Mechanism of transfer RNA maturation by CCA-adding enzyme without using an oligonucleotide template

Structural and Evolutionary Analysis of Proteins Endowed with a Nucleotidyltransferase, or Non-canonical Palm, Catalytic Domain

Many polymerases and other proteins are endowed with a catalytic domain belonging to the nucleotidyltransferase fold, which has also been deemed the non-canonical palm domain, in which three conserved acidic residues coordinate two divalent metal ions. Tertiary structure-based evolutionary analyses provide valuable information when the phylogenetic signal contained in the primary structure is blurry or has been lost, as is the case with these proteins. Pairwise structural comparisons of proteins with a nucleotidyltransferase fold were performed in the PDBefold web server: the RMSD, the number of superimposed residues, and the Qscore were obtained. The structural alignment score (RMSD × 100/number of superimposed residues) and the 1-Qscore were calculated, and distance matrices were constructed, from which a dendogram and a phylogenetic network were drawn for each score. The dendograms and the phylogenetic networks display well-defined clades, reflecting high levels of structural conservation within each clade, not mirrored by primary sequence. The conserved structural core between all these proteins consists of the catalytic nucleotidyltransferase fold, which is surrounded by different functional domains. Hence, many of the clades include proteins that bind different substrates or partake in non-related functions. Enzymes endowed with a nucleotidyltransferase fold are present in all domains of life, and participate in essential cellular and viral functions, which suggests that this domain is very ancient. Despite the loss of evolutionary traces in their primary structure, tertiary structure-based analyses allow us to delve into the evolution and functional diversification of the NT fold.

Distinct domain organization and diversity of 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetases

The 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetases (OAS) are important components of the innate immune system that recognize viral double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). Upon dsRNA binding, OAS generate 2'-5'-linked oligoadenylates (2-5A) that activate ribonuclease L (RNase L), halting viral replication. The OAS/RNase L pathway is thus an important antiviral pathway and viruses have devised strategies to circumvent OAS activation. OAS enzymes are divided into four classes according to size: small (OAS1), medium (OAS2), and large (OAS3) that consist of one, two, and three OAS domains, respectively, and the OAS-like protein (OASL) that consists of one OAS domain and tandem domains similar to ubiquitin. Early investigation of the OAS enzymes hinted at the recognition of dsRNA by OAS, but due to size differences amongst OAS family members combined with the lack of structural information on full-length OAS2 and OAS3, the regulation of OAS catalytic activity by dsRNA was not well understood. However, the recent biophysical studies of OAS have highlighted overall structure and domain organization. In this review, we present a detailed examination of the OAS literature and summarized the investigation on 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetases.

A left-handed RNA quadruplex directs gene silencing

Poly(UG) or 'pUG' dinucleotide repeats direct gene silencing in Caenorhabditis elegans by adopting an unusual quadruplex structure. Humans have thousands of pUG sequences and proteins that interact with them. The pUG fold reveals new aspects of gene regulation and RNA folding, highlighting how a simple sequence can encode a complex structure.

Recognition of the tRNA structure: Everything everywhere but not all at once

tRNAs are among the most abundant and essential biomolecules in cells. These spontaneously folding, extensively structured yet conformationally flexible anionic polymers literally bridge the worlds of RNAs and proteins, and serve as Rosetta stones that decipher and interpret the genetic code. Their ubiquitous presence, functional irreplaceability, and privileged access to cellular compartments and ribosomes render them prime targets for both endogenous regulation and exogenous manipulation. There is essentially no part of the tRNA that is not touched by another interaction partner, either as programmed or imposed by an external adversary. Recent progresses in genetic, biochemical, and structural analyses of the tRNA interactome produced a wealth of new knowledge into their interaction networks, regulatory functions, and molecular interfaces. In this review, I describe and illustrate the general principles of tRNA recognition by proteins and other RNAs, and discuss the underlying molecular mechanisms that deliver affinity, specificity, and functional competency.

The life and times of a tRNA

The study of eukaryotic tRNA processing has given rise to an explosion of new information and insights in the last several years. We now have unprecedented knowledge of each step in the tRNA processing pathway, revealing unexpected twists in biochemical pathways, multiple new connections with regulatory pathways, and numerous biological effects of defects in processing steps that have profound consequences throughout eukaryotes, leading to growth phenotypes in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and to neurological and other disorders in humans. This review highlights seminal new results within the pathways that comprise the life of a tRNA, from its birth after transcription until its death by decay. We focus on new findings and revelations in each step of the pathway including the end-processing and splicing steps, many of the numerous modifications throughout the main body and anticodon loop of tRNA that are so crucial for tRNA function, the intricate tRNA trafficking pathways, and the quality control decay pathways, as well as the biogenesis and biology of tRNA-derived fragments. We also describe the many interactions of these pathways with signaling and other pathways in the cell.

A Pseudomonas Lysogenic Bacteriophage Crossing the Antarctic and Arctic, Representing a New Genus of Autographiviridae

Polar regions tend to support simple food webs, which are vulnerable to phage-induced gene transfer or microbial death. To further investigate phage-host interactions in polar regions and the potential linkage of phage communities between the two poles, we induced the release of a lysogenic phage, vB_PaeM-G11, from Pseudomonas sp. D3 isolated from the Antarctic, which formed clear phage plaques on the lawn of Pseudomonas sp. G11 isolated from the Arctic. From permafrost metagenomic data of the Arctic tundra, we found the genome with high-similarity to that of vB_PaeM-G11, demonstrating that vB_PaeM-G11 may have a distribution in both the Antarctic and Arctic. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that vB_PaeM-G11 is homologous to five uncultured viruses, and that they may represent a new genus in the Autographiviridae family, named Fildesvirus here. vB_PaeM-G11 was stable in a temperature range (4-40 °C) and pH (4-11), with latent and rise periods of about 40 and 10 min, respectively. This study is the first isolation and characterization study of a Pseudomonas phage distributed in both the Antarctic and Arctic, identifying its lysogenic host and lysis host, and thus provides essential information for further understanding the interaction between polar phages and their hosts and the ecological functions of phages in polar regions.

New biochemical insights of CCA enzyme role in tRNA maturation and an efficient method to synthesize the 3'-amino-tailed tRNA

The maturation of tRNA and its quality control is crucial for aminoacylation and protein synthesis. The CCA enzyme, also known as tRNA nucleotidyltransferase, catalyzes the addition or repair of CCA at the 3'-terminus of tRNAs to facilitate aminoacylation. Structural studies of CCA enzyme in complex with ATP and CTP suggested that adding CCA at the 3'-terminus of tRNAs is a sequential process [1-4]. However, there are many inconsistent results of CCA addition from the biochemical studies, which raise the ambiguity about the CCA enzyme specificity in vitro [5-7]. On the other hand, there are no effective methods for preparing the 3'-amino-tailed tRNA to provide a stable amide linkage, which is vital to make homogeneous samples for structural studies of stalling peptides to understand ribosome mediated gene regulation [7-11]. In this study, we examined the functional specificity of the Class II CCA enzyme from E. coli, and optimized the benchmark experimental conditions to prepare the 3'-NH₂-tRNA using the CCA enzyme. Our results suggest that the CCA enzyme has a specific ability to catalyze the CCA addition/repair activity within the stoichiometric range of the reactants, and excess amounts of nucleotides lead to non-specific polymerization of the tRNA. Further, we developed an efficient method for synthesizing 3'-amino tRNA, which can facilitate stable aminoacyl/peptidyl-tRNA preparation.

