1
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Molodtsov V, Wang C, Zhang J, Kaelber JT, Blaha G, Ebright RH. Structural basis of RfaH-mediated transcription-translation coupling. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2024:10.1038/s41594-024-01372-w. [PMID: 39117885 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-024-01372-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024]
Abstract
The NusG paralog RfaH mediates bacterial transcription-translation coupling in genes that contain a DNA sequence element, termed an ops site, required for pausing RNA polymerase (RNAP) and for loading RfaH onto the paused RNAP. Here, we report cryo-electron microscopy structures of transcription-translation complexes (TTCs) containing Escherichia coli RfaH. The results show that RfaH bridges RNAP and the ribosome, with the RfaH N-terminal domain interacting with RNAP and the RfaH C-terminal domain interacting with the ribosome. The results show that the distribution of translational and orientational positions of RNAP relative to the ribosome in RfaH-coupled TTCs is more restricted than in NusG-coupled TTCs because of the more restricted flexibility of the RfaH interdomain linker. The results further suggest that the structural organization of RfaH-coupled TTCs in the 'loading state', in which RNAP and RfaH are located at the ops site during formation of the TTC, is the same as the structural organization of RfaH-coupled TTCs in the 'loaded state', in which RNAP and RfaH are located at positions downstream of the ops site during function of the TTC. The results define the structural organization of RfaH-containing TTCs and set the stage for analysis of functions of RfaH during translation initiation and transcription-translation coupling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vadim Molodtsov
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Research Institute for Systems Biology and Medicine, Moscow, Russia
| | - Chengyuan Wang
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
- Center for Microbes, Development and Health, Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Center for Microbes, Development and Health, Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Jason T Kaelber
- Rutgers CryoEM and Nanoimaging Facility and Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Gregor Blaha
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - Richard H Ebright
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA.
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2
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Alejo JL, Girodat D, Hammerling MJ, Willi JA, Jewett MC, Engelhart AE, Adamala KP. Alternate conformational trajectories in ribosome translocation. PLoS Comput Biol 2024; 20:e1012319. [PMID: 39141679 PMCID: PMC11346969 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Revised: 08/26/2024] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Translocation in protein synthesis entails the efficient and accurate movement of the mRNA-[tRNA]2 substrate through the ribosome after peptide bond formation. An essential conformational change during this process is the swiveling of the small subunit head domain about two rRNA 'hinge' elements. Using iterative selection and molecular dynamics simulations, we derive alternate hinge elements capable of translocation in vitro and in vivo and describe their effects on the conformational trajectory of the EF-G-bound, translocating ribosome. In these alternate conformational pathways, we observe a diversity of swivel kinetics, hinge motions, three-dimensional head domain trajectories and tRNA dynamics. By finding alternate conformational pathways of translocation, we identify motions and intermediates that are essential or malleable in this process. These findings highlight the plasticity of protein synthesis and provide a more thorough understanding of the available sequence and conformational landscape of a central biological process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose L. Alejo
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Dylan Girodat
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States of America
| | - Michael J. Hammerling
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Jessica A. Willi
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Michael C. Jewett
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Aaron E. Engelhart
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Katarzyna P. Adamala
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
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3
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Smart A, Lancaster L, Donohue JP, Niblett D, Noller H. Implication of nucleotides near the 3' end of 16S rRNA in guarding the translational reading frame. Nucleic Acids Res 2024; 52:5950-5958. [PMID: 38452198 PMCID: PMC11162774 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkae143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Loss of the translational reading frame leads to misincorporation and premature termination, which can have lethal consequences. Based on structural evidence that A1503 of 16S rRNA intercalates between specific mRNA bases, we tested the possibility that it plays a role in maintenance of the reading frame by constructing ribosomes with an abasic nucleotide at position 1503. This was done by specific cleavage of 16S rRNA at position 1493 using the colicin E3 endonuclease and replacing the resulting 3'-terminal 49mer fragment with a synthetic oligonucleotide containing the abasic site using a novel splinted RNA ligation method. Ribosomes reconstituted from the abasic 1503 16S rRNA were highly active in protein synthesis but showed elevated levels of spontaneous frameshifting into the -1 reading frame. We then asked whether the residual frameshifting persisting in control ribosomes containing an intact A1503 is due to the absence of the N6-dimethyladenosine modifications at positions 1518 and 1519. Indeed, this frameshifting was rescued by site-specific methylation in vitro by the ksgA methylase. These findings thus implicate two different sites near the 3' end of 16S rRNA in maintenance of the translational reading frame, providing yet another example of a functional role for ribosomal RNA in protein synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandria Smart
- Center for Molecular Biology of RNA and Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Laura Lancaster
- Center for Molecular Biology of RNA and Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - John Paul Donohue
- Center for Molecular Biology of RNA and Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Dustin Niblett
- Center for Molecular Biology of RNA and Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Harry F Noller
- Center for Molecular Biology of RNA and Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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4
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Molodtsov V, Wang C, Kaelber JT, Blaha G, Ebright RH. Structural basis of RfaH-mediated transcription-translation coupling. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.05.565726. [PMID: 37986937 PMCID: PMC10659316 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.05.565726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
The NusG paralog RfaH mediates bacterial transcription-translation coupling on genes that contain a DNA sequence element, termed an ops site, required for pausing RNA polymerase (RNAP) and for loading RfaH onto the paused RNAP. Here we report cryo-EM structures of transcription-translation complexes (TTCs) containing RfaH. The results show that RfaH bridges RNAP and the ribosome, with the RfaH N-terminal domain interacting with RNAP, and with the RfaH C-terminal domain interacting with the ribosome. The results show that the distribution of translational and orientational positions of RNAP relative to the ribosome in RfaH-coupled TTCs is more restricted than in NusG-coupled TTCs, due to the more restricted flexibility of the RfaH interdomain linker. The results further show that the structural organization of RfaH-coupled TTCs in the "loading state," in which RNAP and RfaH are located at the ops site during formation of the TTC, is the same as the structural organization of RfaH-coupled TTCs in the "loaded state," in which RNAP and RfaH are located at positions downstream of the ops site during function of the TTC. The results define the structural organization of RfaH-containing TTCs and set the stage for analysis of functions of RfaH during translation initiation and transcription-translation coupling. One sentence summary Cryo-EM reveals the structural basis of transcription-translation coupling by RfaH.
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5
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Zafar H, Hassan AH, Demo G. Translation machinery captured in motion. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. RNA 2023; 14:e1792. [PMID: 37132456 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Translation accuracy is one of the most critical factors for protein synthesis. It is regulated by the ribosome and its dynamic behavior, along with translation factors that direct ribosome rearrangements to make translation a uniform process. Earlier structural studies of the ribosome complex with arrested translation factors laid the foundation for an understanding of ribosome dynamics and the translation process as such. Recent technological advances in time-resolved and ensemble cryo-EM have made it possible to study translation in real time at high resolution. These methods provided a detailed view of translation in bacteria for all three phases: initiation, elongation, and termination. In this review, we focus on translation factors (in some cases GTP activation) and their ability to monitor and respond to ribosome organization to enable efficient and accurate translation. This article is categorized under: Translation > Ribosome Structure/Function Translation > Mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Zafar
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ahmed H Hassan
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Gabriel Demo
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
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6
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Poulis P, Peske F, Rodnina MV. The many faces of ribosome translocation along the mRNA: reading frame maintenance, ribosome frameshifting and translational bypassing. Biol Chem 2023; 404:755-767. [PMID: 37077160 DOI: 10.1515/hsz-2023-0142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023]
Abstract
In each round of translation elongation, the ribosome translocates along the mRNA by precisely one codon. Translocation is promoted by elongation factor G (EF-G) in bacteria (eEF2 in eukaryotes) and entails a number of precisely-timed large-scale structural rearrangements. As a rule, the movements of the ribosome, tRNAs, mRNA and EF-G are orchestrated to maintain the exact codon-wise step size. However, signals in the mRNA, as well as environmental cues, can change the timing and dynamics of the key rearrangements leading to recoding of the mRNA into production of trans-frame peptides from the same mRNA. In this review, we discuss recent advances on the mechanics of translocation and reading frame maintenance. Furthermore, we describe the mechanisms and biological relevance of non-canonical translocation pathways, such as hungry and programmed frameshifting and translational bypassing, and their link to disease and infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panagiotis Poulis
- Department of Physical Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Am Fassberg 11, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Frank Peske
- Department of Physical Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Am Fassberg 11, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Marina V Rodnina
- Department of Physical Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Am Fassberg 11, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
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7
