Site-directed mutants of 16S rRNA reveal important RNA domains for KsgA function and 30S subunit assembly

Decoding the Mechanism of Specific RNA Targeting by Ribosomal Methyltransferases

Methylation of specific nucleotides is integral for ribosomal biogenesis and also serves as a common mechanism to confer antibiotic resistance by pathogenic bacteria. Here, by determining the high-resolution structure of the 30S-KsgA complex by cryo-electron microscopy, a state was captured, where KsgA juxtaposes between helices h44 and h45 of the 30S ribosome, separating them, thereby enabling remodeling of the surrounded rRNA and allowing the cognate site to enter the methylation pocket. With the structure as a guide, several mutant versions of the ribosomes, where interacting bases in the catalytic helix h45 and surrounding helices h44, h24, and h27, were mutated and evaluated for their methylation efficiency revealing factors that direct the enzyme to its cognate site with high fidelity. The biochemical studies show that the three-dimensional environment of the ribosome enables the interaction of select loop regions in KsgA with the ribosome helices paramount to maintain selectivity.

Structural basis of successive adenosine modifications by the conserved ribosomal methyltransferase KsgA

Biogenesis of ribosomal subunits involves enzymatic modifications of rRNA that fine-tune functionally important regions. The universally conserved prokaryotic dimethyltransferase KsgA sequentially modifies two universally conserved adenosine residues in helix 45 of the small ribosomal subunit rRNA, which is in proximity of the decoding site. Here we present the cryo-EM structure of Escherichia coli KsgA bound to an E. coli 30S at a resolution of 3.1 Å. The high-resolution structure reveals how KsgA recognizes immature rRNA and binds helix 45 in a conformation where one of the substrate nucleotides is flipped-out into the active site. We suggest that successive processing of two adjacent nucleotides involves base-flipping of the rRNA, which allows modification of the second substrate nucleotide without dissociation of the enzyme. Since KsgA is homologous to the essential eukaryotic methyltransferase Dim1 involved in 40S maturation, these results have also implications for understanding eukaryotic ribosome maturation.

Survey and Validation of tRNA Modifications and Their Corresponding Genes in Bacillus subtilis sp Subtilis Strain 168

Extensive knowledge of both the nature and position of tRNA modifications in all cellular tRNAs has been limited to two bacteria, Escherichia coli and Mycoplasma capricolum. Bacillus subtilis sp subtilis strain 168 is the model Gram-positive bacteria and the list of the genes involved in tRNA modifications in this organism is far from complete. Mass spectrometry analysis of bulk tRNA extracted from B. subtilis, combined with next generation sequencing technologies and comparative genomic analyses, led to the identification of 41 tRNA modification genes with associated confidence scores. Many differences were found in this model Gram-positive bacteria when compared to E. coli. In general, B. subtilis tRNAs are less modified than those in E. coli, even if some modifications, such as m1A22 or ms2t6A, are only found in the model Gram-positive bacteria. Many examples of non-orthologous displacements and of variations in the most complex pathways are described. Paralog issues make uncertain direct annotation transfer from E. coli to B. subtilis based on homology only without further experimental validation. This difficulty was shown with the identification of the B. subtilis enzyme that introduces ψ at positions 31/32 of the tRNAs. This work presents the most up to date list of tRNA modification genes in B. subtilis, identifies the gaps in knowledge, and lays the foundation for further work to decipher the physiological role of tRNA modifications in this important model organism and other bacteria.

TRMT2B is responsible for both tRNA and rRNA m5U-methylation in human mitochondria

RNA species play host to a plethora of post-transcriptional modifications which together make up the epitranscriptome. 5-methyluridine (m⁵U) is one of the most common modifications made to cellular RNA, where it is found almost ubiquitously in bacterial and eukaryotic cytosolic tRNAs at position 54. Here, we demonstrate that m⁵U54 in human mitochondrial tRNAs is catalysed by the nuclear-encoded enzyme TRMT2B, and that its repertoire of substrates is expanded to ribosomal RNAs, catalysing m⁵U429 in 12S rRNA. We show that TRMT2B is not essential for viability in human cells and that knocking-out the gene shows no obvious phenotype with regards to RNA stability, mitochondrial translation, or cellular growth.

De novo Synthesis and Assembly of rRNA into Ribosomal Subunits during Cold Acclimation in Escherichia coli

During the cold adaptation that follows a cold stress, bacterial cells undergo many physiological changes and extensive reprogramming of their gene expression pattern. Bulk gene expression is drastically reduced, while a set of cold shock genes is selectively and transiently expressed. The initial stage of cold acclimation is characterized by the establishment of a stoichiometric imbalance of the translation initiation factors (IFs)/ribosomes ratio that contributes to the preferential translation of cold shock transcripts. Whereas de novo synthesis of the IFs following cold stress has been documented, nothing was known concerning the activity of the rrn operons during the cold acclimation period. In this work, we focus on the expression of the rrn operons and the fate of rRNA after temperature downshift. We demonstrate that in Escherichia coli, rRNA synthesis does not stop during the cold acclimation phase, but continues with greater contribution of the P2 compared to the P1 promoter and all seven rrn operons are active, although their expression levels change with respect to pre-stress conditions. Eight hours after the 37°→10 °C temperature downshift, the newly transcribed rRNA represents up to 20% of total rRNA and is preferentially found in the polysomes. However, with respect to the de novo synthesis of the IFs, both rRNA transcription and maturation are slowed down drastically by cold stress, thereby accounting in part for the stoichiometric imbalance of the IFs/ribosomes. Overall, our data indicate that new ribosomes, which are possibly suitable to function at low temperature, are slowly assembled during cold acclimation.

