1
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Chang AT, Chen L, Song L, Zhang S, Nikonowicz EP. 2-Amino-1,3-benzothiazole-6-carboxamide Preferentially Binds the Tandem Mismatch Motif r(UY:GA). Biochemistry 2020; 59:3225-3234. [PMID: 32786414 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.0c00369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
RNA helices are often punctuated with non-Watson-Crick features that may be targeted by chemical compounds, but progress toward identifying such compounds has been slow. We embedded a tandem UU:GA mismatch motif (5'-UG-3':5'-AU-3') within an RNA hairpin stem to identify compounds that bind the motif specifically. The three-dimensional structure of the RNA hairpin and its interaction with a small molecule identified through virtual screening are presented. The G-A mismatch forms a sheared pair upon which the U-U base pair stacks. The hydrogen bond configuration of the U-U pair involves O2 of the U adjacent to the G and O4 of the U adjacent to the A. The G-A and U-U pairs are flanked by A-U and G-C base pairs, respectively, and the stability of the mismatch is greater than when the motif is within the context of other flanking base pairs or when the 5'-3' orientation of the G-A and U-U pairs is swapped. Residual dipolar coupling constants were used to generate an ensemble of structures against which a virtual screen of 64480 small molecules was performed. The tandem mismatch was found to be specific for one compound, 2-amino-1,3-benzothiazole-6-carboxamide, which binds with moderate affinity but extends the motif to include the flanking A-U and G-C base pairs. The finding that the affinity for the UU:GA mismatch is dependent on flanking sequence emphasizes the importance of the motif context and potentially increases the number of small noncanonical features within RNA that can be specifically targeted by small molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew T Chang
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77251-1892, United States.,Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Gerontology, and Metabolism, Stanford Medicine, Stanford, California 94305-5103, United States
| | - Lu Chen
- Intelligent Molecular Discovery Laboratory, Department of Experimental Therapeutics, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1901 East Road, Houston, Texas 77054, United States
| | - Luo Song
- Intelligent Molecular Discovery Laboratory, Department of Experimental Therapeutics, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1901 East Road, Houston, Texas 77054, United States
| | - Shuxing Zhang
- Intelligent Molecular Discovery Laboratory, Department of Experimental Therapeutics, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1901 East Road, Houston, Texas 77054, United States
| | - Edward P Nikonowicz
- Department of BioSciences, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77251-1892, United States
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2
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Berger KD, Kennedy SD, Turner DH. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Reveals That GU Base Pairs Flanking Internal Loops Can Adopt Diverse Structures. Biochemistry 2019; 58:1094-1108. [PMID: 30702283 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.8b01027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
RNA thermodynamics play an important role in determining the two- and three-dimensional structures of RNA. Internal loops of the sequence 5'-GMNU/3'-UNMG are relatively unstable thermodynamically. Here, five duplexes with GU-flanked 2 × 2 nucleotide internal loops were structurally investigated to reveal determinants of their instability. The following internal loops were investigated: 5'-GCAU/3'-UACG, 5'-UUCG/3'-GCUU, 5'-GCUU/3'-UUCG, 5'-GUCU/3'-UCUG, and 5'-GCCU/3'-UCCG. Two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectra indicate the absence of GU wobble base pairing in 5'-GCUU/3'-UUCG, 5'-GUCU/3'-UCUG, and 5'-GCCU/3'-UCCG. The 5'-GCUU/3'-UUCG loop has an unusual conformation of the GU base pairs, in which U's O2 carbonyl forms a bifurcated hydrogen bond with G's amino and imino protons. The internal loop of 5'-GUCU/3'-UCUG displays a shifted configuration in which GC pairs flank a U-U pair and several U's are in fast exchange between positions inside and outside the helix. In contrast, 5'-GCAU/3'-UACG and 5'-UUCG/3'-GCUU both have the expected GU wobble base pairs flanking the internal loop. Evidently, GU base pairs flanking internal loops are more likely to display atypical structures relative to Watson-Crick base pairs flanking internal loops. This appears to be more likely when the G of the GU pair is 5' to the loop. Such unusual structures could serve as recognition elements for biological function and as benchmarks for structure prediction methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle D Berger
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics , University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry , Rochester , New York 14642 , United States.,Center for RNA Biology , University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry , Rochester , New York 14642 , United States
| | - Scott D Kennedy