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Majumdar C, Walker JA, Francis MB, Schepartz A, Cate JHD. Aminobenzoic Acid Derivatives Obstruct Induced Fit in the Catalytic Center of the Ribosome. ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE 2023; 9:1160-1169. [PMID: 37396857 PMCID: PMC10311655 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.3c00153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
The Escherichia coli (E. coli) ribosome can incorporate a variety of non-l-α-amino acid monomers into polypeptide chains in vitro but with poor efficiency. Although these monomers span a diverse set of compounds, there exists no high-resolution structural information regarding their positioning within the catalytic center of the ribosome, the peptidyl transferase center (PTC). Thus, details regarding the mechanism of amide bond formation and the structural basis for differences and defects in incorporation efficiency remain unknown. Within a set of three aminobenzoic acid derivatives-3-aminopyridine-4-carboxylic acid (Apy), ortho-aminobenzoic acid (oABZ), and meta-aminobenzoic acid (mABZ)-the ribosome incorporates Apy into polypeptide chains with the highest efficiency, followed by oABZ and then mABZ, a trend that does not track with the nucleophilicity of the reactive amines. Here, we report high-resolution cryo-EM structures of the ribosome with each of these three aminobenzoic acid derivatives charged on tRNA bound in the aminoacyl-tRNA site (A-site). The structures reveal how the aromatic ring of each monomer sterically blocks the positioning of nucleotide U2506, thereby preventing rearrangement of nucleotide U2585 and the resulting induced fit in the PTC required for efficient amide bond formation. They also reveal disruptions to the bound water network that is believed to facilitate formation and breakdown of the tetrahedral intermediate. Together, the cryo-EM structures reported here provide a mechanistic rationale for differences in reactivity of aminobenzoic acid derivatives relative to l-α-amino acids and each other and identify stereochemical constraints on the size and geometry of non-monomers that can be accepted efficiently by wild-type ribosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chandrima Majumdar
- Department
of Molecular and Cell Biology, University
of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Joshua A. Walker
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Matthew B. Francis
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Molecular
Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Alanna Schepartz
- Department
of Molecular and Cell Biology, University
of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Molecular
Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Chan
Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, California 94158, United States
| | - Jamie H. D. Cate
- Department
of Molecular and Cell Biology, University
of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Department
of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Molecular
Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Innovative
Genomics Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
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8
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Yu T, Jiang J, Yu Q, Li X, Zeng F. Structural Insights into the Distortion of the Ribosomal Small Subunit at Different Magnesium Concentrations. Biomolecules 2023; 13:biom13030566. [PMID: 36979501 PMCID: PMC10046523 DOI: 10.3390/biom13030566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2023] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Magnesium ions are abundant and play indispensable functions in the ribosome. A decrease in Mg2+ concentration causes 70S ribosome dissociation and subsequent unfolding. Structural distortion at low Mg2+ concentrations has been observed in an immature pre50S, while the structural changes in mature subunits have not yet been studied. Here, we purified the 30S subunits of E. coli cells under various Mg2+ concentrations and analyzed their structural distortion by cryo-electron microscopy. Upon systematically interrogating the structural heterogeneity within the 1 mM Mg2+ dataset, we observed 30S particles with different levels of structural distortion in the decoding center, h17, and the 30S head. Our model showed that, when the Mg2+ concentration decreases, the decoding center distorts, starting from h44 and followed by the shifting of h18 and h27, as well as the dissociation of ribosomal protein S12. Mg2+ deficiency also eliminates the interactions between h17, h10, h15, and S16, resulting in the movement of h17 towards the tip of h6. More flexible structures were observed in the 30S head and platform, showing high variability in these regions. In summary, the structures resolved here showed several prominent distortion events in the decoding center and h17. The requirement for Mg2+ in ribosomes suggests that the conformational changes reported here are likely shared due to a lack of cellular Mg2+ in all domains of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting Yu
- Department of Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, No. 1088 Xueyuan Avenue, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Junyi Jiang
- Department of Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, No. 1088 Xueyuan Avenue, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Qianxi Yu
- Department of Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, No. 1088 Xueyuan Avenue, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Xin Li
- Department of Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, No. 1088 Xueyuan Avenue, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Fuxing Zeng
- Department of Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology, No. 1088 Xueyuan Avenue, Shenzhen 518055, China
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9
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D'Urso G, Guyomar C, Chat S, Giudice E, Gillet R. Insights into the ribosomal trans-translation rescue system: lessons from recent structural studies. FEBS J 2023; 290:1461-1472. [PMID: 35015931 DOI: 10.1111/febs.16349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Revised: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The arrest of protein synthesis caused when ribosomes stall on an mRNA lacking a stop codon is a deadly risk for all cells. In bacteria, this situation is remedied by the trans-translation quality control system. Trans-translation occurs because of the synergistic action of two main partners, transfer-messenger RNA (tmRNA) and small protein B (SmpB). These act in complex to monitor protein synthesis, intervening when necessary to rescue stalled ribosomes. During this process, incomplete nascent peptides are tagged for destruction, problematic mRNAs are degraded and the previously stalled ribosomes are recycled. In this 'Structural Snapshot' article, we describe the mechanism at the molecular level, a view updated after the most recent structural studies using cryo-electron microscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaetano D'Urso
- Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR), CNRS, Univ. Rennes, France
| | - Charlotte Guyomar
- Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR), CNRS, Univ. Rennes, France
| | - Sophie Chat
- Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR), CNRS, Univ. Rennes, France
| | - Emmanuel Giudice
- Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR), CNRS, Univ. Rennes, France
| | - Reynald Gillet
- Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes (IGDR), CNRS, Univ. Rennes, France
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10
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Altered tRNA dynamics during translocation on slippery mRNA as determinant of spontaneous ribosome frameshifting. Nat Commun 2022; 13:4231. [PMID: 35869111 PMCID: PMC9307594 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-31852-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractWhen reading consecutive mRNA codons, ribosomes move by exactly one triplet at a time to synthesize a correct protein. Some mRNA tracks, called slippery sequences, are prone to ribosomal frameshifting, because the same tRNA can read both 0- and –1-frame codon. Using smFRET we show that during EF-G-catalyzed translocation on slippery sequences a fraction of ribosomes spontaneously switches from rapid, accurate translation to a slow, frameshifting-prone translocation mode where the movements of peptidyl- and deacylated tRNA become uncoupled. While deacylated tRNA translocates rapidly, pept-tRNA continues to fluctuate between chimeric and posttranslocation states, which slows down the re-locking of the small ribosomal subunit head domain. After rapid release of deacylated tRNA, pept-tRNA gains unconstrained access to the –1-frame triplet, resulting in slippage followed by recruitment of the –1-frame aa-tRNA into the A site. Our data show how altered choreography of tRNA and ribosome movements reduces the translation fidelity of ribosomes translocating in a slow mode.
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11
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Abstract
In bacteria, transcription and translation take place in the same cellular compartment. Therefore, a messenger RNA can be translated as it is being transcribed, a process known as transcription-translation coupling. This process was already recognized at the dawn of molecular biology, yet the interplay between the two key players, the RNA polymerase and ribosome, remains elusive. Genetic data indicate that an RNA sequence can be translated shortly after it has been transcribed. The closer both processes are in time, the less accessible the RNA sequence is between the RNA polymerase and ribosome. This temporal coupling has important consequences for gene regulation. Biochemical and structural studies have detailed several complexes between the RNA polymerase and ribosome. The in vivo relevance of this physical coupling has not been formally demonstrated. We discuss how both temporal and physical coupling may mesh to produce the phenomenon we know as transcription-translation coupling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregor M Blaha
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, California, USA;
| | - Joseph T Wade
- Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health, Albany, New York, USA;
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health, University at Albany, Albany, New York, USA
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12
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Abstract
Translocation of transfer RNA (tRNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA) through the ribosome is catalyzed by the GTPase elongation factor G (EF-G) in bacteria. Although guanosine-5'-triphosphate (GTP) hydrolysis accelerates translocation and is required for dissociation of EF-G, its fundamental role remains unclear. Here, we used ensemble Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) to monitor how inhibition of GTP hydrolysis impacts the structural dynamics of the ribosome. We used FRET pairs S12-S19 and S11-S13, which unambiguously report on rotation of the 30S head domain, and the S6-L9 pair, which measures intersubunit rotation. Our results show that, in addition to slowing reverse intersubunit rotation, as shown previously, blocking GTP hydrolysis slows forward head rotation. Surprisingly, blocking GTP hydrolysis completely abolishes reverse head rotation. We find that the S13-L33 FRET pair, which has been used in previous studies to monitor head rotation, appears to report almost exclusively on intersubunit rotation. Furthermore, we find that the signal from quenching of 3'-terminal pyrene-labeled mRNA, which is used extensively to follow mRNA translocation, correlates most closely with reverse intersubunit rotation. To account for our finding that blocking GTP hydrolysis abolishes a rotational event that occurs after the movements of mRNA and tRNAs are essentially complete, we propose that the primary role of GTP hydrolysis is to create an irreversible step in a mechanism that prevents release of EF-G until both the tRNAs and mRNA have moved by one full codon, ensuring productive translocation and maintenance of the translational reading frame.
