1
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De Bisschop G, Allouche D, Frezza E, Masquida B, Ponty Y, Will S, Sargueil B. Progress toward SHAPE Constrained Computational Prediction of Tertiary Interactions in RNA Structure. Noncoding RNA 2021; 7:71. [PMID: 34842779 PMCID: PMC8628965 DOI: 10.3390/ncrna7040071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
As more sequencing data accumulate and novel puzzling genetic regulations are discovered, the need for accurate automated modeling of RNA structure increases. RNA structure modeling from chemical probing experiments has made tremendous progress, however accurately predicting large RNA structures is still challenging for several reasons: RNA are inherently flexible and often adopt many energetically similar structures, which are not reliably distinguished by the available, incomplete thermodynamic model. Moreover, computationally, the problem is aggravated by the relevance of pseudoknots and non-canonical base pairs, which are hardly predicted efficiently. To identify nucleotides involved in pseudoknots and non-canonical interactions, we scrutinized the SHAPE reactivity of each nucleotide of the 188 nt long lariat-capping ribozyme under multiple conditions. Reactivities analyzed in the light of the X-ray structure were shown to report accurately the nucleotide status. Those that seemed paradoxical were rationalized by the nucleotide behavior along molecular dynamic simulations. We show that valuable information on intricate interactions can be deduced from probing with different reagents, and in the presence or absence of Mg2+. Furthermore, probing at increasing temperature was remarkably efficient at pointing to non-canonical interactions and pseudoknot pairings. The possibilities of following such strategies to inform structure modeling software are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grégoire De Bisschop
- Université de Paris, CNRS, UMR 8038/CiTCoM, F-75006 Paris, France; (G.D.B.); (D.A.); (E.F.)
- Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Montréal, QC H2W 1R7, Canada
| | - Delphine Allouche
- Université de Paris, CNRS, UMR 8038/CiTCoM, F-75006 Paris, France; (G.D.B.); (D.A.); (E.F.)
- Institut Necker-Enfants Malades (INEM), Inserm U1151, 156 rue de Vaugirard, CEDEX 15, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Elisa Frezza
- Université de Paris, CNRS, UMR 8038/CiTCoM, F-75006 Paris, France; (G.D.B.); (D.A.); (E.F.)
| | - Benoît Masquida
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS UMR7156 GMGM, 67084 Strasbourg, France;
| | - Yann Ponty
- Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS UMR 7161, LIX, 91120 Palaiseau, France; (Y.P.); (S.W.)
| | - Sebastian Will
- Ecole Polytechnique, CNRS UMR 7161, LIX, 91120 Palaiseau, France; (Y.P.); (S.W.)
| | - Bruno Sargueil
- Université de Paris, CNRS, UMR 8038/CiTCoM, F-75006 Paris, France; (G.D.B.); (D.A.); (E.F.)
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2
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Pietschmann M, Tempel G, Halladjian M, Krogh N, Nielsen H. Use of a Lariat Capping Ribozyme to Study Cap Function In Vivo. Methods Mol Biol 2021; 2167:271-285. [PMID: 32712925 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0716-9_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
A lariat cap is a naturally occurring substitute of a conventional mRNA cap and is found in a particular genomic setting in a few eukaryotic microorganisms. It is installed by the lariat capping ribozyme acting in cis. In principle, any RNA molecule in any organism can be equipped with a lariat cap in vivo when expressed downstream of a lariat capping ribozyme. Lariat capping is thus a versatile tool for studying the importance of the 5' end structure of RNA molecules. In this chapter, we present protocols to validate the presence of the lariat cap and measure the efficiency of in vivo cleavage by the lariat capping ribozyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Pietschmann
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Gregor Tempel
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Maral Halladjian
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nicolai Krogh
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Henrik Nielsen
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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3
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Abstract
The discoveries of myriad non-coding RNA molecules, each transiting through multiple flexible states in cells or virions, present major challenges for structure determination. Advances in high-throughput chemical mapping give new routes for characterizing entire transcriptomes in vivo, but the resulting one-dimensional data generally remain too information-poor to allow accurate de novo structure determination. Multidimensional chemical mapping (MCM) methods seek to address this challenge. Mutate-and-map (M2), RNA interaction groups by mutational profiling (RING-MaP and MaP-2D analysis) and multiplexed •OH cleavage analysis (MOHCA) measure how the chemical reactivities of every nucleotide in an RNA molecule change in response to modifications at every other nucleotide. A growing body of in vitro blind tests and compensatory mutation/rescue experiments indicate that MCM methods give consistently accurate secondary structures and global tertiary structures for ribozymes, ribosomal domains and ligand-bound riboswitch aptamers up to 200 nucleotides in length. Importantly, MCM analyses provide detailed information on structurally heterogeneous RNA states, such as ligand-free riboswitches that are functionally important but difficult to resolve with other approaches. The sequencing requirements of currently available MCM protocols scale at least quadratically with RNA length, precluding general application to transcriptomes or viral genomes at present. We propose a modify-cross-link-map (MXM) expansion to overcome this and other current limitations to resolving the in vivo 'RNA structurome'.
