1455-60. [DOI: 10.1002/cphc.200900109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
|
36
|
Nayak D, Guo Q, Sousa R. A promoter recognition mechanism common to yeast mitochondrial and phage t7 RNA polymerases. J Biol Chem 2009; 284:13641-13647. [PMID: 19307179 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m900718200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Yeast mitochondrial (YMt) and phage T7 RNA polymerases (RNAPs) are two divergent representatives of a large family of single subunit RNAPs that are also found in the mitochondria and chloroplasts of higher eukaryotes, mammalian nuclei, and many other bacteriophage. YMt and phage T7 promoters differ greatly in sequence and length, and the YMt RNAP uses an accessory factor for initiation, whereas T7 RNAP does not. We obtain evidence here that, despite these apparent differences, both the YMt and T7 RNAPs utilize a similar promoter recognition loop to bind their respective promoters. Mutations in this element in YMt RNAP specifically disrupt mitochondrial promoter utilization, and experiments with site-specifically tethered chemical nucleases indicate that this element binds the mitochondrial promoter almost identically to how the promoter recognition loop from the phage RNAP binds its promoter. Sequence comparisons reveal that the other members of the single subunit RNAP family display loops of variable sequence and size at a position corresponding to the YMt and T7 RNAP promoter recognition loops. We speculate that these elements may be involved in promoter recognition in most or all of these enzymes and that this element's structure allows it to accommodate significant sequence and length variation to provide a mechanism for rapid evolution of new promoter specificities in this RNAP family.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dhananjaya Nayak
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas 78229
| | - Qing Guo
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas 78229
| | - Rui Sousa
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas 78229.
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Gassman NR, Ho SO, Korlann Y, Chiang J, Wu Y, Perry LJ, Kim Y, Weiss S. In vivo assembly and single-molecule characterization of the transcription machinery from Shewanella oneidensis MR-1. Protein Expr Purif 2008; 65:66-76. [PMID: 19111618 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2008.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2008] [Revised: 11/12/2008] [Accepted: 11/12/2008] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Harnessing the new bioremediation and biotechnology applications offered by the dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria, Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, requires a clear understanding of its transcription machinery, a pivotal component in maintaining vitality and in responding to various conditions, including starvation and environmental stress. Here, we have reconstituted the S. oneidensis RNA polymerase (RNAP) core in vivo by generating a co-overexpression construct that produces a long polycistronic mRNA encoding all of the core subunits (alpha, beta, beta', and omega) and verified that this reconstituted core is capable of forming fully functional holoenzymes with the S. oneidensis sigma factors sigma(70), sigma(38), sigma(32), and sigma(24). Further, to demonstrate the applications for this reconstituted core, we report the application of single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET) assays to monitor the mechanisms of transcription by the S. oneidensis sigma(70)-RNAP holoenyzme. These results show that the reconstituted transcription machinery from S. oneidensis, like its Escherichia coli counterpart, "scrunches" the DNA into its active center during initial transcription, and that as the holoenzyme transitions into elongation, the release of sigma(70) is non-obligatory.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Natalie R Gassman
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, 607 Charles E. Young Dr. East, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
38
|
Durniak KJ, Bailey S, Steitz TA. The structure of a transcribing T7 RNA polymerase in transition from initiation to elongation. Science 2008; 322:553-7. [PMID: 18948533 DOI: 10.1126/science.1163433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Structural studies of the T7 bacteriophage DNA-dependent RNA polymerase (T7 RNAP) have shown that the conformation of the amino-terminal domain changes substantially between the initiation and elongation phases of transcription, but how this transition is achieved remains unclear. We report crystal structures of T7 RNAP bound to promoter DNA containing either a 7- or an 8-nucleotide (nt) RNA transcript that illuminate intermediate states along the transition pathway. The amino-terminal domain comprises the C-helix subdomain and the promoter binding domain (PBD), which consists of two segments separated by subdomain H. The structures of the intermediate complex reveal that the PBD and the bound promoter rotate by approximately 45 degrees upon synthesis of an 8-nt RNA transcript. This allows the promoter contacts to be maintained while the active site is expanded to accommodate a growing heteroduplex. The C-helix subdomain moves modestly toward its elongation conformation, whereas subdomain H remains in its initiation- rather than its elongation-phase location, more than 70 angstroms away.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly J Durniak
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, 266 Whitney Avenue, New Haven, CT 06520-8114, USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|