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Owens MC, Zhang C, Liu KF. Recent technical advances in the study of nucleic acid modifications. Mol Cell 2021; 81:4116-4136. [PMID: 34480848 PMCID: PMC9109655 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.07.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Enzyme-mediated chemical modifications of nucleic acids are indispensable regulators of gene expression. Our understanding of the biochemistry and biological significance of these modifications has largely been driven by an ever-evolving landscape of technologies that enable accurate detection, mapping, and manipulation of these marks. Here we provide a summary of recent technical advances in the study of nucleic acid modifications with a focus on techniques that allow accurate detection and mapping of these modifications. For each modification discussed (N6-methyladenosine, 5-methylcytidine, inosine, pseudouridine, and N4-acetylcytidine), we begin by introducing the "gold standard" technique for its mapping and detection, followed by a discussion of techniques developed to address any shortcomings of the gold standard. By highlighting the commonalities and differences of these techniques, we hope to provide a perspective on the current state of the field and to lay out a guideline for development of future technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael C Owens
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Celia Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Kathy Fange Liu
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
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2
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Tagel M, Ilves H, Leppik M, Jürgenstein K, Remme J, Kivisaar M. Pseudouridines of tRNA Anticodon Stem-Loop Have Unexpected Role in Mutagenesis in Pseudomonas sp. Microorganisms 2020; 9:microorganisms9010025. [PMID: 33374637 PMCID: PMC7822408 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9010025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Pseudouridines are known to be important for optimal translation. In this study we demonstrate an unexpected link between pseudouridylation of tRNA and mutation frequency in Pseudomonas species. We observed that the lack of pseudouridylation activity of pseudouridine synthases TruA or RluA elevates the mutation frequency in Pseudomonas putida 3 to 5-fold. The absence of TruA but not RluA elevates mutation frequency also in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Based on the results of genetic studies and analysis of proteome data, the mutagenic effect of the pseudouridylation deficiency cannot be ascribed to the involvement of error-prone DNA polymerases or malfunctioning of DNA repair pathways. In addition, although the deficiency in TruA-dependent pseudouridylation made P. putida cells more sensitive to antimicrobial compounds that may cause oxidative stress and DNA damage, cultivation of bacteria in the presence of reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging compounds did not eliminate the mutator phenotype. Thus, the elevated mutation frequency in the absence of tRNA pseudouridylation could be the result of a more specific response or, alternatively, of a cumulative effect of several small effects disturbing distinct cellular functions, which remain undetected when studied independently. This work suggests that pseudouridines link the translation machinery to mutation frequency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mari Tagel
- Correspondence: (M.T.); (J.R.); (M.K.); Tel.: +372-737-5036 (M.K.)
| | | | | | | | - Jaanus Remme
- Correspondence: (M.T.); (J.R.); (M.K.); Tel.: +372-737-5036 (M.K.)
| | - Maia Kivisaar
- Correspondence: (M.T.); (J.R.); (M.K.); Tel.: +372-737-5036 (M.K.)
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3
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Abstract
All types of nucleic acids in cells undergo naturally occurring chemical modifications, including DNA, rRNA, mRNA, snRNA, and most prominently tRNA. Over 100 different modifications have been described and every position in the purine and pyrimidine bases can be modified; often the sugar is also modified [1]. In tRNA, the function of modifications varies; some modulate global and/or local RNA structure, and others directly impact decoding and may be essential for viability. Whichever the case, the overall importance of modifications is highlighted by both their evolutionary conservation and the fact that organisms use a substantial portion of their genomes to encode modification enzymes, far exceeding what is needed for the de novo synthesis of the canonical nucleotides themselves [2]. Although some modifications occur at exactly the same nucleotide position in tRNAs from the three domains of life, many can be found at various positions in a particular tRNA and their location may vary between and within different tRNAs. With this wild array of chemical diversity and substrate specificities, one of the big challenges in the tRNA modification field has been to better understand at a molecular level the modes of substrate recognition by the different modification enzymes; in this realm RNA binding rests at the heart of the problem. This chapter will focus on several examples of modification enzymes where their mode of RNA binding is well understood; from these, we will try to draw general conclusions and highlight growing themes that may be applicable to the RNA modification field at large.