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4
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Miao Z, Adamiak RW, Blanchet MF, Boniecki M, Bujnicki JM, Chen SJ, Cheng C, Chojnowski G, Chou FC, Cordero P, Cruz JA, Ferré-D'Amaré AR, Das R, Ding F, Dokholyan NV, Dunin-Horkawicz S, Kladwang W, Krokhotin A, Lach G, Magnus M, Major F, Mann TH, Masquida B, Matelska D, Meyer M, Peselis A, Popenda M, Purzycka KJ, Serganov A, Stasiewicz J, Szachniuk M, Tandon A, Tian S, Wang J, Xiao Y, Xu X, Zhang J, Zhao P, Zok T, Westhof E. RNA-Puzzles Round II: assessment of RNA structure prediction programs applied to three large RNA structures. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2015; 21:1066-84. [PMID: 25883046 PMCID: PMC4436661 DOI: 10.1261/rna.049502.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2015] [Accepted: 02/12/2015] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
This paper is a report of a second round of RNA-Puzzles, a collective and blind experiment in three-dimensional (3D) RNA structure prediction. Three puzzles, Puzzles 5, 6, and 10, represented sequences of three large RNA structures with limited or no homology with previously solved RNA molecules. A lariat-capping ribozyme, as well as riboswitches complexed to adenosylcobalamin and tRNA, were predicted by seven groups using RNAComposer, ModeRNA/SimRNA, Vfold, Rosetta, DMD, MC-Fold, 3dRNA, and AMBER refinement. Some groups derived models using data from state-of-the-art chemical-mapping methods (SHAPE, DMS, CMCT, and mutate-and-map). The comparisons between the predictions and the three subsequently released crystallographic structures, solved at diffraction resolutions of 2.5-3.2 Å, were carried out automatically using various sets of quality indicators. The comparisons clearly demonstrate the state of present-day de novo prediction abilities as well as the limitations of these state-of-the-art methods. All of the best prediction models have similar topologies to the native structures, which suggests that computational methods for RNA structure prediction can already provide useful structural information for biological problems. However, the prediction accuracy for non-Watson-Crick interactions, key to proper folding of RNAs, is low and some predicted models had high Clash Scores. These two difficulties point to some of the continuing bottlenecks in RNA structure prediction. All submitted models are available for download at http://ahsoka.u-strasbg.fr/rnapuzzles/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhichao Miao
- Architecture et Réactivité de l'ARN, Université de Strasbourg, Institut de biologie moléculaire et cellulaire du CNRS, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | - Ryszard W Adamiak
- Department of Structural Chemistry and Biology of Nucleic Acids, Structural Chemistry of Nucleic Acids Laboratory, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
| | - Marc-Frédérick Blanchet
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Department of Computer Science and Operations Research, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3C 3J7
| | - Michal Boniecki
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Protein Engineering, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Janusz M Bujnicki
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Protein Engineering, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, 61-614 Poznan, Poland
| | - Shi-Jie Chen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Department of Biochemistry, and Informatics Institute, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
| | - Clarence Cheng
- Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Grzegorz Chojnowski
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Protein Engineering, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Fang-Chieh Chou
- Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Pablo Cordero
- Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - José Almeida Cruz
- Architecture et Réactivité de l'ARN, Université de Strasbourg, Institut de biologie moléculaire et cellulaire du CNRS, 67000 Strasbourg, France
| | | | - Rhiju Das
- Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Feng Ding
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, College of Engineering and Science, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634, USA
| | - Nikolay V Dokholyan
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina, School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
| | - Stanislaw Dunin-Horkawicz
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Protein Engineering, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Wipapat Kladwang
- Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Andrey Krokhotin
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina, School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