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics , University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry , Rochester , New York 14642 , United States.,Center for RNA Biology , University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry , Rochester , New York 14642 , United States
| | - Douglas H Turner
- Center for RNA Biology , University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry , Rochester , New York 14642 , United States.,Department of Chemistry , University of Rochester , Rochester , New York 14627 , United States
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3
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Zuber J, Cabral BJ, McFadyen I, Mauger DM, Mathews DH. Analysis of RNA nearest neighbor parameters reveals interdependencies and quantifies the uncertainty in RNA secondary structure prediction. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2018; 24:1568-1582. [PMID: 30104207 PMCID: PMC6191722 DOI: 10.1261/rna.065102.117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 08/07/2018] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
RNA secondary structure prediction is often used to develop hypotheses about structure-function relationships for newly discovered RNA sequences, to identify unknown functional RNAs, and to design sequences. Secondary structure prediction methods typically use a thermodynamic model that estimates the free energy change of possible structures based on a set of nearest neighbor parameters. These parameters were derived from optical melting experiments of small model oligonucleotides. This work aims to better understand the precision of structure prediction. Here, the experimental errors in optical melting experiments were propagated to errors in the derived nearest neighbor parameter values and then to errors in RNA secondary structure prediction. To perform this analysis, the optical melting experimental values were systematically perturbed within the estimates of experimental error and alternative sets of nearest neighbor parameters were then derived from these error-bounded values. Secondary structure predictions using either the perturbed or reference parameter sets were then compared. This work demonstrated that the precision of RNA secondary structure prediction is more robust than suggested by previous work based on perturbation of the nearest neighbor parameters. This robustness is due to correlations between parameters. Additionally, this work identified weaknesses in the parameter derivation that makes accurate assessment of parameter uncertainty difficult. Considerations for experimental design are provided to mitigate these weaknesses are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey Zuber
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York 14642, USA
| | - B Joseph Cabral
- Computational Sciences, Moderna Therapeutics, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02141, USA
| | - Iain McFadyen
- Computational Sciences, Moderna Therapeutics, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02141, USA
| | - David M Mauger
- Computational Sciences, Moderna Therapeutics, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02141, USA
| | - David H Mathews
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York 14642, USA
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York 14642, USA
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4
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Nichols PJ, Born A, Henen MA, Strotz D, Celestine CN, Güntert P, Vögeli B. Extending the Applicability of Exact Nuclear Overhauser Enhancements to Large Proteins and RNA. Chembiochem 2018; 19:1695-1701. [PMID: 29883016 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201800237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Distance-dependent nuclear Overhauser enhancements (NOEs) are one of the most popular and important experimental restraints for calculating NMR structures. Despite this, they are mostly employed as semiquantitative upper distance bounds, and this discards the wealth of information that is encoded in the cross-relaxation rate constant. Information that is lost includes exact distances between protons and dynamics that occur on the sub-millisecond timescale. Our recently introduced exact measurement of the NOE (eNOE) requires little additional experimental effort relative to other NMR observables. So far, we have used eNOEs to calculate multistate ensembles of proteins up to approximately 150 residues. Here, we briefly revisit eNOE methodology and present two new directions for the use of eNOEs: applications to large proteins and RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parker J Nichols
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, 12801 East 17th Avenue, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Alexandra Born
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, 12801 East 17th Avenue, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Morkos A Henen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, 12801 East 17th Avenue, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt
| | - Dean Strotz
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, ETH Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 2, 8093, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Chi N Celestine
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, BMC Box 582, 75123, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Peter Güntert