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13
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Srinivas P, Keiler KC, Dunham CM. Druggable differences: Targeting mechanistic differences between trans-translation and translation for selective antibiotic action. Bioessays 2022; 44:e2200046. [PMID: 35719031 PMCID: PMC9308750 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202200046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Bacteria use trans-translation to rescue stalled ribosomes and target incomplete proteins for proteolysis. Despite similarities between tRNAs and transfer-messenger RNA (tmRNA), the key molecule for trans-translation, new structural and biochemical data show important differences between translation and trans-translation at most steps of the pathways. tmRNA and its binding partner, SmpB, bind in the A site of the ribosome but do not trigger the same movements of nucleotides in the rRNA that are required for codon recognition by tRNA. tmRNA-SmpB moves from the A site to the P site of the ribosome without subunit rotation to generate hybrid states, and moves from the P site to a site outside the ribosome instead of to the E site. During catalysis, transpeptidation to tmRNA appears to require the ribosomal protein bL27, which is dispensable for translation, suggesting that this protein may be conserved in bacteria due to trans-translation. These differences provide insights into the fundamental nature of trans-translation, and provide targets for new antibiotics that may have decrease cross-reactivity with eukaryotic ribosomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pooja Srinivas
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kenneth C. Keiler
- The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University Park, PA, USA,Corresponding authors: Kenneth C. Keiler, , Christine M. Dunham,
| | - Christine M. Dunham
- Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, Atlanta, GA, USA,Corresponding authors: Kenneth C. Keiler, , Christine M. Dunham,
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14
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Abstract
In all living cells, the ribosome translates the genetic information carried by messenger RNAs (mRNAs) into proteins. The process of ribosome recycling, a key step during protein synthesis that ensures ribosomal subunits remain available for new rounds of translation, has been largely overlooked. Despite being essential to the survival of the cell, several mechanistic aspects of ribosome recycling remain unclear. In eubacteria and mitochondria, recycling of the ribosome into subunits requires the concerted action of the ribosome recycling factor (RRF) and elongation factor G (EF-G). Recently, the conserved protein HflX was identified in bacteria as an alternative factor that recycles the ribosome under stress growth conditions. The homologue of HflX, the GTP-binding protein 6 (GTPBP6), has a dual role in mitochondrial translation by facilitating ribosome recycling and biogenesis. In this review, mechanisms of ribosome recycling in eubacteria and mitochondria are described based on structural studies of ribosome complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Savannah M Seely
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-1019, USA
| | - Matthieu G Gagnon
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-1019, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-1019, USA.,Sealy Center for Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-1019, USA.,Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555, USA
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15
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Abstract
Accurate protein synthesis (translation) relies on translation factors that rectify ribosome fluctuations into a unidirectional process. Understanding this process requires structural characterization of the ribosome and translation-factor dynamics. In the 2000s, crystallographic studies determined high-resolution structures of ribosomes stalled with translation factors, providing a starting point for visualizing translation. Recent progress in single-particle cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has enabled near-atomic resolution of numerous structures sampled in heterogeneous complexes (ensembles). Ensemble and time-resolved cryo-EM have now revealed unprecedented views of ribosome transitions in the three principal stages of translation: initiation, elongation, and termination. This review focuses on how translation factors help achieve high accuracy and efficiency of translation by monitoring distinct ribosome conformations and by differentially shifting the equilibria of ribosome rearrangements for cognate and near-cognate substrates. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Biochemistry, Volume 91 is June 2022. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrei A Korostelev
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA;
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16
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Gamper H, Masuda I, Hou YM. Genome Expansion by tRNA +1 Frameshifting at Quadruplet Codons. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167440. [PMID: 34995554 PMCID: PMC9643101 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2021.167440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2021] [Revised: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Inducing tRNA +1 frameshifting to read a quadruplet codon has the potential to incorporate a non-canonical amino acid (ncAA) into the polypeptide chain. While this strategy is attractive for genome expansion in biotechnology and bioengineering endeavors, improving the yield is hampered by a lack of understanding of where the shift can occur in an elongation cycle of protein synthesis. Lacking a clear answer to this question, current efforts have focused on designing +1-frameshifting tRNAs with an extra nucleotide inserted to the anticodon loop for pairing with a quadruplet codon in the aminoacyl-tRNA binding (A) site of the ribosome. However, the designed and evolved +1-frameshifting tRNAs vary broadly in achieving successful genome expansion. Here we summarize recent work on +1-frameshifting tRNAs. We suggest that, rather than engineering the quadruplet anticodon-codon pairing scheme at the ribosome A site, efforts should be made to engineer the pairing scheme at steps after the A site, including the step of the subsequent translocation and the step that stabilizes the pairing scheme in the +1-frame in the peptidyl-tRNA binding (P) site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Howard Gamper
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Isao Masuda
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Ya-Ming Hou
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, USA.
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17
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Tirumalai MR, Rivas M, Tran Q, Fox GE. The Peptidyl Transferase Center: a Window to the Past. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 2021; 85:e0010421. [PMID: 34756086 PMCID: PMC8579967 DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.00104-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
In his 2001 article, "Translation: in retrospect and prospect," the late Carl Woese made a prescient observation that there was a need for the then-current view of translation to be "reformulated to become an all-embracing perspective about which 21st century Biology can develop" (RNA 7:1055-1067, 2001, https://doi.org/10.1017/s1355838201010615). The quest to decipher the origins of life and the road to the genetic code are both inextricably linked with the history of the ribosome. After over 60 years of research, significant progress in our understanding of how ribosomes work has been made. Particularly attractive is a model in which the ribosome may facilitate an ∼180° rotation of the CCA end of the tRNA from the A-site to the P-site while the acceptor stem of the tRNA would then undergo a translation from the A-site to the P-site. However, the central question of how the ribosome originated remains unresolved. Along the path from a primitive RNA world or an RNA-peptide world to a proto-ribosome world, the advent of the peptidyl transferase activity would have been a seminal event. This functionality is now housed within a local region of the large-subunit (LSU) rRNA, namely, the peptidyl transferase center (PTC). The PTC is responsible for peptide bond formation during protein synthesis and is usually considered to be the oldest part of the modern ribosome. What is frequently overlooked is that by examining the origins of the PTC itself, one is likely going back even further in time. In this regard, it has been proposed that the modern PTC originated from the association of two smaller RNAs that were once independent and now comprise a pseudosymmetric region in the modern PTC. Could such an association have survived? Recent studies have shown that the extant PTC is largely depleted of ribosomal protein interactions. It is other elements like metallic ion coordination and nonstandard base/base interactions that would have had to stabilize the association of RNAs. Here, we present a detailed review of the literature focused on the nature of the extant PTC and its proposed ancestor, the proto-ribosome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhan R. Tirumalai
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Mario Rivas
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Quyen Tran
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - George E. Fox
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
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18
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Carbone CE, Loveland AB, Gamper HB, Hou YM, Demo G, Korostelev AA. Time-resolved cryo-EM visualizes ribosomal translocation with EF-G and GTP. Nat Commun 2021; 12:7236. [PMID: 34903725 PMCID: PMC8668904 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27415-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
During translation, a conserved GTPase elongation factor-EF-G in bacteria or eEF2 in eukaryotes-translocates tRNA and mRNA through the ribosome. EF-G has been proposed to act as a flexible motor that propels tRNA and mRNA movement, as a rigid pawl that biases unidirectional translocation resulting from ribosome rearrangements, or by various combinations of motor- and pawl-like mechanisms. Using time-resolved cryo-EM, we visualized GTP-catalyzed translocation without inhibitors, capturing elusive structures of ribosome•EF-G intermediates at near-atomic resolution. Prior to translocation, EF-G binds near peptidyl-tRNA, while the rotated 30S subunit stabilizes the EF-G GTPase center. Reverse 30S rotation releases Pi and translocates peptidyl-tRNA and EF-G by ~20 Å. An additional 4-Å translocation initiates EF-G dissociation from a transient ribosome state with highly swiveled 30S head. The structures visualize how nearly rigid EF-G rectifies inherent and spontaneous ribosomal dynamics into tRNA-mRNA translocation, whereas GTP hydrolysis and Pi release drive EF-G dissociation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anna B Loveland
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Howard B Gamper
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Ya-Ming Hou
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Gabriel Demo
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Kamenice 5, Brno, 625 00, Czech Republic.
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19
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Tomsic J, Caserta E, Pon CL, Gualerzi CO. Weakening the IF2-fMet-tRNA Interaction Suppresses the Lethal Phenotype Caused by GTPase Inactivation. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222413238. [PMID: 34948034 PMCID: PMC8709274 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222413238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 12/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Substitution of the conserved Histidine 448 present in one of the three consensus elements characterizing the guanosine nucleotide binding domain (IF2 G2) of Escherichia coli translation initiation factor IF2 resulted in impaired ribosome-dependent GTPase activity which prevented IF2 dissociation from the ribosome, caused a severe protein synthesis inhibition, and yielded a dominant lethal phenotype. A reduced IF2 affinity for the ribosome was previously shown to suppress this lethality. Here, we demonstrate that also a reduced IF2 affinity for fMet-tRNA can suppress this dominant lethal phenotype and allows IF2 to support faithful translation in the complete absence of GTP hydrolysis. These results strengthen the premise that the conformational changes of ribosome, IF2, and fMet-tRNA occurring during the late stages of translation initiation are thermally driven and that the energy generated by IF2-dependent GTP hydrolysis is not required for successful translation initiation and that the dissociation of the interaction between IF2 C2 and the acceptor end of fMet-tRNA, which represents the last tie anchoring the factor to the ribosome before the formation of an elongation-competent 70S complex, is rate limiting for both the adjustment of fMet-tRNA in a productive P site and the IF2 release from the ribosome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerneja Tomsic
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, University of Camerino, 62032 Camerino, Italy; (J.T.); (E.C.); (C.L.P.)
- City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Enrico Caserta
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, University of Camerino, 62032 Camerino, Italy; (J.T.); (E.C.); (C.L.P.)