| | - Grzegorz Lach
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Protein Engineering, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marcin Magnus
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Protein Engineering, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland
| | - François Major
- Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC), Department of Computer Science and Operations Research, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3C 3J7
| | - Thomas H Mann
- Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Benoît Masquida
- Génétique Moléculaire Génomique Microbiologie, Institut de physiologie et de la chimie biologique, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Dorota Matelska
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Protein Engineering, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Mélanie Meyer
- Institut de génétique et de biologie moléculaire et cellulaire, 67400 Strasbourg, France
| | - Alla Peselis
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, USA
| | - Mariusz Popenda
- Department of Structural Chemistry and Biology of Nucleic Acids, Structural Chemistry of Nucleic Acids Laboratory, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
| | - Katarzyna J Purzycka
- Department of Structural Chemistry and Biology of Nucleic Acids, Structural Chemistry of Nucleic Acids Laboratory, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
| | - Alexander Serganov
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York 10016, USA
| | - Juliusz Stasiewicz
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Protein Engineering, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw, 02-109 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marta Szachniuk
- Poznan University of Technology, Institute of Computing Science, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
| | - Arpit Tandon
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina, School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA
| | - Siqi Tian
- Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Jian Wang
- Department of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 430074 Wuhan, China
| | - Yi Xiao
- Department of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 430074 Wuhan, China
| | - Xiaojun Xu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Department of Biochemistry, and Informatics Institute, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
| | - Jinwei Zhang
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-8012, USA
| | - Peinan Zhao
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Department of Biochemistry, and Informatics Institute, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA
| | - Tomasz Zok
- Poznan University of Technology, Institute of Computing Science, 60-965 Poznan, Poland
| | - Eric Westhof
- Architecture et Réactivité de l'ARN, Université de Strasbourg, Institut de biologie moléculaire et cellulaire du CNRS, 67000 Strasbourg, France
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5
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Tang Y, Nielsen H, Masquida B, Gardner PP, Johansen SD. Molecular characterization of a new member of the lariat capping twin-ribozyme introns. Mob DNA 2014; 5:25. [PMID: 25342998 PMCID: PMC4167309 DOI: 10.1186/1759-8753-5-25] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2014] [Accepted: 09/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Twin-ribozyme introns represent a complex class of mobile group I introns that harbour a lariat capping (LC) ribozyme and a homing endonuclease gene embedded in a conventional self-splicing group I ribozyme (GIR2). Twin-ribozyme introns have so far been confined to nucleolar DNA in Naegleria amoeboflagellates and the myxomycete Didymium iridis. RESULTS We characterize structural organization, catalytic properties and molecular evolution of a new twin-ribozyme intron in Allovahlkampfia (Heterolobosea). The intron contains two ribozyme domains with different functions in ribosomal RNA splicing and homing endonuclease mRNA maturation. We found Allovahlkampfia GIR2 to be a typical group IC1 splicing ribozyme responsible for addition of the exogenous guanosine cofactor (exoG), exon ligation and circularization of intron RNA. The Allovahlkampfia LC ribozyme, by contrast, represents an efficient self-cleaving ribozyme that generates a small 2',5' lariat cap at the 5' end of the homing endonuclease mRNA, and thus contributes to intron mobility. CONCLUSIONS The discovery of a twin-ribozyme intron in a member of Heterolobosea expands the distribution pattern of LC ribozymes. We identify a putative regulatory RNA element (AP2.1) in the Allovahlkampfia LC ribozyme that involves homing endonuclease mRNA coding sequences as an important structural component.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunjia Tang