Substrate Affinity Versus Catalytic Efficiency: Ancestral Sequence Reconstruction of tRNA Nucleotidyltransferases Solves an Enzyme Puzzle

In tRNA maturation, CCA-addition by tRNA nucleotidyltransferase is a unique and highly accurate reaction. While the mechanism of nucleotide selection and polymerization is well understood, it remains a mystery why bacterial and eukaryotic enzymes exhibit an unexpected and surprisingly low tRNA substrate affinity while they efficiently catalyze the CCA-addition. To get insights into the evolution of this high-fidelity RNA synthesis, the reconstruction and characterization of ancestral enzymes is a versatile tool. Here, we investigate a reconstructed candidate of a 2 billion years old CCA-adding enzyme from Gammaproteobacteria and compare it to the corresponding modern enzyme of Escherichia coli. We show that the ancestral candidate catalyzes an error-free CCA-addition, but has a much higher tRNA affinity compared with the extant enzyme. The consequence of this increased substrate binding is an enhanced reverse reaction, where the enzyme removes the CCA end from the mature tRNA. As a result, the ancestral candidate exhibits a lower catalytic efficiency in vitro as well as in vivo. Furthermore, the efficient tRNA interaction leads to a processive polymerization, while the extant enzyme catalyzes nucleotide addition in a distributive way. Thus, the modern enzymes increased their polymerization efficiency by lowering the binding affinity to tRNA, so that CCA synthesis is efficiently promoted due to a reduced reverse reaction. Hence, the puzzling and at a first glance contradicting and detrimental weak substrate interaction represents a distinct activity enhancement in the evolution of CCA-adding enzymes.

The Central Dogma revisited: Insights from protein synthesis, CRISPR, and beyond

Francis Crick advanced two distinct but interrelated fundamental principles of molecular biology: (1) the Sequence Hypothesis and (2) the Central Dogma. The Sequence Hypothesis defines biological information transfer as the residue-by-residue transfer of sequence information between nucleic acids and to proteins. This is commonly summarized as DNA ➔ RNA ➔ protein and is colloquially referred to as the Central Dogma. More specifically, however, the Central Dogma expounded by Crick included a critical restriction, stipulating that "once sequential information has passed into protein it cannot get out again." Under this definition, the Central Dogma has stood the test of time despite challenges. In principle, a violation of the Central Dogma could transpire through synthetic biology or by natural occurrence. To address these possibilities, we draw insights from existing modes of information transfer in protein synthesis and from synthetic Clustered Regularly-Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR) gene-editing. We introduce a three-part evaluation scheme, which we apply to the CRISPR/Cas9 system and the more recent CRISPR prime editing system. Potential mechanisms by which engineered sequence editing systems might violate the Central Dogma are considered. We conclude that although information transfer in protein synthesis and CRISPR gene-editing remain within the bounds of the Central Dogma, the underlying mechanisms point toward an avenue of synthetic biology that could directly violate the Central Dogma. Finally, we speculate on some of the theoretical and practical implications of a protein-derived information transfer system. This article is categorized under: RNA Evolution and Genomics > Ribonomics RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein-RNA Interactions: Functional Implications Translation > Mechanisms.

X-shaped structure of bacterial heterotetrameric tRNA synthetase suggests cryptic prokaryote functions and a rationale for synthetase classifications

AaRSs (aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases) group into two ten-member classes throughout evolution, with unique active site architectures defining each class. Most are monomers or homodimers but, for no apparent reason, many bacterial GlyRSs are heterotetramers consisting of two catalytic α-subunits and two tRNA-binding β-subunits. The heterotetrameric GlyRS from Escherichia coli (EcGlyRS) was historically tested whether its α- and β-polypeptides, which are encoded by a single mRNA with a gap of three in-frame codons, are replaceable by a single chain. Here, an unprecedented X-shaped structure of EcGlyRS shows wide separation of the abutting chain termini seen in the coding sequences, suggesting strong pressure to avoid a single polypeptide format. The structure of the five-domain β-subunit is unique across all aaRSs in current databases, and structural analyses suggest these domains play different functions on α-subunit binding, ATP coordination and tRNA recognition. Moreover, the X-shaped architecture of EcGlyRS largely fits with a model for how two classes of tRNA synthetases arose, according to whether enzymes from opposite classes can simultaneously co-dock onto separate faces of the same tRNA acceptor stem. While heterotetrameric GlyRS remains the last structurally uncharacterized member of aaRSs, our study contributes to a better understanding of this ancient and essential enzyme family.

Minimal protein-only RNase P structure reveals insights into tRNA precursor recognition and catalysis

Ribonuclease P (RNase P) is an endoribonuclease that catalyzes the processing of the 5' leader sequence of precursor tRNA (pre-tRNA). Ribonucleoprotein RNase P and protein-only RNase P (PRORP) in eukaryotes have been extensively studied, but the mechanism by which a prokaryotic nuclease recognizes and cleaves pre-tRNA is unclear. To gain insights into this mechanism, we studied homologs of Aquifex RNase P (HARPs), thought to be enzymes of approximately 23 kDa comprising only this nuclease domain. We determined the cryo-EM structure of Aq880, the first identified HARP enzyme. The structure unexpectedly revealed that Aq880 consists of both the nuclease and protruding helical (PrH) domains. Aq880 monomers assemble into a dimer via the PrH domain. Six dimers form a dodecamer with a left-handed one-turn superhelical structure. The structure also revealed that the active site of Aq880 is analogous to that of eukaryotic PRORPs. The pre-tRNA docking model demonstrated that 5' processing of pre-tRNAs is achieved by two adjacent dimers within the dodecamer. One dimer is responsible for catalysis, and the PrH domains of the other dimer are responsible for pre-tRNA elbow recognition. Our study suggests that HARPs measure an invariant distance from the pre-tRNA elbow to cleave the 5' leader sequence, which is analogous to the mechanism of eukaryotic PRORPs and the ribonucleoprotein RNase P. Collectively, these findings shed light on how different types of RNase P enzymes utilize the same pre-tRNA processing.

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.

An expanded class of histidine-accepting viral tRNA-like structures

Structured RNA elements are common in the genomes of RNA viruses, often playing critical roles during viral infection. Some viral RNA elements use forms of tRNA mimicry, but the diverse ways this mimicry can be achieved are poorly understood. Histidine-accepting tRNA-like structures (TLS^His) are examples found at the 3' termini of some positive-sense single-stranded RNA (+ssRNA) viruses where they interact with several host proteins, induce histidylation of the RNA genome, and facilitate processes important for infection, to include genome replication. As only five TLS^His examples had been reported, we explored the possible larger phylogenetic distribution and diversity of this TLS class using bioinformatic approaches. We identified many new examples of TLS^His, yielding a rigorous consensus sequence and secondary structure model that we validated by chemical probing of representative TLS^His RNAs. We confirmed new examples as authentic TLS^His by demonstrating their ability to be histidylated in vitro, then used mutational analyses to imply a tertiary interaction that is likely analogous to the D- and T-loop interaction found in canonical tRNAs. These results expand our understanding of how diverse RNA sequences achieve tRNA-like structure and function in the context of viral RNA genomes and lay the groundwork for high-resolution structural studies of tRNA mimicry by histidine-accepting TLSs.