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4
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Veerareddygari GR, Mueller EG. Kinetic Isotope Effect Studies to Elucidate the Reaction Mechanism of RNA-Modifying Enzymes. Methods Enzymol 2017; 596:523-546. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2017.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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5
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Fitzsimmons CM, Fujimori DG. Determinants of tRNA Recognition by the Radical SAM Enzyme RlmN. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0167298. [PMID: 27902775 PMCID: PMC5130265 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Accepted: 11/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
RlmN, a bacterial radical SAM methylating enzyme, has the unusual ability to modify two distinct types of RNA: 23S rRNA and tRNA. In rRNA, RlmN installs a methyl group at the C2 position of A2503 of 23S rRNA, while in tRNA the modification occurs at nucleotide A37, immediately adjacent to the anticodon triplet. Intriguingly, only a subset of tRNAs that contain an adenosine at position 37 are substrates for RlmN, suggesting that the enzyme carefully probes the highly conserved tRNA fold and sequence features to identify its targets. Over the past several years, multiple studies have addressed rRNA modification by RlmN, while relatively few investigations have focused on the ability of this enzyme to modify tRNAs. In this study, we utilized in vitro transcribed tRNAs as model substrates to interrogate RNA recognition by RlmN. Using chimeras and point mutations, we probed how the structure and sequence of RNA influences methylation, identifying position 38 of tRNAs as a critical determinant of substrate recognition. We further demonstrate that, analogous to previous mechanistic studies with fragments of 23S rRNA, tRNA methylation requirements are consistent with radical SAM reactivity. Together, our findings provide detailed insight into tRNA recognition by a radical SAM methylating enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina M. Fitzsimmons
- Chemistry and Chemical Biology Graduate Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Danica Galonić Fujimori
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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6
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Veerareddygari GR, Singh SK, Mueller EG. The Pseudouridine Synthases Proceed through a Glycal Intermediate. J Am Chem Soc 2016; 138:7852-5. [PMID: 27292228 PMCID: PMC4929527 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.6b04491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
![]()
The pseudouridine
synthases isomerize (U) in RNA to pseudouridine
(Ψ), and the mechanism that they follow has long been a question
of interest. The recent elucidation of a product of the mechanistic
probe 5-fluorouridine that had been epimerized to the arabino isomer suggested that the Ψ synthases might operate through
a glycal intermediate formed by deprotonation of C2′. When
that position in substrate U is deuterated, a primary kinetic isotope
effect is observed, which indisputably indicates that the proposed
deprotonation occurs during the isomerization of U to Ψ and
establishes the mechanism followed by the Ψ synthases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sanjay K Singh
- Department of Chemistry, University of Louisville , Louisville, Kentucky 40205, United States
| | - Eugene G Mueller
- Department of Chemistry, University of Louisville , Louisville, Kentucky 40205, United States
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7
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Spenkuch F, Motorin Y, Helm M. Pseudouridine: still mysterious, but never a fake (uridine)! RNA Biol 2014; 11:1540-54. [PMID: 25616362 PMCID: PMC4615568 DOI: 10.4161/15476286.2014.992278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2014] [Revised: 09/23/2014] [Accepted: 10/10/2014] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Pseudouridine (Ψ) is the most abundant of >150 nucleoside modifications in RNA. Although Ψ was discovered as the first modified nucleoside more than half a century ago, neither the enzymatic mechanism of its formation, nor the function of this modification are fully elucidated. We present the consistent picture of Ψ synthases, their substrates and their substrate positions in model organisms of all domains of life as it has emerged to date and point out the challenges that remain concerning higher eukaryotes and the elucidation of the enzymatic mechanism.
