The Function of Pseudouridylic Acid in Transfer Ribonucleic Acid

In-Gel Cyanoethylation for Pseudouridines Mass Spectrometry Detection of Bacterial Regulatory RNA

Regulatory RNAs, as well as many RNA families, contain chemically modified nucleotides, including pseudouridines (ψ). To map nucleotide modifications, approaches based on enzymatic digestion of RNA followed by nano liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (nanoLC-MS/MS) analysis were implemented several years ago. However, detection of ψ by mass spectrometry (MS) is challenging as ψ exhibits the same mass as uridine. Thus, a chemical labeling strategy using acrylonitrile was developed to detect this mass-silent modification. Acrylonitrile reacts specifically to ψ to form 1-cyanoethylpseudouridine (Ceψ), resulting in a mass shift of ψ detectable by MS. Here, a protocol detailing the steps from the purification of RNA by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, including in-gel labeling of ψ, to MS data interpretation to map ψ and other modifications is proposed. To demonstrate its efficiency, the protocol was applied to bacterial regulatory RNAs from E. coli: 6S RNA and transfer-messenger RNA (tmRNA, also known as 10Sa RNA). Moreover, ribonuclease P (RNase P) was also mapped using this approach. This method enabled the detection of several ψ at single nucleotide resolution.

A selective and sensitive detection system for 4-thiouridine modification in RNA

4-Thiouridine (s4U) is a modified nucleoside, found at positions 8 and 9 in tRNA from eubacteria and archaea. Studies of the biosynthetic pathway and physiological role of s4U in tRNA are ongoing in the tRNA modification field. s4U has also recently been utilized as a biotechnological tool for analysis of RNAs. Therefore, a selective and sensitive system for the detection of s4U is essential for progress in the fields of RNA technologies and tRNA modification. Here, we report the use of biotin-coupled 2-aminoethyl-methanethiosulfonate (MTSEA biotin-XX) for labeling of s4U and demonstrate that the system is sensitive and quantitative. This technique can be used without denaturation; however, addition of a denaturation step improves the limit of detection. Thermus thermophilus tRNAs, which abundantly contain 5-methyl-2-thiouridine, were tested to investigate the selectivity of the MTSEA biotin-XX s4U detection system. The system did not react with 5-methyl-2-thiouridine in tRNAs from a T. thermophilus tRNA 4-thiouridine synthetase (thiI) gene deletion strain. Thus, the most useful advantage of the MTSEA biotin-XX s4U detection system is that MTSEA biotin-XX reacts only with s4U and not with other sulfur-containing modified nucleosides such as s2U derivatives in tRNAs. Furthermore, the MTSEA biotin-XX s4U detection system can analyze multiple samples in a short time span. The MTSEA biotin-XX s4U detection system can also be used for the analysis of s4U formation in tRNA. Finally, we demonstrate that the MTSEA biotin-XX system can be used to visualize newly transcribed tRNAs in S. cerevisiae cells.

General Principles for the Detection of Modified Nucleotides in RNA by Specific Reagents

Epitranscriptomics heavily rely on chemical reagents for the detection, quantification, and localization of modified nucleotides in transcriptomes. Recent years have seen a surge in mapping methods that use innovative and rediscovered organic chemistry in high throughput approaches. While this has brought about a leap of progress in this young field, it has also become clear that the different chemistries feature variegated specificity and selectivity. The associated error rates, e.g., in terms of false positives and false negatives, are in large part inherent to the chemistry employed. This means that even assuming technically perfect execution, the interpretation of mapping results issuing from the application of such chemistries are limited by intrinsic features of chemical reactivity. An important but often ignored fact is that the huge stochiometric excess of unmodified over-modified nucleotides is not inert to any of the reagents employed. Consequently, any reaction aimed at chemical discrimination of modified versus unmodified nucleotides has optimal conditions for selectivity that are ultimately anchored in relative reaction rates, whose ratio imposes intrinsic limits to selectivity. Here chemical reactivities of canonical and modified ribonucleosides are revisited as a basis for an understanding of the limits of selectivity achievable with chemical methods.