- RNA and Molecular Pathology group, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, MH-building Breivika, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, The Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Henrik Nielsen
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, The Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Benoît Masquida
- Génétique Moléculaire, Génomique, Microbiologie, IPCB, Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, Strasbourg, France
| | - Paul P Gardner
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Steinar D Johansen
- RNA and Molecular Pathology group, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway, MH-building Breivika, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway
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6
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Abstract
The lariat-capping (LC) ribozyme is a natural ribozyme isolated from eukaryotic microorganisms. Despite apparent structural similarity to group I introns, the LC ribozyme catalyzes cleavage by a 2',5' branching reaction, leaving the 3' product with a 3-nt lariat cap that functionally substitutes for a conventional mRNA cap in the downstream pre-mRNA encoding a homing endonuclease. We describe the crystal structures of the precleavage and postcleavage LC ribozymes, which suggest that structural features inherited from group I ribozymes have undergone speciation due to profound changes in molecular selection pressure, ultimately giving rise to an original branching ribozyme family. The structures elucidate the role of key elements that regulate the activity of the LC ribozyme by conformational switching and suggest a mechanism by which the signal for branching is transmitted to the catalytic core. The structures also show how conserved interactions twist residues, forming the lariat to join chemical groups involved in branching.
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7
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Hedberg A, Johansen SD. Nuclear group I introns in self-splicing and beyond. Mob DNA 2013; 4:17. [PMID: 23738941 PMCID: PMC3679873 DOI: 10.1186/1759-8753-4-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2013] [Accepted: 05/14/2013] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Group I introns are a distinct class of RNA self-splicing introns with an ancient origin. All known group I introns present in eukaryote nuclei interrupt functional ribosomal RNA genes located in ribosomal DNA loci. The discovery of the Tetrahymena intron more than 30 years ago has been essential to our understanding of group I intron catalysis, higher-order RNA structure, and RNA folding, but other intron models have provided information about the biological role. Nuclear group I introns appear widespread among eukaryotic microorganisms, and the plasmodial slime molds (myxomycetes) contain an abundance of self-splicing introns. Here, we summarize the main conclusions from previous work on the Tetrahymena intron on RNA self-splicing catalysis as well as more recent work on myxomycete intron biology. Group I introns in myxomycetes that represent different evolutionary stages, biological roles, and functional settings are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annica Hedberg
- RNA lab-RAMP, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, Tromsø N-9037, Norway.
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8
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Abstract
Group I intron ribozymes constitute one of the main classes of ribozymes and have been a particularly important model in the discovery of key concepts in RNA biology as well as in the development of new methods. Compared to other ribozyme classes, group I intron ribozymes display considerable variation both in their structure and the reactions they catalyze. The best described pathway is the splicing pathway that results in a spliced out intron and ligated exons. This is paralleled by the circularization pathway that leads to full-length circular intron and un-ligated exons. In addition, the intronic products of these pathways have the potential to integrate into targets and to form various types of circular RNA molecules. Thus, group I intron ribozymes and associated elements found within group I introns is a rich source of biological phenomena. This chapter provides a strategy and protocols for initial characterization of new group I intron ribozymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrik Nielsen
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, The Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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9