Hopeful monsters: unintended sequencing of famously malformed mite mitochondrial tRNAs reveals widespread expression and processing of sense-antisense pairs

Although tRNA structure is one of the most conserved and recognizable shapes in molecular biology, aberrant tRNAs are frequently found in the mitochondrial genomes of metazoans. The extremely degenerate structures of several mitochondrial tRNAs (mt-tRNAs) have led to doubts about their expression and function. Mites from the arachnid superorder Acariformes are predicted to have some of the shortest mt-tRNAs, with a complete loss of cloverleaf-like shape. While performing mitochondrial isolations and recently developed tRNA-seq methods in plant tissue, we inadvertently sequenced the mt-tRNAs from a common plant pest, the acariform mite Tetranychus urticae, to a high enough coverage to detect all previously annotated T. urticae tRNA regions. The results not only confirm expression, CCA-tailing and post-transcriptional base modification of these highly divergent tRNAs, but also revealed paired sense and antisense expression of multiple T. urticae mt-tRNAs. Mirrored expression of mt-tRNA genes has been hypothesized but not previously demonstrated to be common in any system. We discuss the functional roles that these divergent tRNAs could have as both decoding molecules in translation and processing signals in transcript maturation pathways, as well as how sense–antisense pairs add another dimension to the bizarre tRNA biology of mitochondrial genomes.

Adaptation of the Romanomermis culicivorax CCA-Adding Enzyme to Miniaturized Armless tRNA Substrates

The mitochondrial genome of the nematode Romanomermis culicivorax encodes for miniaturized hairpin-like tRNA molecules that lack D- as well as T-arms, strongly deviating from the consensus cloverleaf. The single tRNA nucleotidyltransferase of this organism is fully active on armless tRNAs, while the human counterpart is not able to add a complete CCA-end. Transplanting single regions of the Romanomermis enzyme into the human counterpart, we identified a beta-turn element of the catalytic core that-when inserted into the human enzyme-confers full CCA-adding activity on armless tRNAs. This region, originally identified to position the 3'-end of the tRNA primer in the catalytic core, dramatically increases the enzyme's substrate affinity. While conventional tRNA substrates bind to the enzyme by interactions with the T-arm, this is not possible in the case of armless tRNAs, and the strong contribution of the beta-turn compensates for an otherwise too weak interaction required for the addition of a complete CCA-terminus. This compensation demonstrates the remarkable evolutionary plasticity of the catalytic core elements of this enzyme to adapt to unconventional tRNA substrates.

The Thermus thermophilus DEAD-box protein Hera is a general RNA binding protein and plays a key role in tRNA metabolism

RNA helicases catalyze the ATP-dependent destabilization of RNA duplexes. DEAD-box helicases share a helicase core that mediates ATP binding and hydrolysis, RNA binding and unwinding. Most members of this family contain domains flanking the core that can confer RNA substrate specificity and guide the helicase to a specific RNA. However, the in vivo RNA substrates of most helicases are currently not defined. The DEAD-box helicase Hera from Thermus thermophilus contains a helicase core, followed by a dimerization domain and an RNA binding domain that folds into an RNA recognition motif (RRM). The RRM mediates high affinity binding to an RNA hairpin, and an adjacent duplex is then unwound by the helicase core. Hera is a cold-shock protein, and has been suggested to act as an RNA chaperone under cold-shock conditions. Using crosslinking immunoprecipitation of Hera/RNA complexes and sequencing, we show that Hera binds to a large fraction of T. thermophilus RNAs under normal-growth and cold-shock conditions without a strong sequence preference, in agreement with a structure-specific recognition of RNAs and a general function in RNA metabolism. Under cold-shock conditions, Hera is recruited to RNAs with high propensities to form stable secondary structures. We show that selected RNAs identified, including a set of tRNAs, bind to Hera in vitro, and activate the Hera helicase core. Gene ontology analysis reveals an enrichment of genes related to translation, including mRNAs of ribosomal proteins, tRNAs, tRNA ligases, and tRNA-modifying enzymes, consistent with a key role of Hera in ribosome and tRNA metabolism.

poly(UG)-tailed RNAs in genome protection and epigenetic inheritance

Mobile genetic elements threaten genome integrity in all organisms. MUT-2/RDE-3 is a ribonucleotidyltransferase required for transposon silencing and RNA interference (RNAi) in C. elegans^1–4. When tethered to RNAs in heterologous expression systems, RDE-3 can add long stretches of alternating non-templated uridine (U) and guanosine (G) ribonucleotides to the 3’ termini of these RNAs (poly(UG) or pUG tails)⁵. Here we show that, in its natural context in C. elegans, RDE-3 adds pUG tails to targets of RNAi, as well as to transposon RNAs. pUG tails with more than 16 perfectly alternating 3’ U and G nucleotides convert RNA fragments into agents of gene silencing. pUG tails promote gene silencing by recruiting RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRPs), which use pUG-tailed RNAs (pUG RNAs) as templates to synthesize small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Our results show that cycles of pUG RNA–templated siRNA synthesis and siRNA-directed mRNA pUGylation underlie dsRNA-directed transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in the C. elegans germline. We speculate that this pUG RNA/siRNA silencing loop allows parents to inoculate progeny against the expression of unwanted or parasitic genetic elements

LOTTE-seq (Long hairpin oligonucleotide based tRNA high-throughput sequencing): specific selection of tRNAs with 3'-CCA end for high-throughput sequencing

Transfer RNAs belong to the most abundant type of ribonucleic acid in the cell, and detailed investigations revealed correlations between alterations in the tRNA pool composition and certain diseases like breast cancer. However, currently available methods do not sample the entire tRNA pool or lack specificity for tRNAs. A specific disadvantage of such methods is that only full-length tRNAs are analysed, while tRNA fragments or incomplete cDNAs due to RT stops at modified nucleosides are lost. Another drawback in certain approaches is that the tRNA fraction has to be isolated and separated from high molecular weight RNA, resulting in considerable labour costs and loss of material. Based on a hairpin-shaped adapter oligonucleotide selective for tRNA transcripts, we developed a highly specific protocol for efficient and comprehensive high-throughput analysis of tRNAs that combines the benefits of existing methods and eliminates their disadvantages. Due to a 3'-TGG overhang, the adapter is specifically ligated to the tRNA 3'-CCA end. Reverse transcription prior to the ligation of a second adapter allows to include prematurely terminated cDNA products, increasing the number of tRNA reads. This strategy renders this approach a powerful and universal tool to analyse the tRNA pool of cells and organisms under different conditions in health and disease.