- City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Cynthia L. Pon
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, University of Camerino, 62032 Camerino, Italy; (J.T.); (E.C.); (C.L.P.)
| | - Claudio O. Gualerzi
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Bioscience and Biotechnology, University of Camerino, 62032 Camerino, Italy; (J.T.); (E.C.); (C.L.P.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-3391602957
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20
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Belinite M, Khusainov I, Soufari H, Marzi S, Romby P, Yusupov M, Hashem Y. Stabilization of Ribosomal RNA of the Small Subunit by Spermidine in Staphylococcus aureus. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:738752. [PMID: 34869582 PMCID: PMC8637172 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.738752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cryo-electron microscopy is now used as a method of choice in structural biology for studying protein synthesis, a process mediated by the ribosome machinery. In order to achieve high-resolution structures using this approach, one needs to obtain homogeneous and stable samples, which requires optimization of ribosome purification in a species-dependent manner. This is especially critical for the bacterial small ribosomal subunit that tends to be unstable in the absence of ligands. Here, we report a protocol for purification of stable 30 S from the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus and its cryo-EM structures: in presence of spermidine at a resolution ranging between 3.4 and 3.6 Å and in its absence at 5.3 Å. Using biochemical characterization and cryo-EM, we demonstrate the importance of spermidine for stabilization of the 30 S via preserving favorable conformation of the helix 44.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margarita Belinite
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), INSERM U964, CNRS UMR7104, Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France.,Architecture et Réactivité de l'ARN, CNRS 9002, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.,Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie (IECB), ARNA U1212, Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, France
| | - Iskander Khusainov
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), INSERM U964, CNRS UMR7104, Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France.,Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia
| | - Heddy Soufari
- Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie (IECB), ARNA U1212, Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, France
| | - Stefano Marzi
- Architecture et Réactivité de l'ARN, CNRS 9002, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Pascale Romby
- Architecture et Réactivité de l'ARN, CNRS 9002, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Marat Yusupov
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), INSERM U964, CNRS UMR7104, Université de Strasbourg, Illkirch, France.,Institute of Fundamental Medicine and Biology, Kazan Federal University, Kazan, Russia
| | - Yaser Hashem
- Architecture et Réactivité de l'ARN, CNRS 9002, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.,Institut Européen de Chimie et Biologie (IECB), ARNA U1212, Université de Bordeaux, Pessac, France
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21
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Bheemireddy S, Sandhya S, Srinivasan N. Comparative Analysis of Structural and Dynamical Features of Ribosome Upon Association With mRNA Reveals Potential Role of Ribosomal Proteins. Front Mol Biosci 2021; 8:654164. [PMID: 34409066 PMCID: PMC8365230 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.654164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribosomes play a critical role in maintaining cellular proteostasis. The binding of messenger RNA (mRNA) to the ribosome regulates kinetics of protein synthesis. To generate an understanding of the structural, mechanistic, and dynamical features of mRNA recognition in the ribosome, we have analysed mRNA-protein interactions through a structural comparison of the ribosomal complex in the presence and absence of mRNA. To do so, we compared the 3-Dimensional (3D) structures of components of the two assembly structures and analysed their structural differences because of mRNA binding, using elastic network models and structural network-based analysis. We observe that the head region of 30S ribosomal subunit undergoes structural displacement and subunit rearrangement to accommodate incoming mRNA. We find that these changes are observed in proteins that lie far from the mRNA-protein interface, implying allostery. Further, through perturbation response scanning, we show that the proteins S13, S19, and S20 act as universal sensors that are sensitive to changes in the inter protein network, upon binding of 30S complex with mRNA and other initiation factors. Our study highlights the significance of mRNA binding in the ribosome complex and identifies putative allosteric sites corresponding to alterations in structure and/or dynamics, in regions away from mRNA binding sites in the complex. Overall, our work provides fresh insights into mRNA association with the ribosome, highlighting changes in the interactions and dynamics of the ribosome assembly because of the binding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sneha Bheemireddy
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
| | - Sankaran Sandhya
- Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India
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22
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Structures of tmRNA and SmpB as they transit through the ribosome. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4909. [PMID: 34389707 PMCID: PMC8363625 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24881-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
In bacteria, trans-translation is the main rescue system, freeing ribosomes stalled on defective messenger RNAs. This mechanism is driven by small protein B (SmpB) and transfer-messenger RNA (tmRNA), a hybrid RNA known to have both a tRNA-like and an mRNA-like domain. Here we present four cryo-EM structures of the ribosome during trans-translation at resolutions from 3.0 to 3.4 Å. These include the high-resolution structure of the whole pre-accommodated state, as well as structures of the accommodated state, the translocated state, and a translocation intermediate. Together, they shed light on the movements of the tmRNA-SmpB complex in the ribosome, from its delivery by the elongation factor EF-Tu to its passage through the ribosomal A and P sites after the opening of the B1 bridges. Additionally, we describe the interactions between the tmRNA-SmpB complex and the ribosome. These explain why the process does not interfere with canonical translation.
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23
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Demo G, Gamper HB, Loveland AB, Masuda I, Carbone CE, Svidritskiy E, Hou YM, Korostelev AA. Structural basis for +1 ribosomal frameshifting during EF-G-catalyzed translocation. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4644. [PMID: 34330903 PMCID: PMC8324841 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24911-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Frameshifting of mRNA during translation provides a strategy to expand the coding repertoire of cells and viruses. How and where in the elongation cycle +1-frameshifting occurs remains poorly understood. We describe seven ~3.5-Å-resolution cryo-EM structures of 70S ribosome complexes, allowing visualization of elongation and translocation by the GTPase elongation factor G (EF-G). Four structures with a + 1-frameshifting-prone mRNA reveal that frameshifting takes place during translocation of tRNA and mRNA. Prior to EF-G binding, the pre-translocation complex features an in-frame tRNA-mRNA pairing in the A site. In the partially translocated structure with EF-G•GDPCP, the tRNA shifts to the +1-frame near the P site, rendering the freed mRNA base to bulge between the P and E sites and to stack on the 16S rRNA nucleotide G926. The ribosome remains frameshifted in the nearly post-translocation state. Our findings demonstrate that the ribosome and EF-G cooperate to induce +1 frameshifting during tRNA-mRNA translocation.
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MESH Headings
- Biocatalysis
- Cryoelectron Microscopy
- Escherichia coli/genetics
- Escherichia coli/metabolism
- Escherichia coli Proteins/chemistry
- Escherichia coli Proteins/genetics
- Escherichia coli Proteins/metabolism
- Frameshifting, Ribosomal/genetics
- Models, Molecular
- Nucleic Acid Conformation
- Peptide Chain Elongation, Translational/genetics
- Peptide Elongation Factor G/chemistry
- Peptide Elongation Factor G/genetics
- Peptide Elongation Factor G/metabolism
- Protein Conformation
- RNA, Messenger/chemistry
- RNA, Messenger/genetics
- RNA, Messenger/metabolism
- RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/chemistry
- RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics
- RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/metabolism
- RNA, Transfer/chemistry
- RNA, Transfer/genetics
- RNA, Transfer/metabolism
- Ribosomes/genetics
- Ribosomes/metabolism
- Ribosomes/ultrastructure
- tRNA Methyltransferases/genetics
- tRNA Methyltransferases/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Demo
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, UMass Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Howard B Gamper
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Anna B Loveland
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, UMass Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Isao Masuda
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Christine E Carbone
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, UMass Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Egor Svidritskiy
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, UMass Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Ya-Ming Hou
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Andrei A Korostelev
- RNA Therapeutics Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, UMass Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
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24
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Kim C, Holm M, Mandava CS, Sanyal S. Optimization of a fluorescent-mRNA based real-time assay for precise kinetic measurements of ribosomal translocation. RNA Biol 2021; 18:2363-2375. [PMID: 33938388 PMCID: PMC8632105 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2021.1913312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Kinetic characterization of ribosomal translocation is important for understanding the mechanism of elongation in protein synthesis. Here we have optimized a popular fluorescent-mRNA based translocation assay conducted in stopped-flow, by calibrating it with the functional tripeptide formation assay in quench-flow. We found that a fluorescently labelled mRNA, ten bases long from position +1 (mRNA+10), is best suited for both assays as it forms tripeptide at a fast rate equivalent to the longer mRNAs, and yet produces a large fluorescence change upon mRNA movement. Next, we compared the commonly used peptidyl tRNA analog, N-acetyl-Phe-tRNAPhe, with the natural dipeptidyl fMet-Phe-tRNAPhe in the stopped-flow assay. This analog translocates about two times slower than the natural dipeptidyl tRNA and produces biphasic kinetics. The rates reduce further at lower temperatures and with higher Mg2+ concentration, but improve with higher elongation factor G (EF-G) concentration, which increase both rate and amplitude of the fast phase significantly. In summary, we present here an improved real time assay for monitoring mRNA-translocation with the natural- and an N-Ac-analog of dipeptidyl tRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changil Kim
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mikael Holm