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MESH Headings
- Escherichia coli/genetics
- Escherichia coli/metabolism
- Humans
- Intramolecular Transferases/genetics
- Intramolecular Transferases/metabolism
- Isoenzymes/genetics
- Isoenzymes/metabolism
- Nucleic Acid Conformation
- Pseudouridine/metabolism
- RNA/genetics
- RNA/metabolism
- RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional
- RNA, Mitochondrial
- RNA, Ribosomal/genetics
- RNA, Ribosomal/metabolism
- RNA, Transfer, Amino Acid-Specific/chemistry
- RNA, Transfer, Amino Acid-Specific/genetics
- RNA, Transfer, Amino Acid-Specific/metabolism
- Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nuclear/genetics
- Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nuclear/metabolism
- Ribosomes/chemistry
- Ribosomes/metabolism
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genetics
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae/metabolism
- Uridine/metabolism
- RNA, Guide, CRISPR-Cas Systems
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Spenkuch
- Institute of Pharmacy and Biochemistry; Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz; Mainz, Germany
| | - Yuri Motorin
- Laboratoire IMoPA; Ingénierie Moléculaire et Physiopathologie Articulaire; BioPôle de l'Université de Lorraine; Campus Biologie-Santé; Faculté de Médecine; Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy Cedex, France
| | - Mark Helm
- Institute of Pharmacy and Biochemistry; Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz; Mainz, Germany
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8
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Czudnochowski N, Ashley GW, Santi DV, Alian A, Finer-Moore J, Stroud RM. The mechanism of pseudouridine synthases from a covalent complex with RNA, and alternate specificity for U2605 versus U2604 between close homologs. Nucleic Acids Res 2013; 42:2037-48. [PMID: 24214967 PMCID: PMC3919597 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkt1050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
RluB catalyses the modification of U2605 to pseudouridine (Ψ) in a stem-loop at the peptidyl transferase center of Escherichia coli 23S rRNA. The homolog RluF is specific to the adjacent nucleotide in the stem, U2604. The 1.3 Å resolution crystal structure of the complex between the catalytic domain of RluB and the isolated substrate stem-loop, in which the target uridine is substituted by 5-fluorouridine (5-FU), reveals a covalent bond between the isomerized target base and tyrosine 140. The structure is compared with the catalytic domain alone determined at 2.5 Å resolution. The RluB-bound stem-loop has essentially the same secondary structure as in the ribosome, with a bulge at A2602, but with 5-FU2605 flipped into the active site. We showed earlier that RluF induced a frame-shift of the RNA, moving A2602 into the stem and translating its target, U2604, into the active site. A hydrogen-bonding network stabilizes the bulge in the RluB–RNA but is not conserved in RluF and so RluF cannot stabilize the bulge. On the basis of the covalent bond between enzyme and isomerized 5-FU we propose a Michael addition mechanism for pseudouridine formation that is consistent with all experimental data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine Czudnochowski
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, 600 16th Street, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA, ProLynx, 455 Mission Bay Blvd., Suite 145, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA and Faculty of Biology, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Technion City, Haifa 320003, Israel
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9
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Miracco EJ, Bogdanov B, Mueller EG. Unexpected linear ion trap collision-induced dissociation and Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance infrared multi-photon dissociation fragmentation of a hydrated C-glycoside of 5-fluorouridine formed by the action of the pseudouridine synthases RluA and TruB. RAPID COMMUNICATIONS IN MASS SPECTROMETRY : RCM 2011; 25:2627-2632. [PMID: 23657957 PMCID: PMC5728650 DOI: 10.1002/rcm.5162] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2011] [Revised: 06/10/2011] [Accepted: 06/24/2011] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
As part of the investigation of the pseudouridine synthases, 5-fluorouridine in RNA was employed as a mechanistic probe. The hydrated, rearranged product of 5-fluorouridine was isolated as part of a dinucleotide and found to undergo unusual fragmentation during mass spectrometry, with the facile loss of HNCO from the product pyrimidine ring favored over phosphodiester bond rupture. Although the loss of HNCO from uridine and pseudouridine is well established, the pericyclic process leading to their fragmentation cannot operate with the saturated pyrimidine ring in the product of 5-fluorouridine. Based on the MS(n) results and calculations reported here, a new mechanism relying on the peculiar disposition of the functional groups of the product pyrimidine ring is proposed to account for the unusually facile fragmentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward J. Miracco