Exploration of CCA-added RNAs revealed the expression of mitochondrial non-coding RNAs regulated by CCA-adding enzyme

Post-transcriptional non-template additions of nucleotides to 3'-ends of RNAs play important roles in the stability and function of RNA molecules. Although tRNA nucleotidyltransferase (CCA-adding enzyme) is known to add CCA trinucleotides to 3'-ends of tRNAs, whether other RNA species can be endogenous substrates of CCA-adding enzyme has not been widely explored yet. Herein, we used YAMAT-seq to identify non-tRNA substrates of CCA-adding enzyme. YAMAT-seq captures RNA species that form secondary structures with 4-nt protruding 3'-ends of the sequence 5'-NCCA-3', which is the hallmark structure of RNAs that are generated by CCA-adding enzyme. By executing YAMAT-seq for human breast cancer cells and mining the sequence data, we identified novel candidate substrates of CCA-adding enzyme. These included fourteen 'CCA-RNAs' that only contain CCA as non-genomic sequences, and eleven 'NCCA-RNAs' that contain CCA and other nucleotides as non-genomic sequences. All newly-identified (N)CCA-RNAs were derived from the mitochondrial genome and were localized in mitochondria. Knockdown of CCA-adding enzyme severely reduced the expression levels of (N)CCA-RNAs, suggesting that the CCA-adding enzyme-catalyzed CCA additions stabilize the expression of (N)CCA-RNAs. Furthermore, expression levels of (N)CCA-RNAs were severely reduced by various cellular treatments, including UV irradiation, amino acid starvation, inhibition of mitochondrial respiratory complexes, and inhibition of the cell cycle. These results revealed a novel CCA-mediated regulatory pathway for the expression of mitochondrial non-coding RNAs.

Structural and immunological characterization of a new nucleotidyltransferase-like antigen from Paracoccidioides brasiliensis

Pb27 antigen is an interesting alternative to immunological diagnosis of Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) and has demonstrated to be protective in experimental PCM. Its tertiary structure and possible function remained unknown till now. To study Pb27 at the atomic level, the recombinant protein was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3), purified, and its three-dimensional structure was solved by X-ray crystallography. Based on this structure, we performed a residue correlation analysis and in silico ligand search assays to address a possible biological function to Pb27. We identified Pb27 as a member of the extensive nucleotidyltransferase superfamily. The protein has an αβαβαβ topology with two domains (N- and C-terminal domains) and adopts a monomeric form as its biological unit in solution. Structural comparisons with similar members of the superfamily clearly indicate Pb27 C-terminal domain is singular and may play an important role in its biological function. Bioinformatics analysis suggested that Pb27 might bind to ATP and CTP. This suggestion is corroborated by the fact that a magnesium cation is coordinated by two aspartic acid residues present at the active site (between N- and C-terminal domains), as evidenced by X-ray diffraction data. Besides, NMR assays (¹H-¹⁵N HSQC spectra) confirmed the binding of CTP to Pb27, demonstrating for the first time an interaction between a nucleotide and this protein. Moreover, we evaluated the reactivity of sera from patients with Paracoccidioides brasiliensis infection against the recombinant form of Pb27 and showed that it was recognized by sera from infected and treated patients. Predicted B and T cell epitopes were synthesized and further evaluated against sera of PCM patients, providing information of the most reactive peptides in Pb27 primary structure which interact with specific Pb27 antibodies.

Unbiased screen of RNA tailing activities reveals a poly(UG) polymerase

Ribonucleotidyl transferases (rNTases) add untemplated ribonucleotides to diverse RNAs. We have developed TRAID-seq, a screening strategy in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to identify sequences added to a reporter RNA at single-nucleotide resolution by overexpressed candidate enzymes from different organisms. The rNTase activities of 22 previously unexplored enzymes were determined. In addition to poly(A)- and poly(U)-adding enzymes, we identified a cytidine-adding enzyme that is likely to be part of a two-enzyme system that adds CCA to tRNAs in a eukaryote; a nucleotidyl transferase that adds nucleotides to RNA without apparent nucleotide preference; and a poly(UG) polymerase, Caenorhabditis elegans MUT-2, that adds alternating uridine and guanosine nucleotides to form poly(UG) tails. MUT-2 is known to be required for certain forms of RNA silencing, and mutants of the enzyme that result in defective silencing did not add poly(UG) tails in our assay. We propose that MUT-2 poly(UG) polymerase activity is required to promote genome integrity and RNA silencing.

RNA regulation of the antiviral protein 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase

The innate immune system is a broad collection of critical intra- and extra-cellular processes that limit the infectivity of diverse pathogens. The 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS) family of enzymes are important sensors of cytosolic double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) that play a critical role in limiting viral infection by activating the latent ribonuclease (RNase L) to halt viral replication and establish an antiviral state. Attesting to the importance of the OAS/RNase L pathway, diverse viruses have developed numerous distinct strategies to evade the effects of OAS activation. How OAS proteins are regulated by viral or cellular RNAs is not fully understood but several recent studies have provided important new insights into the molecular mechanisms of OAS activation by dsRNA. Other studies have revealed unanticipated features of RNA sequence and structure that strongly enhance activation of at least one OAS family member. While these discoveries represent important advances, they also underscore the fact that much remains to be learned about RNA-mediated regulation of the OAS/RNase L pathway. In particular, defining the full complement of RNA molecular signatures that activate OAS is essential to our understanding of how these proteins maximize their protective role against pathogens while still accurately discriminating host molecules to avoid inadvertent activation by cellular RNAs. A more complete knowledge of OAS regulation may also serve as a foundation for the development of novel antiviral therapeutic strategies and lead the way to a deeper understanding of currently unappreciated cellular functions of the OAS/RNase L pathway in the absence of infection. This article is categorized under: RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein-RNA Interactions: Functional Implications Translation > Translation Regulation.

A Temporal Order in 5'- and 3'- Processing of Eukaryotic tRNAHis

For flawless translation of mRNA sequence into protein, tRNAs must undergo a series of essential maturation steps to be properly recognized and aminoacylated by aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase, and subsequently utilized by the ribosome. While all tRNAs carry a 3'-terminal CCA sequence that includes the site of aminoacylation, the additional 5'-G-1 position is a unique feature of most histidine tRNA species, serving as an identity element for the corresponding synthetase. In eukaryotes including yeast, both 3'-CCA and 5'-G-1 are added post-transcriptionally by tRNA nucleotidyltransferase and tRNA^His guanylyltransferase, respectively. Hence, it is possible that these two cytosolic enzymes compete for the same tRNA. Here, we investigate substrate preferences associated with CCA and G-1-addition to yeast cytosolic tRNA^His, which might result in a temporal order to these important processing events. We show that tRNA nucleotidyltransferase accepts tRNA^His transcripts independent of the presence of G-1; however, tRNA^His guanylyltransferase clearly prefers a substrate carrying a CCA terminus. Although many tRNA maturation steps can occur in a rather random order, our data demonstrate a likely pathway where CCA-addition precedes G-1 incorporation in S. cerevisiae. Evidently, the 3'-CCA triplet and a discriminator position A73 act as positive elements for G-1 incorporation, ensuring the fidelity of G-1 addition.