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Suparna Sanyal
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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25
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Irastortza-Olaziregi M, Amster-Choder O. Coupled Transcription-Translation in Prokaryotes: An Old Couple With New Surprises. Front Microbiol 2021; 11:624830. [PMID: 33552035 PMCID: PMC7858274 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.624830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Coupled transcription-translation (CTT) is a hallmark of prokaryotic gene expression. CTT occurs when ribosomes associate with and initiate translation of mRNAs whose transcription has not yet concluded, therefore forming "RNAP.mRNA.ribosome" complexes. CTT is a well-documented phenomenon that is involved in important gene regulation processes, such as attenuation and operon polarity. Despite the progress in our understanding of the cellular signals that coordinate CTT, certain aspects of its molecular architecture remain controversial. Additionally, new information on the spatial segregation between the transcriptional and the translational machineries in certain species, and on the capability of certain mRNAs to localize translation-independently, questions the unanimous occurrence of CTT. Furthermore, studies where transcription and translation were artificially uncoupled showed that transcription elongation can proceed in a translation-independent manner. Here, we review studies supporting the occurrence of CTT and findings questioning its extent, as well as discuss mechanisms that may explain both coupling and uncoupling, e.g., chromosome relocation and the involvement of cis- or trans-acting elements, such as small RNAs and RNA-binding proteins. These mechanisms impact RNA localization, stability, and translation. Understanding the two options by which genes can be expressed and their consequences should shed light on a new layer of control of bacterial transcripts fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikel Irastortza-Olaziregi
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, IMRIC, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Orna Amster-Choder
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, IMRIC, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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26
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Gamper H, Li H, Masuda I, Miklos Robkis D, Christian T, Conn AB, Blaha G, Petersson EJ, Gonzalez RL, Hou YM. Insights into genome recoding from the mechanism of a classic +1-frameshifting tRNA. Nat Commun 2021; 12:328. [PMID: 33436566 PMCID: PMC7803779 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20373-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
While genome recoding using quadruplet codons to incorporate non-proteinogenic amino acids is attractive for biotechnology and bioengineering purposes, the mechanism through which such codons are translated is poorly understood. Here we investigate translation of quadruplet codons by a +1-frameshifting tRNA, SufB2, that contains an extra nucleotide in its anticodon loop. Natural post-transcriptional modification of SufB2 in cells prevents it from frameshifting using a quadruplet-pairing mechanism such that it preferentially employs a triplet-slippage mechanism. We show that SufB2 uses triplet anticodon-codon pairing in the 0-frame to initially decode the quadruplet codon, but subsequently shifts to the +1-frame during tRNA-mRNA translocation. SufB2 frameshifting involves perturbation of an essential ribosome conformational change that facilitates tRNA-mRNA movements at a late stage of the translocation reaction. Our results provide a molecular mechanism for SufB2-induced +1 frameshifting and suggest that engineering of a specific ribosome conformational change can improve the efficiency of genome recoding. Genome recoding with quadruplet codons requires a +1-frameshift-suppressor tRNA able to insert an amino acid at quadruplet codons of interest. Here the authors identify the mechanisms resulting in +1 frameshifting and the steps of the elongation cycle in which it occurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Howard Gamper
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA
| | - Haixing Li
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
| | - Isao Masuda
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA
| | - D Miklos Robkis
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Thomas Christian
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA
| | - Adam B Conn
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Gregor Blaha
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - E James Petersson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Ruben L Gonzalez
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA.
| | - Ya-Ming Hou
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, 19107, USA.
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27
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Niblett D, Nelson C, Leung CS, Rexroad G, Cozy J, Zhou J, Lancaster L, Noller HF. Mutations in domain IV of elongation factor EF-G confer -1 frameshifting. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2021; 27:40-53. [PMID: 33008838 PMCID: PMC7749637 DOI: 10.1261/rna.077339.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
A recent crystal structure of a ribosome complex undergoing partial translocation in the absence of elongation factor EF-G showed disruption of codon-anticodon pairing and slippage of the reading frame by -1, directly implicating EF-G in preservation of the translational reading frame. Among mutations identified in a random screen for dominant-lethal mutations of EF-G were a cluster of six that map to the tip of domain IV, which has been shown to contact the codon-anticodon duplex in trapped translocation intermediates. In vitro synthesis of a full-length protein using these mutant EF-Gs revealed dramatically increased -1 frameshifting, providing new evidence for a role for domain IV of EF-G in maintaining the reading frame. These mutations also caused decreased rates of mRNA translocation and rotational movement of the head and body domains of the 30S ribosomal subunit during translocation. Our results are in general agreement with recent findings from Rodnina and coworkers based on in vitro translation of an oligopeptide using EF-Gs containing mutations at two positions in domain IV, who found an inverse correlation between the degree of frameshifting and rates of translocation. Four of our six mutations are substitutions at positions that interact with the translocating tRNA, in each case contacting the RNA backbone of the anticodon loop. We suggest that EF-G helps to preserve the translational reading frame by preventing uncoupled movement of the tRNA through these contacts; a further possibility is that these interactions may stabilize a conformation of the anticodon that favors base-pairing with its codon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dustin Niblett
- Center for Molecular Biology of RNA and Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA
| | - Charlotte Nelson
- Center for Molecular Biology of RNA and Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA
| | - Calvin S Leung
- Center for Molecular Biology of RNA and Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA
| | - Gillian Rexroad
- Center for Molecular Biology of RNA and Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA
| | - Jake Cozy
- Center for Molecular Biology of RNA and Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA
| | - Jie Zhou
- Center for Molecular Biology of RNA and Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA
| | - Laura Lancaster
- Center for Molecular Biology of RNA and Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA
| | - Harry F Noller
- Center for Molecular Biology of RNA and Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA
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28
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Hoffer ED, Hong S, Sunita S, Maehigashi T, Gonzalez RL, Whitford PC, Dunham CM. Structural insights into mRNA reading frame regulation by tRNA modification and slippery codon-anticodon pairing. eLife 2020; 9:51898. [PMID: 33016876 PMCID: PMC7577736 DOI: 10.7554/elife.51898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 10/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Modifications in the tRNA anticodon loop, adjacent to the three-nucleotide anticodon, influence translation fidelity by stabilizing the tRNA to allow for accurate reading of the mRNA genetic code. One example is the N1-methylguanosine modification at guanine nucleotide 37 (m1G37) located in the anticodon loop andimmediately adjacent to the anticodon nucleotides 34, 35, 36. The absence of m1G37 in tRNAPro causes +1 frameshifting on polynucleotide, slippery codons. Here, we report structures of the bacterial ribosome containing tRNAPro bound to either cognate or slippery codons to determine how the m1G37 modification prevents mRNA frameshifting. The structures reveal that certain codon–anticodon contexts and the lack of m1G37 destabilize interactions of tRNAPro with the P site of the ribosome, causing large conformational changes typically only seen during EF-G-mediated translocation of the mRNA-tRNA pairs. These studies provide molecular insights into how m1G37 stabilizes the interactions of tRNAPro with the ribosome in the context of a slippery mRNA codon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric D Hoffer
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, United States
| | - Samuel Hong
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, United States
| | - S Sunita
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, United States
| | - Tatsuya Maehigashi
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, United States
| | - Ruben L Gonzalez
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, New York, United States
| | - Paul C Whitford
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, United States
| | - Christine M Dunham
- Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, United States
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29
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Wang C, Molodtsov V, Firlar E, Kaelber JT, Blaha G, Su M, Ebright RH. Structural basis of transcription-translation coupling. Science 2020; 369:1359-1365. [PMID: 32820061 DOI: 10.1126/science.abb5317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
In bacteria, transcription and translation are coupled processes in which the movement of RNA polymerase (RNAP)-synthesizing messenger RNA (mRNA) is coordinated with the movement of the first ribosome-translating mRNA. Coupling is modulated by the transcription factors NusG (which is thought to bridge RNAP and the ribosome) and NusA. Here, we report cryo-electron microscopy structures of Escherichia coli transcription-translation complexes (TTCs) containing different-length mRNA spacers between RNAP and the ribosome active-center P site. Structures of TTCs containing short spacers show a state incompatible with NusG bridging and NusA binding (TTC-A, previously termed "expressome"). Structures of TTCs containing longer spacers reveal a new state compatible with NusG bridging and NusA binding (TTC-B) and reveal how NusG bridges and NusA binds. We propose that TTC-B mediates NusG- and NusA-dependent transcription-translation coupling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengyuan Wang
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Vadim Molodtsov
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Emre Firlar
- Rutgers New Jersey CryoEM/CryoET Core Facility and Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Jason T Kaelber
- Rutgers New Jersey CryoEM/CryoET Core Facility and Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
| | - Gregor Blaha
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - Min Su
- Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI,48109, USA.