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Abstract
Phenotypes that vary in response to DNA mutations are essential for evolutionary adaptation and innovation. Therefore, it seems that robustness, a lack of phenotypic variability, must hinder adaptation. The main purpose of this review is to show why this is not necessarily correct. There are two reasons. The first is that robustness causes the existence of genotype networks--large connected sets of genotypes with the same phenotype. I discuss why genotype networks facilitate phenotypic variability. The second reason emerges from the evolutionary dynamics of evolving populations on genotype networks. I discuss how these dynamics can render highly robust phenotypes more variable, using examples from protein and RNA macromolecules. In addition, robustness can help avoid an important evolutionary conflict between the interests of individuals and populations-a conflict that can impede evolutionary adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Wagner
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Y27-J-54 Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
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10
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Abstract
Apart from the ribosome, the crystal structure of the bacterial RNase P in complex with a tRNA, reported by Reiter and colleagues recently, constitutes the first example of a multiple turnover RNA enzyme. Except in rare exceptions, RNase P is ubiquitous and, like the ribosome, is older than the initial branch point of the phylogenetic tree. Importantly, the structure shows how the RNA and the protein moieties cooperate to process the pre-tRNA substrates. The catalytic site comprises some critical RNA residues spread over the secondary structure but gathered in a compact volume next to the protein, which helps recognize and orient the substrate. The discussion here outlines some important aspects of that crystal structure, some of which could apply to RNA molecules in general.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Bacillus subtilis/enzymology
- Bacillus subtilis/genetics
- Base Pairing
- Catalytic Domain
- Crystallography
- Escherichia coli/enzymology
- Escherichia coli/genetics
- Evolution, Molecular
- Holoenzymes
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Phylogeny
- Protein Structure, Quaternary
- RNA Precursors/metabolism
- RNA, Bacterial/chemistry
- RNA, Bacterial/genetics
- RNA, Bacterial/metabolism
- RNA, Catalytic/chemistry
- RNA, Catalytic/genetics
- RNA, Catalytic/metabolism
- RNA, Transfer/genetics
- RNA, Transfer/metabolism
- Ribonuclease P/chemistry
- Ribonuclease P/genetics
- Ribonuclease P/metabolism
- Substrate Specificity
- Thermotoga maritima/enzymology
- Thermotoga maritima/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- Benoît Masquida
- Architecture et Réactivité de l’ARN, Institut de Biologie Moléculaire du CNRS, Université de Strasbourg, 67084 Strasbourg Cedex, France.
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11
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Birgisdottir ÁB, Nielsen H, Beckert B, Masquida B, Johansen SD. Intermolecular interaction between a branching ribozyme and associated homing endonuclease mRNA. Biol Chem 2011; 392:491-9. [PMID: 21495911 DOI: 10.1515/bc.2011.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
RNA tertiary interactions involving docking of GNRA (N; any base; R; purine) hairpin loops into helical stem structures on other regions of the same RNA are one of the most common RNA tertiary interactions. In this study, we investigated a tertiary association between a GAAA hairpin tetraloop in a small branching ribozyme (DiGIR1) and a receptor motif (HEG P1 motif) present in a hairpin structure on a separate mRNA molecule. DiGIR1 generates a 2', 5' lariat cap at the 5' end of its downstream homing endonuclease mRNA by catalysing a self-cleavage branching reaction at an internal processing site. Upon release, the 5' end of the mRNA forms a distinct hairpin structure termed HEG P1. Our biochemical data, in concert with molecular 3D modelling, provide experimental support for an intermolecular tetraloop receptor interaction between the L9 GAAA in DiGIR1 and a GNRA tetraloop receptor-like motif (UCUAAG-CAAGA) found within the HEG P1. The biological role of this interaction appears to be linked to the homing endonuclease expression by promoting post-cleavage release of the lariat capped mRNA. These findings add to our understanding of how protein-coding genes embedded in nuclear ribosomal DNA are expressed in eukaryotes and controlled by ribozymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ása B Birgisdottir
- RNA and Transcriptomics Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway.