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, ETH Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 2, 8093, Zürich, Switzerland
- Institute of Biophysical Chemistry, Goethe Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Strasse 9, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Graduate School of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, 1-1 Minami-ohsawa, Hachioji, Tokyo, 192-0397, Japan
| | - Beat Vögeli
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Denver, Anschutz Medical Campus, 12801 East 17th Avenue, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
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5
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Šponer J, Bussi G, Krepl M, Banáš P, Bottaro S, Cunha RA, Gil-Ley A, Pinamonti G, Poblete S, Jurečka P, Walter NG, Otyepka M. RNA Structural Dynamics As Captured by Molecular Simulations: A Comprehensive Overview. Chem Rev 2018; 118:4177-4338. [PMID: 29297679 PMCID: PMC5920944 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.7b00427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 336] [Impact Index Per Article: 56.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2017] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
With both catalytic and genetic functions, ribonucleic acid (RNA) is perhaps the most pluripotent chemical species in molecular biology, and its functions are intimately linked to its structure and dynamics. Computer simulations, and in particular atomistic molecular dynamics (MD), allow structural dynamics of biomolecular systems to be investigated with unprecedented temporal and spatial resolution. We here provide a comprehensive overview of the fast-developing field of MD simulations of RNA molecules. We begin with an in-depth, evaluatory coverage of the most fundamental methodological challenges that set the basis for the future development of the field, in particular, the current developments and inherent physical limitations of the atomistic force fields and the recent advances in a broad spectrum of enhanced sampling methods. We also survey the closely related field of coarse-grained modeling of RNA systems. After dealing with the methodological aspects, we provide an exhaustive overview of the available RNA simulation literature, ranging from studies of the smallest RNA oligonucleotides to investigations of the entire ribosome. Our review encompasses tetranucleotides, tetraloops, a number of small RNA motifs, A-helix RNA, kissing-loop complexes, the TAR RNA element, the decoding center and other important regions of the ribosome, as well as assorted others systems. Extended sections are devoted to RNA-ion interactions, ribozymes, riboswitches, and protein/RNA complexes. Our overview is written for as broad of an audience as possible, aiming to provide a much-needed interdisciplinary bridge between computation and experiment, together with a perspective on the future of the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiří Šponer
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences , Kralovopolska 135 , Brno 612 65 , Czech Republic
| | - Giovanni Bussi
- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati , Via Bonomea 265 , Trieste 34136 , Italy
| | - Miroslav Krepl
- Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences , Kralovopolska 135 , Brno 612 65 , Czech Republic
- Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Science , Palacky University Olomouc , 17. listopadu 12 , Olomouc 771 46 , Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Banáš
- Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Science , Palacky University Olomouc , 17. listopadu 12 , Olomouc 771 46 , Czech Republic
| | - Sandro Bottaro
- Structural Biology and NMR Laboratory, Department of Biology , University of Copenhagen , Copenhagen 2200 , Denmark
| | - Richard A Cunha
- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati , Via Bonomea 265 , Trieste 34136 , Italy
| | - Alejandro Gil-Ley
- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati , Via Bonomea 265 , Trieste 34136 , Italy
| | - Giovanni Pinamonti
- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati , Via Bonomea 265 , Trieste 34136 , Italy
| | - Simón Poblete
- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati , Via Bonomea 265 , Trieste 34136 , Italy
| | - Petr Jurečka
- Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Science , Palacky University Olomouc , 17. listopadu 12 , Olomouc 771 46 , Czech Republic
| | - Nils G Walter
- Single Molecule Analysis Group and Center for RNA Biomedicine, Department of Chemistry , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , Michigan 48109 , United States
| | - Michal Otyepka
- Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials, Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Science , Palacky University Olomouc , 17. listopadu 12 , Olomouc 771 46 , Czech Republic
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6
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Berger KD, Kennedy SD, Schroeder SJ, Znosko BM, Sun H, Mathews DH, Turner DH. Surprising Sequence Effects on GU Closure of Symmetric 2 × 2 Nucleotide RNA Internal Loops. Biochemistry 2018; 57:2121-2131. [PMID: 29570276 PMCID: PMC5963885 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.7b01306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