| | - Richard H Ebright
- Waksman Institute and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
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30
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Kummer E, Ban N. Structural insights into mammalian mitochondrial translation elongation catalyzed by mtEFG1. EMBO J 2020; 39:e104820. [PMID: 32602580 PMCID: PMC7396830 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2020104820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2020] [Revised: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Mitochondria are eukaryotic organelles of bacterial origin where respiration takes place to produce cellular chemical energy. These reactions are catalyzed by the respiratory chain complexes located in the inner mitochondrial membrane. Notably, key components of the respiratory chain complexes are encoded on the mitochondrial chromosome and their expression relies on a dedicated mitochondrial translation machinery. Defects in the mitochondrial gene expression machinery lead to a variety of diseases in humans mostly affecting tissues with high energy demand such as the nervous system, the heart, or the muscles. The mitochondrial translation system has substantially diverged from its bacterial ancestor, including alterations in the mitoribosomal architecture, multiple changes to the set of translation factors and striking reductions in otherwise conserved tRNA elements. Although a number of structures of mitochondrial ribosomes from different species have been determined, our mechanistic understanding of the mitochondrial translation cycle remains largely unexplored. Here, we present two cryo-EM reconstructions of human mitochondrial elongation factor G1 bound to the mammalian mitochondrial ribosome at two different steps of the tRNA translocation reaction during translation elongation. Our structures explain the mechanism of tRNA and mRNA translocation on the mitoribosome, the regulation of mtEFG1 activity by the ribosomal GTPase-associated center, and the basis of decreased susceptibility of mtEFG1 to the commonly used antibiotic fusidic acid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Kummer
- Department of BiologyInstitute of Molecular Biology and BiophysicsSwiss Federal Institute of Technology ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Nenad Ban
- Department of BiologyInstitute of Molecular Biology and BiophysicsSwiss Federal Institute of Technology ZurichZurichSwitzerland
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31
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Zhang L, Wang Y, Dai H, Zhou J. Structural and functional studies revealed key mechanisms underlying elongation step of protein translation. Acta Biochim Biophys Sin (Shanghai) 2020; 52:749-756. [PMID: 32400848 DOI: 10.1093/abbs/gmaa046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The ribosome is an ancient and universally conserved macromolecular machine that synthesizes proteins in all organisms. Since the discovery of the ribosome by electron microscopy in the mid-1950s, rapid progress has been made in research on it, regarding its architecture and functions. As a machine that synthesizes polypeptides, the sequential addition of amino acids to a growing polypeptide chain occurs during a phase called the elongation cycle. This is the core step of protein translation and is highly conserved between bacteria and eukarya. The elongation cycle involves codon recognition by aminoacyl tRNAs, catalysis of peptide bond formation, and the most complex operation of translation-translocation. In this review, we discuss the fundamental results from structural and functional studies over the past decades that have led to understanding of the three key questions underlying translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Zhang
- Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Yinghui Wang
- Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Hong Dai
- Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Jie Zhou
- Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
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32
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Chan J, Takemura K, Lin HR, Chang KC, Chang YY, Joti Y, Kitao A, Yang LW. An Efficient Timer and Sizer of Biomacromolecular Motions. Structure 2019; 28:259-269.e8. [PMID: 31780433 DOI: 10.1016/j.str.2019.10.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2019] [Revised: 08/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Life ticks as fast as how proteins move. Computationally expensive molecular dynamics simulation has been the only theoretical tool to gauge the time and sizes of these motions, though barely to their slowest ends. Here, we convert a computationally cheap elastic network model (ENM) into a molecular timer and sizer to gauge the slowest functional motions of structured biomolecules. Quasi-harmonic analysis, fluctuation profile matching, and the Wiener-Khintchine theorem are used to define the "time periods," t, for anharmonic principal components (PCs), which are validated by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) order parameters. The PCs with their respective "time periods" are mapped to the eigenvalues (λENM) of the corresponding ENM modes. Thus, the power laws t(ns) = 56.1λENM-1.6 and σ2(Å2) = 32.7λENM-3.0 can be established allowing the characterization of the timescales of NMR-resolved conformers, crystallographic anisotropic displacement parameters, and important ribosomal motions, as well as motional sizes of the latter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin Chan
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Structural Biology, National Tsing Hua Univ., No. 101, Section 2, Kuang-Fu Road, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan; Bioinformatics Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Institute of Information Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Kazuhiro Takemura
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, M6-13, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
| | - Hong-Rui Lin
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Structural Biology, National Tsing Hua Univ., No. 101, Section 2, Kuang-Fu Road, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Kai-Chun Chang
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yuan-Yu Chang
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Structural Biology, National Tsing Hua Univ., No. 101, Section 2, Kuang-Fu Road, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan
| | - Yasumasa Joti
- XFEL Utilization Division, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
| | - Akio Kitao
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, M6-13, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan.
| | - Lee-Wei Yang
- Institute of Bioinformatics and Structural Biology, National Tsing Hua Univ., No. 101, Section 2, Kuang-Fu Road, Hsinchu 30013, Taiwan; Bioinformatics Program, Taiwan International Graduate Program, Institute of Information Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan; Physics Division, National Center for Theoretical Sciences, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
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33
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Sengupta A, Rice GM, Weeks KM. Single-molecule correlated chemical probing reveals large-scale structural communication in the ribosome and the mechanism of the antibiotic spectinomycin in living cells. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000393. [PMID: 31487286 PMCID: PMC6748448 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2018] [Revised: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The ribosome moves between distinct structural states and is organized into multiple functional domains. Here, we examined hundreds of occurrences of pairwise through-space communication between nucleotides in the ribosome small subunit RNA using RNA interaction groups analyzed by mutational profiling (RING-MaP) single-molecule correlated chemical probing in bacterial cells. RING-MaP revealed four structural communities in the small subunit RNA, each distinct from the organization defined by the RNA secondary structure. The head domain contains 2 structural communities: the outer-head contains the pivot for head swiveling, and an inner-head community is structurally integrated with helix 44 and spans the entire ribosome intersubunit interface. In-cell binding by the antibiotic spectinomycin (Spc) barely perturbs its local binding pocket as revealed by the per-nucleotide chemical probing signal. In contrast, Spc binding overstabilizes long-range RNA–RNA contacts that extend 95 Å across the ribosome that connect the pivot for head swiveling with the axis of intersubunit rotation. The two major motions of the small subunit—head swiveling and intersubunit rotation—are thus coordinated via long-range RNA structural communication, which is specifically modulated by Spc. Single-molecule correlated chemical probing reveals trans-domain structural communication and rationalizes the profound functional effects of binding by a low–molecular-mass antibiotic to the megadalton ribosome. Single molecule chemical probing of pair-wise interactions across the ribosome in living cells redefines the domains of the small subunit of the ribosome and reveals that the antibiotic spectinomycin disrupts ribosome function by over-stabilizing interactions that span nearly 100 Å.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnab Sengupta
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Greggory M. Rice
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Kevin M. Weeks
- Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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34
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Desai VP, Frank F, Lee A, Righini M, Lancaster L, Noller HF, Tinoco I, Bustamante C. Co-temporal Force and Fluorescence Measurements Reveal a Ribosomal Gear Shift Mechanism of Translation Regulation by Structured mRNAs. Mol Cell 2019; 75:1007-1019.e5. [PMID: 31471187 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2019.07.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Revised: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The movement of ribosomes on mRNA is often interrupted by secondary structures that present mechanical barriers and play a central role in translation regulation. We investigate how ribosomes couple their internal conformational changes with the activity of translocation factor EF-G to unwind mRNA secondary structures using high-resolution optical tweezers with single-molecule fluorescence capability. We find that hairpin opening occurs during EF-G-catalyzed translocation and is driven by the forward rotation of the small subunit head. Modulating the magnitude of the hairpin barrier by force shows that ribosomes respond to strong barriers by shifting their operation to an alternative 7-fold-slower kinetic pathway prior to translocation. Shifting into a slow gear results from an allosteric switch in the ribosome that may allow it to exploit thermal fluctuations to overcome mechanical barriers. Finally, we observe that ribosomes occasionally open the hairpin in two successive sub-codon steps, revealing a previously unobserved translocation intermediate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varsha P Desai
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Jason L. Choy Laboratory of Single-Molecule Biophysics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Filipp Frank
- Jason L. Choy Laboratory of Single-Molecule Biophysics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Antony Lee
- Jason L. Choy Laboratory of Single-Molecule Biophysics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Maurizio Righini
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Jason L. Choy Laboratory of Single-Molecule Biophysics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, QB3, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Laura Lancaster
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology and Center for Molecular Biology of RNA, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Harry F Noller
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology and Center for Molecular Biology of RNA, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Ignacio Tinoco
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Carlos Bustamante
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Jason L. Choy Laboratory of Single-Molecule Biophysics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, QB3, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Kavli Energy Nanoscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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35
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Amiri H, Noller HF. A tandem active site model for the ribosomal helicase. FEBS Lett 2019; 593:1009-1019. [PMID: 30972734 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.13383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Revised: 03/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
During protein synthesis, the messenger RNA (mRNA) helicase activity of the ribosome ensures that codons are made single stranded before decoding. Here, based on recent structural and functional findings, a quantitative model is presented for a tandem arrangement of two helicase active sites on the ribosome. A distal site encounters mRNA structures first, one elongation cycle earlier than a proximal site. Although unwinding of encountered mRNA structures past the proximal site is required for translocation, two routes exist for translocation past the distal site: sliding, which requires unwinding, and stick-slip, which does not. The model accounts in detail for a number of findings related to the ribosomal helicase and provides a testable framework to further study mRNA unwinding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hossein Amiri
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.,Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, Center for Molecular Biology of RNA, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Harry F Noller
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, Center for Molecular Biology of RNA, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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36
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Spontaneous ribosomal translocation of mRNA and tRNAs into a chimeric hybrid state. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:7813-7818. [PMID: 30936299 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1901310116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The elongation factor G (EF-G)-catalyzed translocation of mRNA and tRNA through the ribosome is essential for vacating the ribosomal A site for the next incoming aminoacyl-tRNA, while precisely maintaining the translational reading frame. Here, the 3.2-Å crystal structure of a ribosome translocation intermediate complex containing mRNA and two tRNAs, formed in the absence of EF-G or GTP, provides insight into the respective roles of EF-G and the ribosome in translocation. Unexpectedly, the head domain of the 30S subunit is rotated by 21°, creating a ribosomal conformation closely resembling the two-tRNA chimeric hybrid state that was previously observed only in the presence of bound EF-G. The two tRNAs have moved spontaneously from their A/A and P/P binding states into ap/P and pe/E states, in which their anticodon loops are bound between the 30S body domain and its rotated head domain, while their acceptor ends have moved fully into the 50S P and E sites, respectively. Remarkably, the A-site tRNA translocates fully into the classical P-site position. Although the mRNA also undergoes movement, codon-anticodon interaction is disrupted in the absence of EF-G, resulting in slippage of the translational reading frame. We conclude that, although movement of both tRNAs and mRNA (along with rotation of the 30S head domain) can occur in the absence of EF-G and GTP, EF-G is essential for enforcing coupled movement of the tRNAs and their mRNA codons to maintain the reading frame.