Insights into RNA-processing pathways and associated RNA-degrading enzymes in Archaea

RNA-processing pathways are at the centre of regulation of gene expression. All RNA transcripts undergo multiple maturation steps in addition to covalent chemical modifications to become functional in the cell. This includes destroying unnecessary or defective cellular RNAs. In Archaea, information on mechanisms by which RNA species reach their mature forms and associated RNA-modifying enzymes are still fragmentary. To date, most archaeal actors and pathways have been proposed in light of information gathered from Bacteria and Eukarya. In this context, this review provides a state of the art overview of archaeal endoribonucleases and exoribonucleases that cleave and trim RNA species and also of the key small archaeal proteins that bind RNAs. Furthermore, synthetic up-to-date views of processing and biogenesis pathways of archaeal transfer and ribosomal RNAs as well as of maturation of stable small non-coding RNAs such as CRISPR RNAs, small C/D and H/ACA box guide RNAs, and other emerging classes of small RNAs are described. Finally, prospective post-transcriptional mechanisms to control archaeal messenger RNA quality and quantity are discussed.

Function and Regulation of Human Terminal Uridylyltransferases

RNA uridylylation plays a pivotal role in the biogenesis and metabolism of functional RNAs, and regulates cellular gene expression. RNA uridylylation is catalyzed by a subset of proteins from the non-canonical terminal nucleotidyltransferase family. In human, three proteins (TUT1, TUT4, and TUT7) have been shown to exhibit template-independent uridylylation activity at 3′-end of specific RNAs. TUT1 catalyzes oligo-uridylylation of U6 small nuclear (sn) RNA, which catalyzes mRNA splicing. Oligo-uridylylation of U6 snRNA is required for U6 snRNA maturation, U4/U6-di-snRNP formation, and U6 snRNA recycling during mRNA splicing. TUT4 and TUT7 catalyze mono- or oligo-uridylylation of precursor let-7 (pre–let-7). Let-7 RNA is broadly expressed in somatic cells and regulates cellular proliferation and differentiation. Mono-uridylylation of pre–let-7 by TUT4/7 promotes subsequent Dicer processing to up-regulate let-7 biogenesis. Oligo-uridylylation of pre–let-7 by TUT4/7 is dependent on an RNA-binding protein, Lin28. Oligo-uridylylated pre–let-7 is less responsive to processing by Dicer and degraded by an exonuclease DIS3L2. As a result, let-7 expression is repressed. Uridylylation of pre–let-7 depends on the context of the 3′-region of pre–let-7 and cell type. In this review, we focus on the 3′ uridylylation of U6 snRNA and pre-let-7, and describe the current understanding of mechanism of activity and regulation of human TUT1 and TUT4/7, based on their crystal structures that have been recently solved.

Computational identification of the selenocysteine tRNA (tRNASec) in genomes

Selenocysteine (Sec) is known as the 21st amino acid, a cysteine analogue with selenium replacing sulphur. Sec is inserted co-translationally in a small fraction of proteins called selenoproteins. In selenoprotein genes, the Sec specific tRNA (tRNA^Sec) drives the recoding of highly specific UGA codons from stop signals to Sec. Although found in organisms from the three domains of life, Sec is not universal. Many species are completely devoid of selenoprotein genes and lack the ability to synthesize Sec. Since tRNA^Sec is a key component in selenoprotein biosynthesis, its efficient identification in genomes is instrumental to characterize the utilization of Sec across lineages. Available tRNA prediction methods fail to accurately predict tRNA^Sec, due to its unusual structural fold. Here, we present Secmarker, a method based on manually curated covariance models capturing the specific tRNA^Sec structure in archaea, bacteria and eukaryotes. We exploited the non-universality of Sec to build a proper benchmark set for tRNA^Sec predictions, which is not possible for the predictions of other tRNAs. We show that Secmarker greatly improves the accuracy of previously existing methods constituting a valuable tool to identify tRNA^Sec genes, and to efficiently determine whether a genome contains selenoproteins. We used Secmarker to analyze a large set of fully sequenced genomes, and the results revealed new insights in the biology of tRNA^Sec, led to the discovery of a novel bacterial selenoprotein family, and shed additional light on the phylogenetic distribution of selenoprotein containing genomes. Secmarker is freely accessible for download, or online analysis through a web server at http://secmarker.crg.cat.

Most proteins are made of twenty amino acids. However, there is a small group of proteins that incorporate a 21st amino acid, Selenocysteine (Sec). These proteins are called selenoproteins and are present in some, but not all, species from the three domains of life. Sec is inserted in selenoproteins in response to the UGA codon, normally a stop codon. A Sec specific tRNA (tRNA^Sec), which only exists in the organisms that synthesize selenoproteins recognizes the UGA codon. tRNA^Sec is not only indispensable for Sec incorporation into selenoproteins, but also for Sec synthesis, since Sec is synthesized on its own tRNA. The structure of tRNA^Sec differs from that of canonical tRNAs, and general tRNA detection methods fail to accurately predict it. We developed Secmarker, a tRNA^Sec specific identification tool based on the characteristic structural features of the tRNA^Sec. Our benchmark shows that Secmarker produces nearly flawless tRNA^Sec predictions. We used Secmarker to scan all currently available genome sequences. The analysis of the highly accurate predictions obtained revealed new insights into the biology of tRNA^Sec.

The notorious R.N.A. in the spotlight - drug or target for the treatment of disease

mRNA is an attractive drug target for therapeutic interventions. In this review we highlight the current state, clinical trials, and developments in antisense therapy, including the classical approaches like RNaseH-dependent oligomers, splice-switching oligomers, aptamers, and therapeutic RNA interference. Furthermore, we provide an overview on emerging concepts for using RNA in therapeutic settings including protein replacement by in-vitro-transcribed mRNAs, mRNA as vaccines and anti-allergic drugs. Finally, we give a brief outlook on early-stage RNA repair approaches that apply endogenous or engineered proteins in combination with short RNAs or chemically stabilized oligomers for the re-programming of point mutations, RNA modifications, and frame shift mutations directly on the endogenous mRNA.

Trying on tRNA for Size: RNase P and the T-box Riboswitch as Molecular Rulers

Length determination is a fundamental problem in biology and chemistry. Numerous proteins measure distances on linear biopolymers to exert effects with remarkable spatial precision. Recently, ruler-like devices made of noncoding RNAs have been structurally and biochemically characterized. Two prominent examples are the RNase P ribozyme and the T-box riboswitch. Both act as molecular calipers. The two RNAs clamp onto the elbow of tRNA (or pre-tRNA) and make distance measurements orthogonal to each other. Here, we compare and contrast the molecular ruler characteristics of these RNAs. RNase P appears pre-configured to measure a fixed distance on pre-tRNA to ensure the fidelity of its maturation. RNase P is a multiple-turnover ribozyme, and its rigid structure efficiently selects pre-tRNAs, cleaves, and releases them. In contrast, the T-box is flexible and segmented, an architecture that adapts to the intrinsically flexible tRNA. The tripartite T-box inspects the overall shape, anticodon sequence, and aminoacylation status of an incoming tRNA while it folds co-transcriptionally, leading to a singular, conditional genetic switching event. The elucidation of the structures and mechanisms of action of these two RNA molecular rulers may augur the discovery of new RNA measuring devices in noncoding and viral transcriptomes, and inform the design of artificial RNA rulers.