HydraPsiSeq: a method for systematic and quantitative mapping of pseudouridines in RNA

Developing methods for accurate detection of RNA modifications remains a major challenge in epitranscriptomics. Next-generation sequencing-based mapping approaches have recently emerged but, often, they are not quantitative and lack specificity. Pseudouridine (ψ), produced by uridine isomerization, is one of the most abundant RNA modification. ψ mapping classically involves derivatization with soluble carbodiimide (CMCT), which is prone to variation making this approach only semi-quantitative. Here, we developed 'HydraPsiSeq', a novel quantitative ψ mapping technique relying on specific protection from hydrazine/aniline cleavage. HydraPsiSeq is quantitative because the obtained signal directly reflects pseudouridine level. Furthermore, normalization to natural unmodified RNA and/or to synthetic in vitro transcripts allows absolute measurements of modification levels. HydraPsiSeq requires minute amounts of RNA (as low as 10-50 ng), making it compatible with high-throughput profiling of diverse biological and clinical samples. Exploring the potential of HydraPsiSeq, we profiled human rRNAs, revealing strong variations in pseudouridylation levels at ∼20-25 positions out of total 104 sites. We also observed the dynamics of rRNA pseudouridylation throughout chondrogenic differentiation of human bone marrow stem cells. In conclusion, HydraPsiSeq is a robust approach for the systematic mapping and accurate quantification of pseudouridines in RNAs with applications in disease, aging, development, differentiation and/or stress response.

Chemical Labeling and Affinity Capture of Inosine-Containing RNAs Using Acrylamidofluorescein

Adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing is a widespread and conserved post-transcriptional modification, producing significant changes in cellular function and behavior. Accurately identifying, detecting, and quantifying these sites in the transcriptome is necessary to improve our understanding of editing dynamics, its broader biological roles, and connections with diseases. Chemical labeling of edited bases coupled with affinity enrichment has enabled improved characterization of several forms of RNA editing. However, there are no approaches currently available for pull-down of inosines. To address this need, we explore acrylamide as a labeling motif and report here an acrylamidofluorescein reagent that reacts with inosine and enables enrichment of inosine-containing RNA transcripts. This method provides improved sensitivity in the detection and identification of inosines toward a more comprehensive transcriptome-wide analysis of A-to-I editing. Acrylamide derivatization is also highly generalizable, providing potential for the labeling of inosine with a wide variety of probes and affinity handles.

A general method for the synthesis of 2'-O-cyanoethylated oligoribonucleotides having promising hybridization affinity for DNA and RNA and enhanced nuclease resistance

[reaction: see text] An effective method for the synthesis of 2'-O-cyanoethylated oligoribonucleotides as a new class of 2'-O-modified RNAs was developed. The reaction of appropriately protected ribonucleoside derivatives with acrylonitrile in t-BuOH in the presence of Cs2CO3 gave 2'-O-cyanoethylated ribonucleoside derivatives in excellent yields, which were converted by a successive selective deprotection/protection strategy to 2'-O-cyanoethylated 5'-O-dimethoxytritylribonucleoside 3'-phosphoramidite derivatives in high yields. Fully 2'-O-cyanoethylated oligoribonucleotides, (Uce)12 and (GceAceCceUce)3, were successfully synthesized in the phosphoramidite approach by use of the phosphoramidite building blocks. It was also found that oligoribonucleotides having a 2'-O-cyanoethylated ribonucleoside (Uce, Cce, Ace, or Gce) could be obtained by the selective removal of the TBDMS group from fully protected oligoribonucleotide intermediates without loss of the cyanoethyl group by use of NEt3 x 3HF as a desilylating reagent. The detailed T(m) experiments revealed that oligoribonucleotides containing 2'-O-cyanoethylated ribonucleosides have higher hybridization affinity for both DNA and RNA than the corresponding unmodified and 2'-O-methylated oligoribonucleotides. In addition, introduction of a cyanoethyl group into the 2'-position of RNA resulted in significant increase of nuclease resistance toward snake venom and bovine spleen phosphodiesterases compared with that of the methyl group.