- University of Delaware, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Bogdan Bogdanov
- University of the Pacific, Department of Chemistry, 3601 Pacific Avenue, Stockton, CA 95211, USA
| | - Eugene G. Mueller
- University of Louisville, Department of Chemistry, Louisville, KY 40292, USA
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10
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Miracco EJ, Mueller EG. The products of 5-fluorouridine by the action of the pseudouridine synthase TruB disfavor one mechanism and suggest another. J Am Chem Soc 2011; 133:11826-9. [PMID: 21744792 DOI: 10.1021/ja201179f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
The pseudouridine synthase TruB handles 5-fluorouridine in RNA as a substrate, converting it into two isomeric hydrated products. Unexpectedly, the two products differ not in the hydrated pyrimidine ring but in the pentose ring, which is epimerized to arabinose in the minor product. This inversion of stereochemistry at C2' suggests that pseudouridine generation may proceed by a mechanism involving a glycal intermediate or that the previously proposed mechanism involving an acylal intermediate operates but with an added reaction manifold for 5-fluorouridine versus uridine. The arabino product strongly disfavors a mechanism involving a Michael addition to the pyrimidine ring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward J Miracco
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
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11
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Guelorget A, Golinelli-Pimpaneau B. Mechanism-Based Strategies for Trapping and Crystallizing Complexes of RNA-Modifying Enzymes. Structure 2011; 19:282-91. [DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2011.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2010] [Revised: 12/22/2010] [Accepted: 01/11/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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12
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Zhou J, Liang B, Li H. Structural and functional evidence of high specificity of Cbf5 for ACA trinucleotide. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2011; 17:244-250. [PMID: 21149572 PMCID: PMC3022274 DOI: 10.1261/rna.2415811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2010] [Accepted: 11/07/2010] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Cbf5 is the catalytic subunit of the H/ACA small nucleolar/Cajal body ribonucleoprotein particles (RNPs) responsible for site specific isomerization of uridine in ribosomal and small nuclear RNA. Recent evidence from studies on archaeal Cbf5 suggests its second functional role in modifying tRNA U55 independent of guide RNA. In order to act both as a stand-alone and a RNP pseudouridine synthase, Cbf5 must differentiate features in H/ACA RNA from those in tRNA or rRNA. Most H/ACA RNAs contain a hallmark ACA trinucleotide downstream of the H/ACA motif. Here we challenged an archaeal Cbf5 (in the form of a ternary complex with its accessory proteins Nop10 and Gar1) with T-stem-loop RNAs with or without ACA trinucleotide in the stem. Although these substrates were previously shown to be substrates for the bacterial stand-alone pseudouridine synthase TruB, the Cbf5-Nop10-Gar1 complex was only able to modify those without ACA trinucleotide. A crystal structure of Cbf5-Nop10-Gar1 trimer bound with an ACA-containing T-stem-loop revealed that the ACA trinucleotide detracted Cbf5 from the stand-alone binding mode, thereby suggesting that the H/ACA RNP-associated function of Cbf5 likely supersedes its stand-alone function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhou
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306, USA
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13
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McDonald MK, Miracco EJ, Chen J, Xie Y, Mueller EG. The handling of the mechanistic probe 5-fluorouridine by the pseudouridine synthase TruA and its consistency with the handling of the same probe by the pseudouridine synthases TruB and RluA. Biochemistry 2010; 50:426-36. [PMID: 21142053 DOI: 10.1021/bi101737z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
RNA containing 5-fluorouridine (F(5)U) had previously been used to examine the mechanism of the pseudouridine synthase TruA, formerly known as pseudouridine synthase I [Gu et al. (1999) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 96, 14270-14275]. From that work, it was reasonably concluded that the pseudouridine synthases proceed via a mechanism involving a Michael addition by an active site aspartic acid residue to the pyrimidine ring of uridine or F(5)U. Those conclusions rested on the assumption that the hydrate of F(5)U was obtained after digestion of the product RNA and that hydration resulted from hydrolysis of the ester intermediate between the aspartic acid residue and F(5)U. As reported here, (18)O labeling definitively demonstrates that ester hydrolysis does not give rise to the observed hydrated product and that digestion generates not the expected mononucleoside product but rather a dinucleotide between a hydrated isomer of F(5)U and the following nucleoside in RNA. The discovery that digestion products are dinucleotides accounts for the previously puzzling differences in the isolated products obtained following the action of the pseudouridine synthases TruB and RluA on F(5)U in RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marguerite K McDonald