RNA versatility governs tRNA function: Why tRNA flexibility is essential beyond the translation cycle

tRNAs undergo multiple conformational changes during the translation cycle that are required for tRNA translocation and proper communication between the ribosome and translation factors. Recent structural data on how destabilized tRNAs utilize the CCA-adding enzyme to proofread themselves put a spotlight on tRNA flexibility beyond the translation cycle. In analogy to tRNA surveillance, this review finds that other processes also exploit versatile tRNA folding to achieve, amongst others, specific aminoacylation, translational regulation by riboswitches or a block of bacterial translation. tRNA flexibility is thereby not restricted to the hinges utilized during translation. In contrast, the flexibility of tRNA is distributed all over its L-shape and is actively exploited by the tRNA-interacting partners to discriminate one tRNA from another. Since the majority of tRNA modifications also modulate tRNA flexibility it seems that cells devote enormous resources to tightly sense and regulate tRNA structure. This is likely required for error-free protein synthesis.

NMR reveals structural rearrangements associated to substrate insertion in nucleotide-adding enzymes

The protein NP_344798.1 from Streptococcus pneumoniae TIGR4 exhibits a head and base-interacting neck domain architecture, as observed in class II nucleotide-adding enzymes. Although it has less than 20% overall sequence identity with any member of this enzyme family, the residues involved in substrate-recognition and catalysis are highly conserved in NP_344798.1. NMR studies showed binding affinity of NP_344798.1 for nucleotides and revealed μs to ms time scale rate processes involving residues constituting the active site. The results thus obtained indicate that large-amplitude rearrangements of regular secondary structures facilitate the penetration of the substrate into the occluded nucleotide-binding site of NP_344798.1 and, by inference based on sequence and structural homology, probably a wide range of other nucleotide-adding enzymes.

The tRNA Elbow in Structure, Recognition and Evolution

Prominent in the L-shaped three-dimensional structure of tRNAs is the "elbow" where their two orthogonal helical stacks meet. It has a conserved structure arising from the interaction of the terminal loops of the D- and T-stem-loops, and presents to solution a flat face of a tertiary base pair between the D- and T-loops. In addition to the ribosome, which interacts with the elbow in all three of its tRNA binding sites, several cellular RNAs and many proteins are known to recognize the elbow. At least three classes of non-coding RNAs, namely 23S rRNA, ribonuclease P, and the T-box riboswitches, recognize the tRNA elbow employing an identical structural motif consisting of two interdigitated T-loops. In contrast, structural solutions to tRNA-elbow recognition by proteins are varied. Some enzymes responsible for post-transcriptional tRNA modification even disrupt the elbow structure in order to access their substrate nucleotides. The evolutionary origin of the elbow is mysterious, but, because it does not explicitly participate in the flow of genetic information, it has been proposed to be a late innovation. Regardless, it is biologically essential. Even some viruses that hijack the cellular machinery using tRNA decoys have convergently evolved near-perfect mimics of the tRNA elbow.

The ancestor of modern Holozoa acquired the CCA-adding enzyme from Alphaproteobacteria by horizontal gene transfer

Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) require the absolutely conserved sequence motif CCA at their 3′-ends, representing the site of aminoacylation. In the majority of organisms, this trinucleotide sequence is not encoded in the genome and thus has to be added post-transcriptionally by the CCA-adding enzyme, a specialized nucleotidyltransferase. In eukaryotic genomes this ubiquitous and highly conserved enzyme family is usually represented by a single gene copy. Analysis of published sequence data allows us to pin down the unusual evolution of eukaryotic CCA-adding enzymes. We show that the CCA-adding enzymes of animals originated from a horizontal gene transfer event in the stem lineage of Holozoa, i.e. Metazoa (animals) and their unicellular relatives, the Choanozoa. The tRNA nucleotidyltransferase, acquired from an α-proteobacterium, replaced the ancestral enzyme in Metazoa. However, in Choanoflagellata, the group of Choanozoa that is closest to Metazoa, both the ancestral and the horizontally transferred CCA-adding enzymes have survived. Furthermore, our data refute a mitochondrial origin of the animal tRNA nucleotidyltransferases.

Structural and functional analysis reveals that human OASL binds dsRNA to enhance RIG-I signaling

The oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS) enzymes are cytoplasmic dsRNA sensors belonging to the antiviral innate immune system. Upon binding to viral dsRNA, the OAS enzymes synthesize 2'-5' linked oligoadenylates (2-5As) that initiate an RNA decay pathway to impair viral replication. The human OAS-like (OASL) protein, however, does not harbor the catalytic activity required for synthesizing 2-5As and differs from the other human OAS family members by having two C-terminal ubiquitin-like domains. In spite of its lack of enzymatic activity, human OASL possesses antiviral activity. It was recently demonstrated that the ubiquitin-like domains of OASL could substitute for K63-linked poly-ubiquitin and interact with the CARDs of RIG-I and thereby enhance RIG-I signaling. However, the role of the OAS-like domain of OASL remains unclear. Here we present the crystal structure of the OAS-like domain, which shows a striking similarity with activated OAS1. Furthermore, the structure of the OAS-like domain shows that OASL has a dsRNA binding groove. We demonstrate that the OAS-like domain can bind dsRNA and that mutating key residues in the dsRNA binding site is detrimental to the RIG-I signaling enhancement. Hence, binding to dsRNA is an important feature of OASL that is required for enhancing RIG-I signaling.

The identity of the discriminator base has an impact on CCA addition

CCA-adding enzymes synthesize and maintain the C-C-A sequence at the tRNA 3'-end, generating the attachment site for amino acids. While tRNAs are the most prominent substrates for this polymerase, CCA additions on non-tRNA transcripts are described as well. To identify general features for substrate requirement, a pool of randomized transcripts was incubated with the human CCA-adding enzyme. Most of the RNAs accepted for CCA addition carry an acceptor stem-like terminal structure, consistent with tRNA as the main substrate group for this enzyme. While these RNAs show no sequence conservation, the position upstream of the CCA end was in most cases represented by an adenosine residue. In tRNA, this position is described as discriminator base, an important identity element for correct aminoacylation. Mutational analysis of the impact of the discriminator identity on CCA addition revealed that purine bases (with a preference for adenosine) are strongly favoured over pyrimidines. Furthermore, depending on the tRNA context, a cytosine discriminator can cause a dramatic number of misincorporations during CCA addition. The data correlate with a high frequency of adenosine residues at the discriminator position observed in vivo. Originally identified as a prominent identity element for aminoacylation, this position represents a likewise important element for efficient and accurate CCA addition.