DNA adduct formation by 12 chemicals with populations potentially suitable for molecular epidemiological studies

DNA adduct formation, route of absorption, metabolism and chemistry of 12 hazardous chemicals are reviewed. Methods for adduct detection are also reviewed and approaches to sensitivity and specificity are identified. The selection of these 12 chemicals from the Environmental Protection Agency list of genotoxic chemicals was based on the availability of information and on the availability of populations potentially suitable for molecular epidemiological study. The 12 chemicals include ethylene oxide, styrene, vinyl chloride, epichlorohydrin, propylene oxide, 4,4'-methylenebis-2-chloroaniline, benzidine, benzidine dyes (Direct Blue 6, Direct Black 38 and Direct Brown 95), acrylonitrile and benzyl chloride. While some of these chemicals (styrene and benzyl chloride, possibly Direct Blue 6) give rise to unique DNA adducts, others do not. Potentially confounding factors include mixed exposures in the work place, as well the formation of common DNA adducts. Additional research needs are identified.

In vitro transformation of C3H/10T1/2 and NIH/3T3 cells by acrylonitrile and acrylamide

Acrylonitrile (AN) and acrylamide (AM) are carcinogenic in a number of rodent organs and AN is a suspected human carcinogen. We sought to determine whether AN and/or AM could produce morphological transformation in vitro in C3H/10T1/2 and NIH/3T3 mouse fibroblast cells. Both AN and AM induced a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect in C3H/10T1/2 and NIH/3T3 cells and readily transformed both cell lines. Our conclusions are based on the appearance of cells exhibiting a transformed phenotype and growth in soft agar. AN and AM transformed NIH/3T3 cells to a greater extent than C3H/10T1/2 cells. This is the first reported transformation of cells in vitro by AM.

In vitro alkylation of calf thymus DNA by acrylonitrile. Isolation of cyanoethyl-adducts of guanine and thymine and carboxyethyl-adducts of adenine and cytosine

Reaction of the rodent carcinogen acrylonitrile (AN) at pH 5.0 and/or pH 7.0 for 10 and/or 40 days with 2'-deoxyadenosine (dAdo), 2'-deoxycytidine (dCyd), 2'-deoxyguanosine (dGuo), 2'-deoxyinosine (dIno), N6-methyl-2'-deoxyadenosine (N6-Me-dAdo) and thymidine (dThd) resulted in the formation of cyanoethyl and carboxyethyl adducts. Adducts were not detected after 4 h. The adducts isolated were 1-(2-carboxyethyl)-dAdo (1-CE-dAdo), N6-CE-dAdo, 3-CE-dCyd, 7-(2-cyanoethyl)-Gua (7-CNE-Gua), 7,9-bis-CNE-Gua, imidazole ring-opened 7,9-bis-CNE-Gua, 1-CNE-dIno, 1-CE-N6-Me-dAdo and 3-CNE-dThd. Structures were assigned on the basis of UV spectra and electron impact (EI), chemical ionization (CI), desorption chemical ionization (DCI) and Californium-252 fission fragment ionization mass spectra. Evidence is presented which strongly suggests that N6-CE-dAdo was formed by Dimroth rearrangement of 1-CE-dAdo during the reaction between AN and dAdo. The carboxyethyl adducts resulted from initial cyanoethylation (by Michael addition) at a ring nitrogen adjacent to an exocyclic nitrogen atom followed by rapid hydrolysis of the nitrile moiety to a carboxylic acid. It was postulated that the facile hydrolysis is an autocatalyzed reaction resulting from the formation of a cyclic intermediate between nitrile carbon and exocyclic nitrogen. AN was reacted with calf thymus DNA (pH 7.0, 37 degrees C, 40 days) and the relative amounts of adducts isolated were 1-CE-Ade (26%), N6-CE-Ade (8%), 3-CE-Cyt (1%), 7-CNE-Gua (26%), 7,9-bis-CNE-Gua (4%), imidazole ring-opened 7,9-bis-CNE-Gua (19%) and 3-CNE-Thy (16%). Thus a carcinogen once adducted to a base in DNA was shown to be subsequently modified resulting in a mixed pattern of cyanoethylated and carboxyethylated AN-DNA adducts. Three of the adducts (1-CE-Ade, N6-CE-Ade and 3-CE-Cyt) were identical to adducts previously reported by us to be formed following in vitro reaction of the carcinogen beta-propiolactone (BPL) and calf thymus DNA. The results demonstrate that AN can directly alkylate DNA in vitro at a physiological pH and temperature.