GU base pairs are important RNA structural motifs and often close loops. Accurate prediction of RNA structures relies upon understanding the interactions determining structure. The thermodynamics of some 2 × 2 nucleotide internal loops closed by GU pairs are not well understood. Here, several self-complementary oligonucleotide sequences expected to form duplexes with 2 × 2 nucleotide internal loops closed by GU pairs were investigated. Surprisingly, nuclear magnetic resonance revealed that many of the sequences exist in equilibrium between hairpin and duplex conformations. This equilibrium is not observed with loops closed by Watson-Crick pairs. To measure the thermodynamics of some 2 × 2 nucleotide internal loops closed by GU pairs, non-self-complementary sequences that preclude formation of hairpins were designed. The measured thermodynamics indicate that some internal loops closed by GU pairs are unusually unstable. This instability accounts for the observed equilibria between duplex and hairpin conformations. Moreover, it suggests that future three-dimensional structures of loops closed by GU pairs may reveal interactions that unexpectedly destabilize folding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyle D. Berger
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642
- Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642
| | - Scott D. Kennedy
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642
- Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642
| | | | - Brent M. Znosko
- Department of Chemistry, Saint Louis University, St. Louis MO 63103
| | - Hongying Sun
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642
- Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642
| | - David H. Mathews
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642
- Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642
| | - Douglas H. Turner
- Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY 14642
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627
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7
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Welty R, Hall KB. Nucleobases Undergo Dynamic Rearrangements during RNA Tertiary Folding. J Mol Biol 2016; 428:4490-4502. [PMID: 27693721 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2016.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2016] [Revised: 08/31/2016] [Accepted: 09/15/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The tertiary structure of the GTPase center (GAC) of 23S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) as seen in cocrystals is extremely compact. It is stabilized by long-range hydrogen bonds and nucleobase stacking and by a triloop that forms within its three-way junction. Its folding pathway from secondary structure to tertiary structure has not been previously observed, but it was shown to require Mg2+ ions in equilibrium experiments. The fluorescent nucleotide 2-aminopurine was substituted at selected sites within the 60-nt GAC. Fluorescence intensity changes upon addition of MgCl2 were monitored over a time-course from 1ms to 100s as the RNA folds. The folding pathway is revealed here to be hierarchical through several intermediates. Observation of the nucleobases during folding provides a new perspective on the process and the pathway, revealing the dynamics of nucleobase conformational exchange during the folding transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robb Welty
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
| | - Kathleen B Hall
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
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8
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Sripakdeevong P, Cevec M, Chang AT, Erat MC, Ziegeler M, Zhao Q, Fox GE, Gao X, Kennedy SD, Kierzek R, Nikonowicz EP, Schwalbe H, Sigel RKO, Turner DH, Das R. Structure determination of noncanonical RNA motifs guided by ¹H NMR chemical shifts. Nat Methods 2014; 11:413-6. [PMID: 24584194 PMCID: PMC3985481 DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.2876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2013] [Accepted: 01/06/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Structured noncoding RNAs underlie fundamental cellular processes, but determining their three-dimensional structures remains challenging. We demonstrate that integrating ¹H NMR chemical shift data with Rosetta de novo modeling can be used to consistently determine high-resolution RNA structures. On a benchmark set of 23 noncanonical RNA motifs, including 11 'blind' targets, chemical-shift Rosetta for RNA (CS-Rosetta-RNA) recovered experimental structures with high accuracy (0.6-2.0 Å all-heavy-atom r.m.s. deviation) in 18 cases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mirko Cevec
- Center for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Institute for Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Andrew T Chang
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Rice University, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Michèle C Erat
- 1] Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. [2] Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Melanie Ziegeler
- Center for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Institute for Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Qin Zhao
- Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - George E Fox
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Xiaolian Gao
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Scott D Kennedy
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Ryszard Kierzek
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan, Poland
| | - Edward P Nikonowicz
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Rice University, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Harald Schwalbe
- Center for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance, Institute for Organic Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Roland K O Sigel
- Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Douglas H Turner
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Rhiju Das
- 1] Biophysics Program, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA. [2] Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA. [3] Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
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9
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Abstract
RNA dynamics play a fundamental role in many cellular functions. However, there is no general framework to describe these complex processes, which typically consist of many structural maneuvers that occur over timescales ranging from picoseconds to seconds. Here, we classify RNA dynamics into distinct modes representing transitions between basins on a hierarchical free-energy landscape. These transitions include large-scale secondary-structural transitions at >0.1-s timescales, base-pair/tertiary dynamics at microsecond-to-millisecond timescales, stacking dynamics at timescales ranging from nanoseconds to microseconds, and other "jittering" motions at timescales ranging from picoseconds to nanoseconds. We review various modes within these three different tiers, the different mechanisms by which they are used to regulate function, and how they can be coupled together to achieve greater functional complexity.
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10
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Abstract
Changes to the conformation of coding and non-coding RNAs form the basis of elements of genetic regulation and provide an important source of complexity, which drives many of the fundamental processes of life. Although the structure of RNA is highly flexible, the underlying dynamics of RNA are robust and are limited to transitions between the few conformations that preserve favourable base-pairing and stacking interactions. The mechanisms by which cellular processes harness the intrinsic dynamic behaviour of RNA and use it within functionally productive pathways are complex. The versatile functions and ease by which it is integrated into a wide variety of genetic circuits and biochemical pathways suggests there is a general and fundamental role for RNA dynamics in cellular processes.
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11
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Mustoe AM, Bailor MH, Teixeira RM, Brooks CL, Al-Hashimi HM. New insights into the fundamental role of topological constraints as a determinant of two-way junction conformation. Nucleic Acids Res 2011; 40:892-904. [PMID: 21937512 PMCID: PMC3258142 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkr751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have shown that topological constraints encoded at the RNA secondary structure level involving basic steric and stereochemical forces can significantly restrict the orientations sampled by helices across two-way RNA junctions. Here, we formulate these topological constraints in greater quantitative detail and use this topological framework to rationalize long-standing but poorly understood observations regarding the basic behavior of RNA two-way junctions. Notably, we show that the asymmetric nature of the A-form helix and the finite length of a bulge provide a physical basis for the experimentally observed directionality and bulge-length amplitude dependence of bulge induced inter-helical bends. We also find that the topologically allowed space can be modulated by variations in sequence, particularly with the addition of non-canonical GU base pairs at the junction, and, surprisingly, by the length of the 5′ and 3′ helices. A survey of two-way RNA junctions in the protein data bank confirms that junction residues have a strong preference to adopt looped-in, non-canonically base-paired conformations, providing a route for extending our bulge-directed framework to internal loop motifs and implying a simplified link between secondary and tertiary structure. Finally, our results uncover a new simple mechanism for coupling junction-induced topological constraints with tertiary interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony M Mustoe
- Departments of Chemistry & Biophysics, The University of Michigan, 930 North University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1055, USA
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12
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Lerman YV, Kennedy SD, Shankar N, Parisien M, Major F, Turner DH. NMR structure of a 4 x 4 nucleotide RNA internal loop from an R2 retrotransposon: identification of a three purine-purine sheared pair motif and comparison to MC-SYM predictions. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2011; 17:1664-77. [PMID: 21778280 PMCID: PMC3162332 DOI: 10.1261/rna.2641911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2011] [Accepted: 05/08/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