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
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14
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Zhou J, Lv C, Liang B, Chen M, Yang W, Li H. Glycosidic bond conformation preference plays a pivotal role in catalysis of RNA pseudouridylation: a combined simulation and structural study. J Mol Biol 2010; 401:690-5. [PMID: 20615421 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2010.06.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2010] [Revised: 06/26/2010] [Accepted: 06/29/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The most abundant chemical modification on RNA is isomerization of uridine (or pseudouridylation) catalyzed by pseudouridine synthases. The catalytic mechanism of this essential process remains largely speculative, partly due to lack of knowledge of the pre-reactive state that is important to the identification of reactive chemical moieties. In the present study, we showed, using orthogonal space random-walk free-energy simulation, that the pre-reactive states of uridine and its reactive derivative 5-fluorouridine, bound to a ribonucleoprotein particle pseudouridine synthase, strongly prefer the syn glycosidic bond conformation, while that of the nonreactive 5-bromouridine-containing substrate is largely populated in the anti conformation state. A high-resolution crystal structure of the 5-bromouridine-containing substrate bound to the ribonucleoprotein particle pseudouridine synthase and enzyme activity assay confirmed the anti nonreactive conformation and provided the molecular basis for its confinement. The observed preference for the syn pre-reactive state by the enzyme-bound uridine may help to distinguish among currently proposed mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Zhou
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
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15
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Hengesbach M, Voigts-Hoffmann F, Hofmann B, Helm M. Formation of a stalled early intermediate of pseudouridine synthesis monitored by real-time FRET. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2010; 16:610-620. [PMID: 20106954 PMCID: PMC2822925 DOI: 10.1261/rna.1832510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2009] [Accepted: 12/03/2009] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Pseudouridine is the most abundant of more than 100 chemically distinct natural ribonucleotide modifications. Its synthesis consists of an isomerization reaction of a uridine residue in the RNA chain and is catalyzed by pseudouridine synthases. The unusual reaction mechanism has become the object of renewed research effort, frequently involving replacement of the substrate uridines with 5-fluorouracil (f(5)U). f(5)U is known to be a potent inhibitor of pseudouridine synthase activity, but the effect varies among the target pseudouridine synthases. Derivatives of f(5)U have previously been detected, which are thought to be either hydrolysis products of covalent enzyme-RNA adducts, or isomerization intermediates. Here we describe the interaction of pseudouridine synthase 1 (Pus1p) with f(5)U-containing tRNA. The interaction described is specific to Pus1p and position 27 in the tRNA anticodon stem, but the enzyme neither forms a covalent adduct nor stalls at a previously identified reaction intermediate of f(5)U. The f(5)U27 residue, as analyzed by a DNAzyme-based assay using TLC and mass spectrometry, displayed physicochemical properties unaltered by the reversible interaction with Pus1p. Thus, Pus1p binds an f(5)U-containing substrate, but, in contrast to other pseudouridine synthases, leaves the chemical structure of f(5)U unchanged. The specific, but nonproductive, interaction demonstrated here thus constitutes an intermediate of Pus turnover, stalled by the presence of f(5)U in an early state of catalysis. Observation of the interaction of Pus1p with fluorescence-labeled tRNA by a real-time readout of fluorescence anisotropy and FRET revealed significant structural distortion of f(5)U-tRNA structure in the stalled intermediate state of pseudouridine catalysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Hengesbach
- Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Department of Chemistry, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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16