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37
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Amiri H, Noller HF. Structural evidence for product stabilization by the ribosomal mRNA helicase. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2019; 25:364-375. [PMID: 30552154 PMCID: PMC6380275 DOI: 10.1261/rna.068965.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 12/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Protein synthesis in all organisms proceeds by stepwise translocation of the ribosome along messenger RNAs (mRNAs), during which the helicase activity of the ribosome unwinds encountered structures in the mRNA. This activity is known to occur near the mRNA tunnel entrance, which is lined by ribosomal proteins uS3, uS4, and uS5. However, the mechanism(s) of mRNA unwinding by the ribosome and the possible role of these proteins in the helicase activity are not well understood. Here, we present a crystal structure of the Escherichia coli ribosome in which single-stranded mRNA is observed beyond the tunnel entrance, interacting in an extended conformation with a positively charged patch on ribosomal protein uS3 immediately outside the entrance. This apparent binding specificity for single-stranded mRNA ahead of the tunnel entrance suggests that product stabilization may play a role in the unwinding of structured mRNA by the ribosomal helicase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hossein Amiri
- Center for Molecular Biology of RNA and Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA
| | - Harry F Noller
- Center for Molecular Biology of RNA and Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California 95064, USA
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38
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Abstract
Ribosomes are biological nanomachine that synthesise all proteins within a cell. It took decades to reveal the architecture of this essential cellular component. To understand the structure -function relationship of this nanomachine needed the utilisisation of different biochemical, biophysical and structural techniques. Structural studies combined with mutagenesis of the different ribosomal complexes comprising various RNAs and proteins enabled us to understand how this machine works inside a cell. Nowadays quite a number of ribosomal structures were published that confirmed biochemical studies on particular steps of protein synthesis by the ribosome . Four major steps were identified: initiation , elongation, termination and recycling. These steps lead us to the important question how the ribosome function can be regulated. Advances in technology for cryo electron microscopy: sample preparations, image recording, developments in algorithms for image analysis and processing significantly helped in revelation of structural details of the ribosome . We now have a library of ribosome structures from prokaryotes to eukaryotes that enable us to understand the complex mechanics of this nanomachine. As this structural library continues to grow, we gradually improve our understanding of this process and how it can be regulated and how the specific ribosomes can be stalled or activated, or completely disabled. This article provides a comprehensive overview of ribosomal structures that represent structural snapshots of the ribosome at its different functional states. Better understanding rises more particular questions that have to be addressed by determination structures of more complexes.Synopsis: Structural biology of the ribosome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abid Javed
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Birkbeck College, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK
| | - Elena V Orlova
- Institute of Structural and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological Sciences, Birkbeck College, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HX, UK.
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39
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Abstract
This review summarizes our current understanding of translation in prokaryotes, focusing on the mechanistic and structural aspects of each phase of translation: initiation, elongation, termination, and ribosome recycling. The assembly of the initiation complex provides multiple checkpoints for messenger RNA (mRNA) and start-site selection. Correct codon-anticodon interaction during the decoding phase of elongation results in major conformational changes of the small ribosomal subunit and shapes the reaction pathway of guanosine triphosphate (GTP) hydrolysis. The ribosome orchestrates proton transfer during peptide bond formation, but requires the help of elongation factor P (EF-P) when two or more consecutive Pro residues are to be incorporated. Understanding the choreography of transfer RNA (tRNA) and mRNA movements during translocation helps to place the available structures of translocation intermediates onto the time axis of the reaction pathway. The nascent protein begins to fold cotranslationally, in the constrained space of the polypeptide exit tunnel of the ribosome. When a stop codon is reached at the end of the coding sequence, the ribosome, assisted by termination factors, hydrolyzes the ester bond of the peptidyl-tRNA, thereby releasing the nascent protein. Following termination, the ribosome is dissociated into subunits and recycled into another round of initiation. At each step of translation, the ribosome undergoes dynamic fluctuations between different conformation states. The aim of this article is to show the link between ribosome structure, dynamics, and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina V Rodnina
- Department of Physical Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Goettingen 37077, Germany
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40
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Choi J, Grosely R, Prabhakar A, Lapointe CP, Wang J, Puglisi JD. How Messenger RNA and Nascent Chain Sequences Regulate Translation Elongation. Annu Rev Biochem 2018; 87:421-449. [PMID: 29925264 PMCID: PMC6594189 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-biochem-060815-014818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Translation elongation is a highly coordinated, multistep, multifactor process that ensures accurate and efficient addition of amino acids to a growing nascent-peptide chain encoded in the sequence of translated messenger RNA (mRNA). Although translation elongation is heavily regulated by external factors, there is clear evidence that mRNA and nascent-peptide sequences control elongation dynamics, determining both the sequence and structure of synthesized proteins. Advances in methods have driven experiments that revealed the basic mechanisms of elongation as well as the mechanisms of regulation by mRNA and nascent-peptide sequences. In this review, we highlight how mRNA and nascent-peptide elements manipulate the translation machinery to alter the dynamics and pathway of elongation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junhong Choi
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305-5126, USA; , , , , ,
- Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-4090, USA
| | - Rosslyn Grosely
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305-5126, USA; , , , , ,
| | - Arjun Prabhakar
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305-5126, USA; , , , , ,
- Program in Biophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Christopher P Lapointe
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305-5126, USA; , , , , ,
| | - Jinfan Wang
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305-5126, USA; , , , , ,
| | - Joseph D Puglisi
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305-5126, USA; , , , , ,
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41
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Noller HF, Lancaster L, Zhou J, Mohan S. The ribosome moves: RNA mechanics and translocation. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2017; 24:1021-1027. [PMID: 29215639 DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.3505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2017] [Accepted: 10/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
During protein synthesis, mRNA and tRNAs must be moved rapidly through the ribosome while maintaining the translational reading frame. This process is coupled to large- and small-scale conformational rearrangements in the ribosome, mainly in its rRNA. The free energy from peptide-bond formation and GTP hydrolysis is probably used to impose directionality on those movements. We propose that the free energy is coupled to two pawls, namely tRNA and EF-G, which enable two ratchet mechanisms to act separately and sequentially on the two ribosomal subunits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry F Noller
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology and Center for Molecular Biology of RNA, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Laura Lancaster
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology and Center for Molecular Biology of RNA, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Jie Zhou
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology and Center for Molecular Biology of RNA, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Srividya Mohan
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology and Center for Molecular Biology of RNA, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
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42
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Lai WJC, Ermolenko DN. Ensemble and single-molecule FRET studies of protein synthesis. Methods 2017; 137:37-48. [PMID: 29247758 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2017.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2017] [Revised: 11/30/2017] [Accepted: 12/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein synthesis is a complex, multi-step process that involves large conformational changes of the ribosome and protein factors of translation. Over the last decade, Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) has become instrumental for studying structural rearrangements of the translational apparatus. Here, we discuss the design of ensemble and single-molecule (sm) FRET assays of translation. We describe a number of experimental strategies that can be used to introduce fluorophores into the ribosome, tRNA, mRNA and protein factors of translation. Alternative approaches to tethering of translation components to the microscope slide in smFRET experiments are also reviewed. Finally, we discuss possible challenges in the interpretation of FRET data and ways to address these challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wan-Jung C Lai
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics & Center for RNA Biology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, United States
| | - Dmitri N Ermolenko
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics & Center for RNA Biology, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, United States.
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43
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Noller HF. The parable of the caveman and the Ferrari: protein synthesis and the RNA world. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2017; 372:rstb.2016.0187. [PMID: 28138073 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The basic steps of protein synthesis are carried out by the ribosome, a very large and complex ribonucleoprotein particle. In keeping with its proposed emergence from an RNA world, all three of its core mechanisms-aminoacyl-tRNA selection, catalysis of peptide bond formation and coupled translocation of mRNA and tRNA-are embodied in the properties of ribosomal RNA, while its proteins play a supportive role.This article is part of the themed issue 'Perspectives on the ribosome'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry F Noller
- Center for Molecular Biology of RNA, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA .,Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California at Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
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44
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Ribosome structural dynamics in translocation: yet another functional role for ribosomal RNA. Q Rev Biophys 2017; 50:e12. [DOI: 10.1017/s0033583517000117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
AbstractRibosomes are remarkable ribonucleoprotein complexes that are responsible for protein synthesis in all forms of life. They polymerize polypeptide chains programmed by nucleotide sequences in messenger RNA in a mechanism mediated by transfer RNA. One of the most challenging problems in the ribosome field is to understand the mechanism of coupled translocation of mRNA and tRNA during the elongation phase of protein synthesis. In recent years, the results of structural, biophysical and biochemical studies have provided extensive evidence that translocation is based on the structural dynamics of the ribosome itself. Detailed structural analysis has shown that ribosome dynamics, like aminoacyl-tRNA selection and catalysis of peptide bond formation, is made possible by the properties of ribosomal RNA.