The NMR solution structure is reported of a duplex, 5'GUGAAGCCCGU/3'UCACAGGAGGC, containing a 4 × 4 nucleotide internal loop from an R2 retrotransposon RNA. The loop contains three sheared purine-purine pairs and reveals a structural element found in other RNAs, which we refer to as the 3RRs motif. Optical melting measurements of the thermodynamics of the duplex indicate that the internal loop is 1.6 kcal/mol more stable at 37°C than predicted. The results identify the 3RRs motif as a common structural element that can facilitate prediction of 3D structure. Known examples include internal loops having the pairings: 5'GAA/3'AGG, 5'GAG/3'AGG, 5'GAA/3'AAG, and 5'AAG/3'AGG. The structural information is compared with predictions made with the MC-Sym program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yelena V. Lerman
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
| | - Scott D. Kennedy
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York 14642, USA
| | - Neelaabh Shankar
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York 14642, USA
| | - Marc Parisien
- Department of Computer Science and Operations Research, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec H3C CJ7, Canada
| | - Francois Major
- Department of Computer Science and Operations Research, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec H3C CJ7, Canada
| | - Douglas H. Turner
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
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13
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Bilbille Y, Vendeix FAP, Guenther R, Malkiewicz A, Ariza X, Vilarrasa J, Agris PF. The structure of the human tRNALys3 anticodon bound to the HIV genome is stabilized by modified nucleosides and adjacent mismatch base pairs. Nucleic Acids Res 2009; 37:3342-53. [PMID: 19324888 PMCID: PMC2691828 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkp187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Replication of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) requires base pairing of the reverse transcriptase primer, human tRNALys3, to the viral RNA. Although the major complementary base pairing occurs between the HIV primer binding sequence (PBS) and the tRNA's 3′-terminus, an important discriminatory, secondary contact occurs between the viral A-rich Loop I, 5′-adjacent to the PBS, and the modified, U-rich anticodon domain of tRNALys3. The importance of individual and combined anticodon modifications to the tRNA/HIV-1 Loop I RNA's interaction was determined. The thermal stabilities of variously modified tRNA anticodon region sequences bound to the Loop I of viral sub(sero)types G and B were analyzed and the structure of one duplex containing two modified nucleosides was determined using NMR spectroscopy and restrained molecular dynamics. The modifications 2-thiouridine, s2U34, and pseudouridine, Ψ39, appreciably stabilized the interaction of the anticodon region with the viral subtype G and B RNAs. The structure of the duplex results in two coaxially stacked A-form RNA stems separated by two mismatched base pairs, U162•Ψ39 and G163•A38, that maintained a reasonable A-form helix diameter. The tRNA's s2U34 stabilized the interaction between the A-rich HIV Loop I sequence and the U-rich anticodon, whereas the tRNA's Ψ39 stabilized the adjacent mismatched pairs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yann Bilbille
- Department of Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7622, USA
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Šponer J, Zgarbová M, Jurečka P, Riley KE, Šponer JE, Hobza P. Reference Quantum Chemical Calculations on RNA Base Pairs Directly Involving the 2′-OH Group of Ribose. J Chem Theory Comput 2009; 5:1166-79. [DOI: 10.1021/ct800547k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jiří Šponer
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Královopolská 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic, Department of Physical Chemistry, Palacky University, tr. Svobody 26, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and Center of Biomolecules and Complex Molecular Systems, Flemingovo náměstí 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic, Department of Chemistry, P.O. Box 23346, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto
| | - Marie Zgarbová
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Královopolská 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic, Department of Physical Chemistry, Palacky University, tr. Svobody 26, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and Center of Biomolecules and Complex Molecular Systems, Flemingovo náměstí 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic, Department of Chemistry, P.O. Box 23346, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto
| | - Petr Jurečka
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Královopolská 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic, Department of Physical Chemistry, Palacky University, tr. Svobody 26, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and Center of Biomolecules and Complex Molecular Systems, Flemingovo náměstí 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic, Department of Chemistry, P.O. Box 23346, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto
