1
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Jiao C, Peeck NL, Yu J, Ghaem Maghami M, Kono S, Collias D, Martinez Diaz SL, Larose R, Beisel CL. TracrRNA reprogramming enables direct PAM-independent detection of RNA with diverse DNA-targeting Cas12 nucleases. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5909. [PMID: 39003282 PMCID: PMC11246509 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50243-x] [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: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Many CRISPR-Cas immune systems generate guide (g)RNAs using trans-activating CRISPR RNAs (tracrRNAs). Recent work revealed that Cas9 tracrRNAs could be reprogrammed to convert any RNA-of-interest into a gRNA, linking the RNA's presence to Cas9-mediated cleavage of double-stranded (ds)DNA. Here, we reprogram tracrRNAs from diverse Cas12 nucleases, linking the presence of an RNA-of-interest to dsDNA cleavage and subsequent collateral single-stranded DNA cleavage-all without the RNA necessarily encoding a protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM). After elucidating nuclease-specific design rules, we demonstrate PAM-independent RNA detection with Cas12b, Cas12e, and Cas12f nucleases. Furthermore, rationally truncating the dsDNA target boosts collateral cleavage activity, while the absence of a gRNA reduces background collateral activity and enhances sensitivity. Finally, we apply this platform to detect 16 S rRNA sequences from five different bacterial pathogens using a universal reprogrammed tracrRNA. These findings extend tracrRNA reprogramming to diverse dsDNA-targeting Cas12 nucleases, expanding the flexibility and versatility of CRISPR-based RNA detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunlei Jiao
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz-Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Würzburg, Germany
| | - Natalia L Peeck
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz-Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Würzburg, Germany
| | - Jiaqi Yu
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz-Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Würzburg, Germany
| | - Mohammad Ghaem Maghami
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz-Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Würzburg, Germany
| | - Sarah Kono
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz-Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Würzburg, Germany
| | - Daphne Collias
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz-Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Würzburg, Germany
| | - Sandra L Martinez Diaz
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz-Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Würzburg, Germany
| | - Rachael Larose
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz-Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Würzburg, Germany
| | - Chase L Beisel
- Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI), Helmholtz-Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Würzburg, Germany.
- Medical Faculty, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
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2
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Tiwari G, Mishra VK, Khanna A, Tyagi R, Sagar R. Synthesis of Chirally Enriched Pyrazolylpyrimidinone-Based Glycohybrids via Annulation of Glycals with 2-Hydrazineylpyrimidin-4(3 H)-ones. J Org Chem 2024; 89:5000-5009. [PMID: 38471017 DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.4c00211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
A new strategy for synthesizing chirally enriched pyrazolylpyrimidinone-based glycohybrids has been achieved, employing an annulation approach in ethanol without any additives or catalysts under microwave conditions. The designed compounds were obtained within a short reaction time (5 min). This method offers several advantages, including mild reaction conditions, a green solvent, and a metal-free approach. Furthermore, the protocol demonstrated a broad substrate scope, successfully incorporating various functional groups with stereochemical diversity and furnishing chirally enriched molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghanshyam Tiwari
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India
| | - Vinay Kumar Mishra
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India
| | - Ashish Khanna
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India
| | - Rajdeep Tyagi
- Glycochemistry Laboratory, School of Physical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
| | - Ram Sagar
- Department of Chemistry, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India
- Glycochemistry Laboratory, School of Physical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India
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3
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Faison EM, Nallathambi A, Zhang Q. Characterizing Protonation-Coupled Conformational Ensembles in RNA via pH-Differential Mutational Profiling with DMS Probing. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:18773-18777. [PMID: 37582279 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c07736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
RNA molecules undergo conformational transitions in response to cellular and environmental stimuli. Site-specific protonation, a fundamental chemical property, can alter the conformational landscape of RNA to regulate their functions. However, characterizing protonation-coupled RNA conformational ensembles on a large scale remains challenging. Here, we present pH-differential mutational profiling (PD-MaP) with dimethyl sulfate probing for high-throughput detection of protonation-coupled conformational ensembles in RNA. We demonstrated this approach on microRNA-21 precursor (pre-miR-21) and recapitulated a previously discovered A+-G-coupled conformational ensemble. Additionally, we identified a secondary protonation event involving an A+-C mismatch. We validated the occurrence of both protonation-coupled ensembles in pre-miR-21 using NMR relaxation dispersion spectroscopy. Furthermore, the application of PD-MaP on a library of well-annotated human primary microRNAs uncovered widespread protonation-coupled conformational ensembles, suggesting their potentially broad functions in biology.
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4
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NARall: a novel tool for reconstruction of the all-atom structure of nucleic acids from heavily coarse-grained model. CHEMICAL PAPERS 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11696-022-02634-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
AbstractNucleic acids are one of the most important cellular components. These molecules have been studied both experimentally and theoretically. As all-atom simulations are still limited to short time scales, coarse-grain modeling allows to study of those molecules on a longer time scale. Nucleic-Acid united RESidue (NARES-2P) is a low-resolution coarse-grained model with two centers of interaction per repeating unit. It has been successfully applied to study DNA self-assembly and telomeric properties. This force field enables the study of nucleic acids Behavior on a long time scale but lacks atomistic details. In this article, we present new software to reconstruct atomistic details from the NARES-2P model. It has been applied to RNA pseudoknot, nucleic acid four-way junction, G-quadruplex and DNA duplex converted to NARES-2P model and back. Moreover, it was applied to DNA structure folded and self-assembled with NARES-2P.