Nuclear factors: roles related to mitochondrial deafness

Hearing loss (HL) is a common disorder with mitochondrial dysfunction as one of the major causes leading to deafness. Mitochondrial dysfunction may be caused by either mutations in nuclear genes leading to defective nuclear-encoded proteins or mutations in mitochondrial genes leading to defective mitochondrial-encoded products. The specific nuclear genes involved in HL can be classified into two categories depending on whether mitochondrial gene mutations co-exist (modifier genes) or not (deafness-causing genes). TFB1M, MTO1, GTPBP3, and TRMU are modifier genes. A mutation in any of these modifier genes may lead to a deafness phenotype when accompanied by the mitochondrial gene mutation. OPA1, TIMM8A, SMAC/DIABLO, MPV17, PDSS1, BCS1L, SUCLA2, C10ORF2, COX10, PLOG1and RRM2B are deafness-causing genes. A mutation in any of these deafness-causing genes will directly induce variable phenotypic HL.

The post-transcriptional life of mammalian mitochondrial RNA

Mammalian mitochondria contain their own genome that encodes mRNAs for thirteen essential subunits of the complexes performing oxidative phosphorylation as well as the RNA components (two rRNAs and 22 tRNAs) needed for their translation in mitochondria. All RNA species are produced from single polycistronic precursor RNAs, yet the relative concentrations of various RNAs differ significantly. This underscores the essential role of post-transcriptional mechanisms that control the maturation, stability and translation of mitochondrial RNAs. The present review provides a detailed summary on the role of RNA maturation in the regulation of mitochondrial gene expression, focusing mainly on messenger RNA polyadenylation and stability control. Furthermore, the role of mitochondrial ribosomal RNA stability, processing and modifications in the biogenesis of the mitochondrial ribosome is discussed.

Structural insights into methyltransferase KsgA function in 30S ribosomal subunit biogenesis

The assembly of the ribosomal subunits is facilitated by ribosome biogenesis factors. The universally conserved methyltransferase KsgA modifies two adjacent adenosine residues in the 3'-terminal helix 45 of the 16 S ribosomal RNA (rRNA). KsgA recognizes its substrate adenosine residues only in the context of a near mature 30S subunit and is required for the efficient processing of the rRNA termini during ribosome biogenesis. Here, we present the cryo-EM structure of KsgA bound to a nonmethylated 30S ribosomal subunit. The structure reveals that KsgA binds to the 30S platform with the catalytic N-terminal domain interacting with substrate adenosine residues in helix 45 and the C-terminal domain making extensive contacts to helix 27 and helix 24. KsgA excludes the penultimate rRNA helix 44 from adopting its position in the mature 30S subunit, blocking the formation of the decoding site and subunit joining. We suggest that the activation of methyltransferase activity and subsequent dissociation of KsgA control conformational changes in helix 44 required for final rRNA processing and translation initiation.

Control of substrate specificity by a single active site residue of the KsgA methyltransferase

The KsgA methyltransferase is universally conserved and plays a key role in regulating ribosome biogenesis. KsgA has a complex reaction mechanism, transferring a total of four methyl groups onto two separate adenosine residues, A1518 and A1519, in the small subunit rRNA. This means that the active site pocket must accept both adenosine and N(6)-methyladenosine as substrates to catalyze formation of the final product N(6),N(6)-dimethyladenosine. KsgA is related to DNA adenosine methyltransferases, which transfer only a single methyl group to their target adenosine residue. We demonstrate that part of the discrimination between mono- and dimethyltransferase activity lies in a single residue in the active site, L114; this residue is part of a conserved motif, known as motif IV, which is common to a large group of S-adenosyl-L-methionine-dependent methyltransferases. Mutation of the leucine to a proline mimics the sequence found in DNA methyltransferases. The L114P mutant of KsgA shows diminished overall activity, and its ability to methylate the N(6)-methyladenosine intermediate to produce N(6),N(6)-dimethyladenosine is impaired; this is in contrast to a second active site mutation, N113A, which diminishes activity to a level comparable to L114P without affecting the methylation of N(6)-methyladenosine. We discuss the implications of this work for understanding the mechanism of KsgA's multiple catalytic steps.

A single methyltransferase YefA (RlmCD) catalyses both m5U747 and m5U1939 modifications in Bacillus subtilis 23S rRNA

Methyltransferases that use S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) as a cofactor to catalyse 5-methyl uridine (m(5)U) formation in tRNAs and rRNAs are widespread in Bacteria and Eukaryota, and are also found in certain Archaea. These enzymes belong to the COG2265 cluster, and the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli possesses three paralogues. These comprise the methyltransferases TrmA that targets U54 in tRNAs, RlmC that modifies U747 in 23S rRNA and RlmD that is specific for U1939 in 23S rRNA. The tRNAs and rRNAs of the Gram-positive bacterium Bacillus subtilis have the same three m(5)U modifications. However, as previously shown, the m(5)U54 modification in B. subtilis tRNAs is catalysed in a fundamentally different manner by the folate-dependent enzyme TrmFO, which is unrelated to the E. coli TrmA. Here, we show that methylation of U747 and U1939 in B. subtilis rRNA is catalysed by a single enzyme, YefA that is a COG2265 member. A recombinant version of YefA functions in an E. coli m(5)U-null mutant adding the same two rRNA methylations. The findings suggest that during evolution, COG2265 enzymes have undergone a series of changes in target specificity and that YefA is closer to an archetypical m(5)U methyltransferase. To reflect its dual specificity, YefA is renamed RlmCD.