| | - Kevin E. Riley
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Královopolská 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic, Department of Physical Chemistry, Palacky University, tr. Svobody 26, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and Center of Biomolecules and Complex Molecular Systems, Flemingovo náměstí 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic, Department of Chemistry, P.O. Box 23346, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto
| | - Judit E. Šponer
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Královopolská 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic, Department of Physical Chemistry, Palacky University, tr. Svobody 26, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and Center of Biomolecules and Complex Molecular Systems, Flemingovo náměstí 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic, Department of Chemistry, P.O. Box 23346, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto
| | - Pavel Hobza
- Institute of Biophysics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Královopolská 135, 612 65 Brno, Czech Republic, Department of Physical Chemistry, Palacky University, tr. Svobody 26, 771 46 Olomouc, Czech Republic, Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and Center of Biomolecules and Complex Molecular Systems, Flemingovo náměstí 2, 166 10 Prague 6, Czech Republic, Department of Chemistry, P.O. Box 23346, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto
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Christiansen ME, Znosko BM. Thermodynamic characterization of the complete set of sequence symmetric tandem mismatches in RNA and an improved model for predicting the free energy contribution of sequence asymmetric tandem mismatches. Biochemistry 2008; 47:4329-36. [PMID: 18330995 DOI: 10.1021/bi7020876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Because of the availability of an abundance of RNA sequence information, the ability to rapidly and accurately predict the secondary structure of RNA from sequence is becoming increasingly important. A common method for predicting RNA secondary structure from sequence is free energy minimization. Therefore, accurate free energy contributions for every RNA secondary structure motif are necessary for accurate secondary structure predictions. Tandem mismatches are prevalent in naturally occurring sequences and are biologically important. A common method for predicting the stability of a sequence asymmetric tandem mismatch relies on the stabilities of the two corresponding sequence symmetric tandem mismatches [Mathews, D. H., Sabina, J., Zuker, M., and Turner, D. H. (1999) J. Mol. Biol. 288, 911-940]. To improve the prediction of sequence asymmetric tandem mismatches, the experimental thermodynamic parameters for the 22 previously unmeasured sequence symmetric tandem mismatches are reported. These new data, however, do not improve prediction of the free energy contributions of sequence asymmetric tandem mismatches. Therefore, a new model, independent of sequence symmetric tandem mismatch free energies, is proposed. This model consists of two penalties to account for destabilizing tandem mismatches, two bonuses to account for stabilizing tandem mismatches, and two penalties to account for A-U and G-U adjacent base pairs. This model improves the prediction of asymmetric tandem mismatch free energy contributions and is likely to improve the prediction of RNA secondary structure from sequence.
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Cevec M, Thibaudeau C, Plavec J. Solution structure of a let-7 miRNA:lin-41 mRNA complex from C. elegans. Nucleic Acids Res 2008; 36:2330-7. [PMID: 18296482 PMCID: PMC2367737 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkn088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Let-7 microRNA (miRNA) regulates heterochronic genes in developmental timing of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Binding of miRNA to messenger RNA (mRNA) and structural features of the complex are crucial for gene silencing. We herein present the NMR solution structure of a model mimicking the interaction of let-7 miRNA with its complementary site (LCS 2) in the 3' untranslated region (3'-UTR) of the lin-41 mRNA. A structural study was performed by NMR spectroscopy using NOE restraints, torsion angle restraints and residual dipolar couplings. The 33-nt RNA construct folds into a stem-loop structure that features two stem regions which are separated by an asymmetric internal loop. One of the stems comprises a GU wobble base pair, which does not alter its overall A-form RNA conformation. The asymmetric internal loop adopts a single, well-defined structure in which three uracils form a base triple, while two adenines form a base pair. The 3D structure of the construct gives insight into the structural aspects of interactions between let-7 miRNA and lin-41 mRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirko Cevec
- Slovenian NMR Center, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, SI-1001 Ljubljana, Slovenia
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