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12
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Shu D, Zhang H, Petrenko R, Meller J, Guo P. Dual-channel single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer to establish distance parameters for RNA nanoparticles. ACS NANO 2010; 4:6843-53. [PMID: 20954698 PMCID: PMC2990273 DOI: 10.1021/nn1014853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2010] [Accepted: 10/04/2010] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
The increasing interest in RNA nanotechnology and the demonstrated feasibility of using RNA nanoparticles as therapeutics have prompted the need for imaging systems with nanometer-scale resolution for RNA studies. Phi29 dimeric pRNAs can serve as building blocks in assembly into the hexameric ring of the nanomotors, as modules of RNA nanoparciles, and as vehicles for specific delivery of therapeutics to cancers or viral infected cells. The understanding of the 3D structure of this novel RNA dimeric particle is fundamentally and practically important. Although a 3D model of pRNA dimer has been proposed based on biochemical analysis, no distance measurements or X-ray diffraction data have been reported. Here we evaluated the application of our customized single-molecule dual-viewing system for distance measurement within pRNA dimers using single-molecule Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (smFRET). Ten pRNA monomers labeled with single donor or acceptor fluorophores at various locations were constructed and eight dimers were assembled. smFRET signals were detected for six dimers. The tethered arm sizes of the fluorophores were estimated empirically from dual-labeled RNA/DNA standards. The distances between donor and acceptor were calculated and used as distance parameters to assess and refine the previously reported 3D model of the pRNA dimer. Distances between nucleotides in pRNA dimers were found to be different from those of the dimers bound to procapsid, suggesting a conformational change of the pRNA dimer upon binding to the procapsid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Shu
- Nanobiomedical Center, College of Engineering and Applied Science/College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, United States
| | - Hui Zhang
- Nanobiomedical Center, College of Engineering and Applied Science/College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, United States
| | | | - Jarek Meller
- Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45267, United States
| | - Peixuan Guo
- Nanobiomedical Center, College of Engineering and Applied Science/College of Medicine, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221, United States
- Address correspondence to
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13
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Masquida B, Beckert B, Jossinet F. Exploring RNA structure by integrative molecular modelling. N Biotechnol 2010; 27:170-83. [PMID: 20206310 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbt.2010.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
RNA molecular modelling is adequate to rapidly tackle the structure of RNA molecules. With new structured RNAs constituting a central class of cellular regulators discovered every year, the need for swift and reliable modelling methods is more crucial than ever. The pragmatic method based on interactive all-atom molecular modelling relies on the observation that specific structural motifs are recurrently found in RNA sequences. Once identified by a combination of comparative sequence analysis and biochemical data, the motifs composing the secondary structure of a given RNA can be extruded in three dimensions (3D) and used as building blocks assembled manually during a bioinformatic interactive process. Comparing the models to the corresponding crystal structures has validated the method as being powerful to predict the RNA topology and architecture while being less accurate regarding the prediction of base-base interactions. These aspects as well as the necessary steps towards automation will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benoît Masquida
- Architecture et Réactivité de l'ARN, Université de Strasbourg, IBMC, CNRS, 15 rue René Descartes, Strasbourg, France.
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14
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Fiskaa T, Birgisdottir AB. RNA reprogramming and repair based on trans-splicing group I ribozymes. N Biotechnol 2010; 27:194-203. [PMID: 20219714 DOI: 10.1016/j.nbt.2010.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
While many traditional gene therapy strategies attempt to deliver new copies of wild-type genes back to cells harboring the defective genes, RNA-directed strategies offer a range of novel therapeutic applications. Revision or reprogramming of mRNA is a form of gene therapy that modifies mRNA without directly changing the transcriptional regulation or the genomic gene sequence. Group I ribozymes can be engineered to act in trans by recognizing a separate RNA molecule in a sequence-specific manner, and to covalently link a new RNA sequence to this separate RNA molecule. Group I ribozymes have been shown to repair defective transcripts that cause human genetic or malignant diseases, as well as to replace transcript sequences by foreign RNA resulting in new cellular functions. This review provides an overview of current strategies using trans-splicing group I ribozymes in RNA repair and reprogramming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tonje Fiskaa
- RNA and Transcriptomics Group, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway.
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15
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Nielsen H, Einvik C, Lentz TE, Hedegaard MM, Johansen SD. A conformational switch in the DiGIR1 ribozyme involved in release and folding of the downstream I-DirI mRNA. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2009; 15:958-967. [PMID: 19329537 PMCID: PMC2673072 DOI: 10.1261/rna.669209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2008] [Accepted: 01/23/2009] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
DiGIR1 is a group I-like cleavage ribozyme found as a structural domain within a nuclear twin-ribozyme group I intron. DiGIR1 catalyzes cleavage by branching at an Internal Processing Site (IPS) leading to formation of a lariat cap at the 5'-end of the 3'-cleavage product. The 3'-cleavage product is subsequently processed into an mRNA encoding a homing endonuclease. By analysis of combinations of 5'- and 3'-deletions, we identify a hairpin in the 5'-UTR of the mRNA (HEG P1) that is formed by conformational switching following cleavage. The formation of HEG P1 inhibits the reversal of the branching reaction, thus giving it directionality. Furthermore, the release of the mRNA is a consequence of branching rather than hydrolytic cleavage. A model is put forward that explains the release of the I-DirI mRNA with a lariat cap and a structured 5'-UTR as a direct consequence of the DiGIR1 branching reaction. The role of HEG P1 in GIR1 branching is reminiscent of that of hairpin P-1 in splicing of the Tetrahymena rRNA group I intron and illustrates a general principle in RNA-directed RNA processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrik Nielsen
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, The Panum Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200N Copenhagen, Denmark.