Irreversible binding of acrylonitrile to nucleic acids

1. [2,3-14C]Acrylonitrile was incubated with rat-liver microsomes, NADPH and either DNA, RNA or bovine serum albumin. Irreversible binding occurred to the macromolecular targets. Binding was lower when incubations were performed without microsomes. 2. Most of the 14C bound to DNA, RNA or polynucleotides (poly-A, poly-C, poly-G, poly-U) after incubation of [2,3-14C]acrylonitrile with rat-liver microsomes and 'conventional' re-isolation of the nucleic acids was removed from the macromolecular target when subsequently chromatographed on hydroxyapatite. 3. Radioactivity attached to DNA after prolonged non-enzymic incubations with [2,3-14C]acrylonitrile was also removed from the DNA by chromatography on hydroxyapatite. 4. When [2,3-14C]acrylonitrile was administered to rats (i.p.), incorporation of 14C into the natural bases of hepatic RNA was observed. In contrast with previous experiments with [1,2-14C]vinyl chloride, no radioactive [1-N6]etheno-adenine could be detected in RNA. 5. After administration of [2,3-14C]acrylonitrile to rats, hepatic DNA was isolated and hydrolysed by a modified enzymic procedure. Chromatography on PEI-cellulose showed two 14C peaks which did not co-chromatograph with any known standard. The amount of 14C in these presumed alkylation products was too low to allow chemical identification. 6. It is concluded that acrylonitrile, either itself or its metabolites, can alkylate nucleic acids. However, the extent of irreversible nucleic-acid binding is quantitatively much less than that observed with vinyl halides.

Photoaffinity labeling of the ribosomal A site with S-(p-azidophenacyl)valyl-tRNA

S-(p-Azidophenacyl)valyl-tRNA, an analog of valyl-tRNA which has a photoaffinity label attached to its 4-thiouridine residue, was bound to the ribosomal A site at 10 mM Mg2+. Binding was stimulated 25-fold by the presence of elongation factor EFTu. Photoactivation of the p-azidophenacyl group by irradiation resulted in covalent linking of 6% of the noncovalently bound tRNA to the ribosomes. Covalent linking was dependent on the simultaneous presence of ribosomes, poly(U2,G),EFTu.GTP, required irradiation, and did not occur when S-(phenacyl)valyl-tRNA, a nonphotolyzable analog, replaced S-(p-azidophenacyl)valyl-tRNA. The attached tRNA was distributed approximately equally between both the 30S and 50S subunits. At the 30S subunit, 30% of the tRNA was bound to protein while 70% was linked to 16S RNA. At the 50S subunit, however, negligible binding to the 23S RNA was observed. More than 90% of the tRNA was attached to low molecular weight material according to sodium dodecyl sulfate-sucrose gradient analysis, and more than 87% of this fraction consisted of tRNA-protein complexes as assayed by phenol solubility and electrophoretic mobility before and after protease treatment. These results, in conjunction with our previous report (I. Schwartz and J Ofengand (1974), Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 71, 3951) which showed that covalent linking of this same tRNA derivative at the ribosomal P site resulted in attachment solely to the 16S RNA, demonstrate that 16S, but not 23S or 5S rRNA, is an important component of the tRNA binding site in the region of the 4-thiouridine residue and furthermore show that ribosomal A and P sites are topologically distinct.