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45
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Van Dyken JD. Propagation and control of gene expression noise with non-linear translation kinetics. J Theor Biol 2017; 430:185-194. [PMID: 28709943 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2017.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2017] [Revised: 07/04/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Gene expression is a stochastic process involving small numbers of molecules. As a consequence, cells in a clonal population vary randomly and sometimes substantially from one another in the concentration of mRNA and protein species, a phenomenon known as gene expression noise. Previous theoretical models of gene expression noise assumed that translation is first-order (linear) in mRNA concentration, leading to unfiltered propagation of mRNA noise to the protein level. Here I consider the biological ramifications of relaxing this assumption. Specifically, I solve for the noise statistics of gene expression assuming that translation obeys hyperbolic, Michaelis-Menten kinetics with respect to mRNA concentration. I generalize previous stochastic gene expression models by allowing the kinetic order of translation, denoted here by a, to vary continuously from zero-order (a = 0), where ribosomes are fully saturated with mRNA, to first order (a = 1), where ribosomes are unsaturated and mRNA is limiting for translation. In general, hyperbolic translation acts as a high-amplitude filter of mRNA noise. This hyperbolic filtering greatly attenuates the propagation of transcriptional noise to the protein level and qualitatively changes the selective and synthetic targets of noise control. In principle, natural selection or synthetic biologists could exploit this feature to limit or amplify gene expression noise by tuning mRNA and ribosome levels to control the kinetic order of translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- J David Van Dyken
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, United States.
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46
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Miscoding-induced stalling of substrate translocation on the bacterial ribosome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:E8603-E8610. [PMID: 28973849 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1707539114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Directional transit of the ribosome along the messenger RNA (mRNA) template is a key determinant of the rate and processivity of protein synthesis. Imaging of the multistep translocation mechanism using single-molecule FRET has led to the hypothesis that substrate movements relative to the ribosome resolve through relatively long-lived late intermediates wherein peptidyl-tRNA enters the P site of the small ribosomal subunit via reversible, swivel-like motions of the small subunit head domain within the elongation factor G (GDP)-bound ribosome complex. Consistent with translocation being rate-limited by recognition and productive engagement of peptidyl-tRNA within the P site, we now show that base-pairing mismatches between the peptidyl-tRNA anticodon and the mRNA codon dramatically delay this rate-limiting, intramolecular process. This unexpected relationship between aminoacyl-tRNA decoding and translocation suggests that miscoding antibiotics may impact protein synthesis by impairing the recognition of peptidyl-tRNA in the small subunit P site during EF-G-catalyzed translocation. Strikingly, we show that elongation factor P (EF-P), traditionally known to alleviate ribosome stalling at polyproline motifs, can efficiently rescue translocation defects arising from miscoding. These findings help reveal the nature and origin of the rate-limiting steps in substrate translocation on the bacterial ribosome and indicate that EF-P can aid in resuming translation elongation stalled by miscoding errors.
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47
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Gulay SP, Bista S, Varshney A, Kirmizialtin S, Sanbonmatsu KY, Dinman JD. Tracking fluctuation hotspots on the yeast ribosome through the elongation cycle. Nucleic Acids Res 2017; 45:4958-4971. [PMID: 28334755 PMCID: PMC5416885 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkx112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2016] [Accepted: 02/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Chemical modification was used to quantitatively determine the flexibility of nearly the entire rRNA component of the yeast ribosome through 8 discrete stages of translational elongation, revealing novel observations at the gross and fine-scales. These include (i) the bulk transfer of energy through the intersubunit bridges from the large to the small subunit after peptidyltransfer, (ii) differences in the interaction of the sarcin ricin loop with the two elongation factors and (iii) networked information exchange pathways that may functionally facilitate intra- and intersubunit coordination, including the 5.8S rRNA. These analyses reveal hot spots of fluctuations that set the stage for large-scale conformational changes essential for translocation and enable the first molecular dynamics simulation of an 80S complex. Comprehensive datasets of rRNA base flexibilities provide a unique resource to the structural biology community that can be computationally mined to complement ongoing research toward the goal of understanding the dynamic ribosome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suna P Gulay
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Sujal Bista
- Department of Computer Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Amitabh Varshney
- Department of Computer Science, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Serdal Kirmizialtin
- Chemistry Program, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE.,The New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, NM 87544, USA
| | - Karissa Y Sanbonmatsu
- The New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, NM 87544, USA.,Theoretical Biology and Biophysics, Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA
| | - Jonathan D Dinman
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
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48
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Effect of Fusidic Acid on the Kinetics of Molecular Motions During EF-G-Induced Translocation on the Ribosome. Sci Rep 2017; 7:10536. [PMID: 28874811 PMCID: PMC5585275 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-10916-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The translocation step of protein synthesis entails binding and dissociation of elongation factor G (EF-G), movements of the two tRNA molecules, and motions of the ribosomal subunits. The translocation step is targeted by many antibiotics. Fusidic acid (FA), an antibiotic that blocks EF-G on the ribosome, may also interfere with some of the ribosome rearrangements, but the exact timing of inhibition remains unclear. To follow in real-time the dynamics of the ribosome–tRNA–EF-G complex, we have developed a fluorescence toolbox which allows us to monitor the key molecular motions during translocation. Here we employed six different fluorescence observables to investigate how FA affects translocation kinetics. We found that FA binds to an early translocation intermediate, but its kinetic effect on tRNA movement is small. FA does not affect the synchronous forward (counterclockwise) movements of the head and body domains of the small ribosomal subunit, but exerts a strong effect on the rates of late translocation events, i.e. backward (clockwise) swiveling of the head domain and the transit of deacylated tRNA through the E′ site, in addition to blocking EF-G dissociation. The use of ensemble kinetics and numerical integration unraveled how the antibiotic targets molecular motions within the ribosome-EF-G complex.
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49
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Kim HK, Tinoco I. EF-G catalyzed translocation dynamics in the presence of ribosomal frameshifting stimulatory signals. Nucleic Acids Res 2017; 45:2865-2874. [PMID: 27799473 PMCID: PMC5389563 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkw1020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2016] [Accepted: 10/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Programmed -1 ribosomal frameshifting (-1PRF) is tightly regulated by messenger RNA (mRNA) sequences and structures in expressing two or more proteins with precise ratios from a single mRNA. Using single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET) between (Cy5)EF-G and (Cy3)tRNALys, we studied the translational elongation dynamics of -1PRF in the Escherichia coli dnaX gene, which contains three frameshifting signals: a slippery sequence (A AAA AAG), a Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence and a downstream hairpin. The frameshift promoting signals mostly impair the EF-G-catalyzed translocation step of the two tRNALys and the slippery codons from the A- and P- sites. The hairpin acts as a road block slowing the translocation rate. The upstream SD sequence together with the hairpin promotes dissociation of futile EF-G and thus causes multiple EF-G driven translocation attempts. A slippery sequence also helps dissociation of the EF-G by providing alternative base-pairing options. These results indicate that frameshifting takes place during the repetitive ribosomal conformational changes associated with EF-G dissociation upon unsuccessful translocation attempts of the second slippage codon from the A- to the P- sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hee-Kyung Kim
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Ignacio Tinoco
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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50
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Prabhakar A, Choi J, Wang J, Petrov A, Puglisi JD. Dynamic basis of fidelity and speed in translation: Coordinated multistep mechanisms of elongation and termination. Protein Sci 2017; 26:1352-1362. [PMID: 28480640 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2017] [Accepted: 05/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
As the universal machine that transfers genetic information from RNA to protein, the ribosome synthesizes proteins with remarkably high fidelity and speed. This is a result of the accurate and efficient decoding of mRNA codons via multistep mechanisms during elongation and termination stages of translation. These mechanisms control how the correct sense codon is recognized by a tRNA for peptide elongation, how the next codon is presented to the decoding center without change of frame during translocation, and how the stop codon is discriminated for timely release of the nascent peptide. These processes occur efficiently through coupling of chemical energy expenditure, ligand interactions, and conformational changes. Understanding this coupling in detail required integration of many techniques that were developed in the past two decades. This multidisciplinary approach has revealed the dynamic nature of translational control and uncovered how external cellular factors such as tRNA abundance and mRNA modifications affect the synthesis of the protein product. Insights from these studies will aid synthetic biology and therapeutic approaches to translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arjun Prabhakar
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, 94305.,Program in Biophysics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 94305
| | - Junhong Choi
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, 94305.,Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 94305
| | - Jinfan Wang
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, 94305
| | - Alexey Petrov
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, 94305
| | - Joseph D Puglisi
- Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, 94305
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