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16
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Vicens Q, Cech TR. A natural ribozyme with 3',5' RNA ligase activity. Nat Chem Biol 2009; 5:97-9. [PMID: 19125157 PMCID: PMC2897744 DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2008] [Accepted: 12/08/2008] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Using electrophoresis, sequencing and enzymatic digestion, we show that the group I intron from the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 catalyzes phosphodiester bond formation using a triphosphate on the 5'-terminal nucleotide, much like protein polymerases and engineered ribozymes. In the process, this ribozyme forms a unique circular RNA that incorporates the exogenous guanosine cofactor added during self-splicing. This finding may have relevance to a prebiotic RNA world and to modern biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Vicens
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado, UCB 215, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0215, USA.
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17
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Edwards AL, Batey RT. A structural basis for the recognition of 2'-deoxyguanosine by the purine riboswitch. J Mol Biol 2008; 385:938-48. [PMID: 19007790 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2008.10.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2008] [Revised: 10/16/2008] [Accepted: 10/26/2008] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Riboswitches are noncoding RNA elements that are commonly found in the 5'-untranslated region of bacterial mRNA. Binding of a small-molecule metabolite to the riboswitch aptamer domain guides the folding of the downstream sequence into one of two mutually exclusive secondary structures that directs gene expression. The purine riboswitch family, which regulates aspects of purine biosynthesis and transport, contains three distinct classes that specifically recognize guanine/hypoxanthine, adenine, or 2'-deoxyguanosine (dG). Structural analysis of the guanine and adenine classes revealed a binding pocket that almost completely buries the nucleobase within the core of the folded RNA. Thus, it is somewhat surprising that this family of RNA elements also recognizes dG. We have used a combination of structural and biochemical techniques to understand how the guanine riboswitch could be converted into a dG binder and the structural basis for dG recognition. These studies reveal that a limited number of sequence changes to a guanine-sensing RNA are required to cause a specificity switch from guanine to 2'-deoxyguanosine, and to impart an altered structure for accommodating the additional deoxyribose sugar moiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea L Edwards
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado, 215 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
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Vicens Q, Paukstelis PJ, Westhof E, Lambowitz AM, Cech TR. Toward predicting self-splicing and protein-facilitated splicing of group I introns. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2008; 14:2013-2029. [PMID: 18768647 PMCID: PMC2553746 DOI: 10.1261/rna.1027208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2008] [Accepted: 07/08/2008] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
In the current era of massive discoveries of noncoding RNAs within genomes, being able to infer a function from a nucleotide sequence is of paramount interest. Although studies of individual group I introns have identified self-splicing and nonself-splicing examples, there is no overall understanding of the prevalence of self-splicing or the factors that determine it among the >2300 group I introns sequenced to date. Here, the self-splicing activities of 12 group I introns from various organisms were assayed under six reaction conditions that had been shown previously to promote RNA catalysis for different RNAs. Besides revealing that assessing self-splicing under only one condition can be misleading, this survey emphasizes that in vitro self-splicing efficiency is correlated with the GC content of the intron (>35% GC was generally conductive to self-splicing), and with the ability of the introns to form particular tertiary interactions. Addition of the Neurospora crassa CYT-18 protein activated splicing of two nonself-splicing introns, but inhibited the second step of self-splicing for two others. Together, correlations between sequence, predicted structure and splicing begin to establish rules that should facilitate our ability to predict the self-splicing activity of any group I intron from its sequence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin Vicens
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Colorado, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0215, USA.
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