Controlling translation via modulation of tRNA levels

Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are critical adaptor molecules that carry amino acids to a messenger RNA (mRNA) template during protein synthesis. Although tRNAs have commonly been viewed as abundant 'house-keeping' RNAs, it is becoming increasingly clear that tRNA expression is tightly regulated. Depending on a cell's proliferative status, the pool of active tRNAs is rapidly changed, enabling distinct translational programs to be expressed in differentiated versus proliferating cells. Here, I highlight several post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms that allow the expression or functions of tRNAs to be altered. Modulating the modification status or structural stability of individual tRNAs can cause those specific tRNA transcripts to selectively accumulate or be degraded. Decay generally occurs via the rapid tRNA decay pathway or by the nuclear RNA surveillance machinery. In addition, the CCA-adding enzyme plays a critical role in determining the fate of a tRNA. The post-transcriptional addition of CCA to the 3' ends of stable tRNAs generates the amino acid attachment site, whereas addition of CCACCA to unstable tRNAs prevents aminoacylation and marks the tRNA for degradation. In response to various stresses, tRNAs can accumulate in the nucleus or be further cleaved into small RNAs, some of which inhibit translation. By implementing these various post-transcriptional control mechanisms, cells are able to fine-tune tRNA levels to regulate subsets of mRNAs as well as overall translation rates.

Measurement of Acceptor-TΨC Helix Length of tRNA for Terminal A76-Addition by A-Adding Enzyme

The 3'-terminal CCA (C74C75A76-3') of tRNA is required for protein synthesis. In Aquifex aeolicus, the CCA-3' is synthesized by CC-adding and A-adding enzymes, although in most organisms, CCA is synthesized by a single CCA-adding enzyme. The mechanisms by which the A-adding enzyme adds only A76, but not C74C75, onto tRNA remained elusive. The complex structures of the enzyme with various tRNAs revealed the presence of a single tRNA binding site on the enzyme, with the enzyme measuring the acceptor-TΨC helix length of tRNA. The 3'-C75 of tRNA lacking A76 can reach the active site and the size and shape of the nucleotide binding pocket at the insertion stage are suitable for ATP. The 3'-C74 of tRNA lacking C75A76 cannot reach the active site, although CTP or ATP can bind the active pocket. Thus, the A-adding enzyme adds only A76, but not C74C75, onto tRNA.

The 3' addition of CCA to mitochondrial tRNASer(AGY) is specifically impaired in patients with mutations in the tRNA nucleotidyl transferase TRNT1

Addition of the trinucleotide cytosine/cytosine/adenine (CCA) to the 3' end of transfer RNAs (tRNAs) is essential for translation and is catalyzed by the enzyme TRNT1 (tRNA nucleotidyl transferase), which functions in both the cytoplasm and mitochondria. Exome sequencing revealed TRNT1 mutations in two unrelated subjects with different clinical features. The first presented with acute lactic acidosis at 3 weeks of age and developed severe developmental delay, hypotonia, microcephaly, seizures, progressive cortical atrophy, neurosensorial deafness, sideroblastic anemia and renal Fanconi syndrome, dying at 21 months. The second presented at 3.5 years with gait ataxia, dysarthria, gross motor regression, hypotonia, ptosis and ophthalmoplegia and had abnormal signals in brainstem and dentate nucleus. In subject 1, muscle biopsy showed combined oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) defects, but there was no OXPHOS deficiency in fibroblasts from either subject, despite a 10-fold-reduction in TRNT1 protein levels in fibroblasts of the first subject. Furthermore, in normal controls, TRNT1 protein levels are 10-fold lower in muscle than in fibroblasts. High resolution northern blots of subject fibroblast RNA suggested incomplete CCA addition to the non-canonical mitochondrial tRNA(Ser(AGY)), but no obvious qualitative differences in other mitochondrial or cytoplasmic tRNAs. Complete knockdown of TRNT1 in patient fibroblasts rendered mitochondrial tRNA(Ser(AGY)) undetectable, and markedly reduced mitochondrial translation, except polypeptides lacking Ser(AGY) codons. These data suggest that the clinical phenotypes associated with TRNT1 mutations are largely due to impaired mitochondrial translation, resulting from defective CCA addition to mitochondrial tRNA(Ser(AGY)), and that the severity of this biochemical phenotype determines the severity and tissue distribution of clinical features.

On-enzyme refolding permits small RNA and tRNA surveillance by the CCA-adding enzyme

Transcription in eukaryotes produces a number of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). Two of these, MALAT1 and Menβ, generate a tRNA-like small RNA in addition to the mature lncRNA. The stability of these tRNA-like small RNAs and bona fide tRNAs is monitored by the CCA-adding enzyme. Whereas CCA is added to stable tRNAs and tRNA-like transcripts, a second CCA repeat is added to certain unstable transcripts to initiate their degradation. Here, we characterize how these two scenarios are distinguished. Following the first CCA addition cycle, nucleotide binding to the active site triggers a clockwise screw motion, producing torque on the RNA. This ejects stable RNAs, whereas unstable RNAs are refolded while bound to the enzyme and subjected to a second CCA catalytic cycle. Intriguingly, with the CCA-adding enzyme acting as a molecular vise, the RNAs proofread themselves through differential responses to its interrogation between stable and unstable substrates.

Surveillance and cleavage of eukaryotic tRNAs

Beyond their central role in protein synthesis, transfer RNAs (tRNAs) have many other crucial functions. This includes various roles in the regulation of gene expression, stress responses, metabolic processes and priming reverse transcription. In the RNA world, tRNAs are, with ribosomal RNAs, among the most stable molecules. Nevertheless, they are not eternal. As key elements of cell function, tRNAs need to be continuously quality-controlled. Two tRNA surveillance pathways have been identified. They act on hypo-modified or mis-processed pre-tRNAs and on mature tRNAs lacking modifications. A short overview of these two pathways will be presented here. Furthermore, while the exoribonucleases acting in these pathways ultimately lead to complete tRNA degradation, numerous tRNA-derived fragments (tRFs) are present within a cell. These cleavage products of tRNAs now potentially emerge as a new class of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) and are suspected to have important regulatory functions. The tRFs are evolutionarily widespread and created by cleavage at different positions by various endonucleases. Here, we review our present knowledge on the biogenesis and function of tRFs in various organisms.

RNA sociology: group behavioral motifs of RNA consortia

RNA sociology investigates the behavioral motifs of RNA consortia from the social science perspective. Besides the self-folding of RNAs into single stem loop structures, group building of such stem loops results in a variety of essential agents that are highly active in regulatory processes in cellular and non-cellular life. RNA stem loop self-folding and group building do not depend solely on sequence syntax; more important are their contextual (functional) needs. Also, evolutionary processes seem to occur through RNA stem loop consortia that may act as a complement. This means the whole entity functions only if all participating parts are coordinated, although the complementary building parts originally evolved for different functions. If complementary groups, such as rRNAs and tRNAs, are placed together in selective pressure contexts, new evolutionary features may emerge. Evolution initiated by competent agents in natural genome editing clearly contrasts with statistical error replication narratives.