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RNA-based 5-fluorouracil toxicity requires the pseudouridylation activity of Cbf5p. Genetics 2008; 179:323-30. [PMID: 18493057 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.107.082727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The chemotherapeutic drug 5-fluorouracil (5FU) disrupts DNA synthesis by inhibiting the enzymatic conversion of dUMP to dTMP. However, mounting evidence indicates that 5FU has important effects on RNA metabolism that contribute significantly to the toxicity of the drug. Strains with mutations in nuclear RNA-processing exosome components, including Rrp6p, exhibit strong 5FU hypersensitivity. Studies also suggest that 5FU-containing RNA can inhibit pseudouridylation, the most abundant post-transcriptional modification of noncoding RNA. We examined the effect of modulating the expression and activity of the essential yeast rRNA pseudouridylase Cbf5p on the 5FU hypersensitivity of an rrp6-delta mutant strain. Depletion of Cbf5p suppressed the 5FU hypersensitivity of an rrp6-delta strain, while high-copy expression enhanced sensitivity to the drug. A mutation in the catalytic site of Cbf5p also suppressed the 5FU hypersensitivity in the rrp6-Delta mutant, suggesting that RNA-based 5FU toxicity requires the pseudouridylation activity of Cbf5p. High-copy expression of box H/ACA snoRNAs also suppressed the 5FU hypersensitivity of an rrp6-delta strain, suggesting that sequestration of Cbf5p to a particular guide RNA reduces Cbf5p-dependent 5FU toxicity. On the basis of these results and previous reports that certain pseudouridylases form stable adducts with 5FU-containing RNA, we suggest that Cbf5p binds tightly to substrates containing 5FU, causing their degradation by the TRAMP/exosome-mediated RNA surveillance pathway.
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17
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Chervin SM, Kittendorf JD, Garcia GA. Probing the intermediacy of covalent RNA enzyme complexes in RNA modification enzymes. Methods Enzymol 2007; 425:121-37. [PMID: 17673081 PMCID: PMC2800168 DOI: 10.1016/s0076-6879(07)25005-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Within the large and diverse group of RNA-modifying enzymes, a number of enzymes seem to form stable covalent linkages to their respective RNA substrates. A complete understanding of the chemical and kinetic mechanisms of these enzymes, some of which have identified pathological roles, is lacking. As part of our ongoing work studying the posttranscriptional modification of tRNA with queuine, we wish to understand fully the chemical and kinetic mechanisms involved in this key transglycosylation reaction. In our previous investigations, we have used a gel mobility-shift assay to characterize an apparent covalent enzyme-RNA intermediate believed to be operative in the catalytic pathway. However, the simple observation of a covalent complex is not sufficient to prove intermediacy. To be a true intermediate, the complex must be both chemically and kinetically competent. As a case study for the proof of intermediacy, we report the use of this gel-shift assay under mildly denaturing conditions to probe the kinetic competency of the covalent association between RNA and the tRNA modifying enzyme tRNA-guanine transglycosylase (TGT).
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie M Chervin
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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18
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Hoang C, Chen J, Vizthum CA, Kandel JM, Hamilton CS, Mueller EG, Ferré-D'Amaré AR. Crystal structure of pseudouridine synthase RluA: indirect sequence readout through protein-induced RNA structure. Mol Cell 2007; 24:535-45. [PMID: 17188032 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2006.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2006] [Revised: 09/04/2006] [Accepted: 09/22/2006] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
RluA is a dual-specificity enzyme responsible for pseudouridylating 23S rRNA and several tRNAs. The 2.05 A resolution structure of RluA bound to a substrate RNA comprising the anticodon stem loop of tRNA(Phe) reveals that enzyme binding induces a dramatic reorganization of the RNA. Instead of adopting its canonical U turn conformation, the anticodon loop folds into a new structure with a reverse-Hoogsteen base pair and three flipped-out nucleotides. Sequence conservation, the cocrystal structure, and the results of structure-guided mutagenesis suggest that RluA recognizes its substrates indirectly by probing RNA loops for their ability to adopt the reorganized fold. The planar, cationic side chain of an arginine intercalates between the reverse-Hoogsteen base pair and the bottom pair of the anticodon stem, flipping the nucleotide to be modified into the active site of RluA. Sequence and structural comparisons suggest that pseudouridine synthases of the RluA, RsuA, and TruA families employ an equivalent arginine for base flipping.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charmaine Hoang
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA
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