Structures and functions of Qβ replicase: translation factors beyond protein synthesis

Qβ replicase is a unique RNA polymerase complex, comprising Qβ virus-encoded RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (the catalytic β-subunit) and three host-derived factors: translational elongation factor (EF) -Tu, EF-Ts and ribosomal protein S1. For almost fifty years, since the isolation of Qβ replicase, there have been several unsolved, important questions about the mechanism of RNA polymerization by Qβ replicase. Especially, the detailed functions of the host factors, EF-Tu, EF-Ts, and S1, in Qβ replicase, which are all essential in the Escherichia coli (E. coli) host for protein synthesis, had remained enigmatic, due to the absence of structural information about Qβ replicase. In the last five years, the crystal structures of the core Qβ replicase, consisting of the β-subunit, EF-Tu and Ts, and those of the core Qβ replicase representing RNA polymerization, have been reported. Recently, the structure of Qβ replicase comprising the β-subunit, EF-Tu, EF-Ts and the N-terminal half of S1, which is capable of initiating Qβ RNA replication, has also been reported. In this review, based on the structures of Qβ replicase, we describe our current understanding of the alternative functions of the host translational elongation factors and ribosomal protein S1 in Qβ replicase as replication factors, beyond their established functions in protein synthesis.

Structure-guided reprogramming of human cGAS dinucleotide linkage specificity

Cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs) play central roles in bacterial pathogenesis and innate immunity. The mammalian enzyme cGAS synthesizes a unique cyclic dinucleotide (cGAMP) containing a 2'-5' phosphodiester linkage essential for optimal immune stimulation, but the molecular basis for linkage specificity is unknown. Here, we show that the Vibrio cholerae pathogenicity factor DncV is a prokaryotic cGAS-like enzyme whose activity provides a mechanistic rationale for the unique ability of cGAS to produce 2'-5' cGAMP. Three high-resolution crystal structures show that DncV and human cGAS generate CDNs in sequential reactions that proceed in opposing directions. We explain 2' and 3' linkage specificity and test this model by reprogramming the human cGAS active site to produce 3'-5' cGAMP, leading to selective stimulation of alternative STING adaptor alleles in cells. These results demonstrate mechanistic homology between bacterial signaling and mammalian innate immunity and explain how active site configuration controls linkage chemistry for pathway-specific signaling.

tRNA anticodon shifts in eukaryotic genomes

Embedded in the sequence of each transfer RNA are elements that promote specific interactions with its cognate aminoacyl tRNA-synthetase. Although many such "identity elements" are known, their detection is difficult since they rely on unique structural signatures and the combinatorial action of multiple elements spread throughout the tRNA molecule. Since the anticodon is often a major identity determinant itself, it is possible to switch between certain tRNA functional types by means of anticodon substitutions. This has been shown to have occurred during the evolution of some genomes; however, the scale and relevance of "anticodon shifts" to the evolution of the tRNA multigene family is unclear. Using a synteny-conservation-based method, we detected tRNA anticodon shifts in groups of closely related species: five primates, 12 Drosophila, six nematodes, 11 Saccharomycetes, and 61 Enterobacteriaceae. We found a total of 75 anticodon shifts: 31 involving switches of identity (alloacceptor shifts) and 44 between isoacceptors that code for the same amino acid (isoacceptor shifts). The relative numbers of shifts in each taxa suggest that tRNA gene redundancy is likely the driving factor, with greater constraint on changes of identity. Sites that frequently covary with alloacceptor shifts are located at the extreme ends of the molecule, in common with most known identity determinants. Isoacceptor shifts are associated with changes in the midsections of the tRNA sequence. However, the mutation patterns of anticodon shifts involving the same identities are often dissimilar, suggesting that alternate sets of mutation may achieve the same functional compensation.

Molecular mechanisms of template-independent RNA polymerization by tRNA nucleotidyltransferases

The universal 3'-terminal CCA sequence of tRNA is built and/or synthesized by the CCA-adding enzyme, CTP:(ATP) tRNA nucleotidyltransferase. This RNA polymerase has no nucleic acid template, but faithfully synthesizes the defined CCA sequence on the 3'-terminus of tRNA at one time, using CTP and ATP as substrates. The mystery of CCA-addition without a nucleic acid template by unique RNA polymerases has long fascinated researchers in the field of RNA enzymology. In this review, the mechanisms of RNA polymerization by the remarkable CCA-adding enzyme and its related enzymes are presented, based on their structural features.

Translocation and rotation of tRNA during template-independent RNA polymerization by tRNA nucleotidyltransferase

The 3'-terminal CCA (CCA-3' at positions 74-76) of tRNA is synthesized by CCA-adding enzyme using CTP and ATP as substrates, without a nucleic acid template. In Aquifex aeolicus, CC-adding and A-adding enzymes collaboratively synthesize the CCA-3'. The mechanism of CCA-3' synthesis by these two enzymes remained obscure. We now present crystal structures representing CC addition onto tRNA by A. aeolicus CC-adding enzyme. After C₇₄ addition in an enclosed active pocket and pyrophosphate release, the tRNA translocates and rotates relative to the enzyme, and C₇₅ addition occurs in the same active pocket as C₇₄ addition. At both the C₇₄-adding and C₇₅-adding stages, CTP is selected by Watson-Crick-like hydrogen bonds between the cytosine of CTP and conserved Asp and Arg residues in the pocket. After C₇₄C₇₅ addition and pyrophosphate release, the tRNA translocates further and drops off the enzyme, and the CC-adding enzyme terminates RNA polymerization.

Electron density sharpening as a general technique in crystallographic studies

Sharpening is a powerful method to restore the details from blurred electron density in crystals with high overall temperature factors (B-factors). This valuable technique is currently not optimally used because of the uncertainty in the scope of its application and ambiguities in practice. We performed an analysis of ~2000 crystal data sets deposited in the Protein Data Bank and show that sharpening improves the electron density map in many cases across all resolution ranges, often with dramatic enhancement for mid- and low-resolution structures. It is effective when used with either experimental or model phases without introducing additional bias. Our tests also provide a practical guide for optimal sharpening. We further show that anisotropic diffraction correction improves electron density in many cases but should be used with caution. Our study demonstrates that a routine practice of electron density sharpening may have a broad impact on the outcomes of structural biology studies.

Multilevel functional and structural defects induced by two pathogenic mitochondrial tRNA mutations

Point mutations in hmtRNAs (human mitochondrial tRNAs) can cause various disorders, such as CPEO (chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia) and MM (mitochondrial myopathy). Mitochondrial tRNALeu, especially the UUR codon isoacceptor, is recognized as a hot spot for pathogenic mtDNA point mutations. Thus far, 40 mutations have been reported in hmtRNAsLeu. In the present paper, we describe the wide range of effects of two substitutions found in the TΨC arms of two hmtRNAsLeu isoacceptors. The G52A substitution, corresponding to the pathogenic G12315A mutation in tRNALeu(CUN), and G3283A in tRNALeu(UUR) exhibited structural changes in the outer corner of the tRNA shape as shown by RNase probing. These mutations also induced reductions in aminoacylation, 3'-end processing and base modification processes. The main effects of the A57G substitution, corresponding to mutations A12320G in tRNALeu(CUN) and A3288G in tRNALeu(UUR), were observed on the aminoacylation activity and binding to hmEF-Tu (human mitochondrial elongation factor Tu). These observations suggest that the wide range of effects may amplify the deleterious impact on mitochondrial protein synthesis in vivo. The findings also emphasize that an exact understanding of tRNA dysfunction is critical for the future development of therapies for mitochondrial diseases.