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5
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Fajkus P, Adámik M, Nelson ADL, Kilar AM, Franek M, Bubeník M, Frydrychová RČ, Votavová A, Sýkorová E, Fajkus J, Peška V. Telomerase RNA in Hymenoptera (Insecta) switched to plant/ciliate-like biogenesis. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 51:420-433. [PMID: 36546771 PMCID: PMC9841428 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac1202] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In contrast to the catalytic subunit of telomerase, its RNA subunit (TR) is highly divergent in size, sequence and biogenesis pathways across eukaryotes. Current views on TR evolution assume a common origin of TRs transcribed with RNA polymerase II in Opisthokonta (the supergroup including Animalia and Fungi) and Trypanosomida on one hand, and TRs transcribed with RNA polymerase III under the control of type 3 promoter, found in TSAR and Archaeplastida supergroups (including e.g. ciliates and Viridiplantae taxa, respectively). Here, we focus on unknown TRs in one of the largest Animalia order - Hymenoptera (Arthropoda) with more than 300 available representative genomes. Using a combination of bioinformatic and experimental approaches, we identify their TRs. In contrast to the presumed type of TRs (H/ACA box snoRNAs transcribed with RNA Polymerase II) corresponding to their phylogenetic position, we find here short TRs of the snRNA type, likely transcribed with RNA polymerase III under the control of the type 3 promoter. The newly described insect TRs thus question the hitherto assumed monophyletic origin of TRs across Animalia and point to an evolutionary switch in TR type and biogenesis that was associated with the divergence of Arthropods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petr Fajkus
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +420 41517183;
| | - Matej Adámik
- Department of Cell Biology and Radiobiology, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno CZ-61265, Czech Republic
| | - Andrew D L Nelson
- The Boyce Thompson Institute, Cornell University, 533 Tower Road, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Agata M Kilar
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, CEITEC Masaryk University, Brno CZ-62500, Czech Republic,Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, NCBR, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno CZ-61137, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Franek
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, CEITEC Masaryk University, Brno CZ-62500, Czech Republic
| | - Michal Bubeník
- Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, NCBR, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno CZ-61137, Czech Republic
| | - Radmila Čapková Frydrychová
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice CZ-37005, Czech Republic
| | - Alena Votavová
- Agricultural Research, Ltd., Troubsko, CZ-664 41, Czech Republic
| | - Eva Sýkorová
- Department of Cell Biology and Radiobiology, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno CZ-61265, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Fajkus
- Correspondence may also be addressed to Jiří Fajkus. Tel: +420 549494003;
| | - Vratislav Peška
- Correspondence may also be addressed to Vratislav Peška. Tel: +420 541517183;
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6
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Zhang J, Fakharzadeh A, Roland C, Sagui C. RNA as a Major-Groove Ligand: RNA-RNA and RNA-DNA Triplexes Formed by GAA and UUC or TTC Sequences. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:38728-38743. [PMID: 36340174 PMCID: PMC9631886 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c04358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Friedreich's ataxia is associated with noncanonical nucleic acid structures that emerge when GAA:TTC repeats in the first intron of the FXN gene expand beyond a critical number of repeats. Specifically, the noncanonical repeats are associated with both triplexes and R-loops. Here, we present an in silico investigation of all possible triplexes that form by attaching a third RNA strand to an RNA:RNA or DNA:DNA duplex, complementing previous DNA-based triplex studies. For both new triplexes results are similar. For a pyridimine UUC+ third strand, the parallel orientation is stable while its antiparallel counterpart is unstable. For a neutral GAA third strand, the parallel conformation is stable. A protonated GA+A third strand is stable in both parallel and antiparallel orientations. We have also investigated Na+ and Mg2+ ion distributions around the triplexes. The presence of Mg2+ ions helps stabilize neutral, antiparallel GAA triplexes. These results (along with previous DNA-based studies) allow for the emergence of a complete picture of the stability and structural characteristics of triplexes based on the GAA and TTC/UUC sequences, thereby contributing to the field of trinucleotide repeats and the associated unusual structures that trigger expansion.
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7
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Functional Interactions of Kluyveromyces lactis Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase with the Three-Way Junction and the Template Domains of Telomerase RNA. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231810757. [PMID: 36142669 PMCID: PMC9504884 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231810757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The ribonucleoprotein telomerase contains two essential components: telomerase RNA (TER) and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT, Est2 in yeast). A small portion of TER, termed the template, is copied by TERT onto the chromosome ends, thus compensating for sequence loss due to incomplete DNA replication and nuclease action. Although telomerase RNA is highly divergent in sequence and length across fungi and mammals, structural motifs essential for telomerase function are conserved. Here, we show that Est2 from the budding yeast Kluyveromyces lactis (klEst2) binds specifically to an essential three-way junction (TWJ) structure in K. lactis TER, which shares a conserved structure and sequence features with the essential CR4-CR5 domain of vertebrate telomerase RNA. klEst2 also binds specifically to the template domain, independently and mutually exclusive of its interaction with TWJ. Furthermore, we present the high-resolution structure of the klEst2 telomerase RNA-binding domain (klTRBD). Mutations introduced in vivo in klTRBD based on the solved structure or in TWJ based on its predicted RNA structure caused severe telomere shortening. These results demonstrate the conservation and importance of these domains and the multiple protein–RNA interactions between Est2 and TER for telomerase function.
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8
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Chen YL, He W, Kirmizialtin S, Pollack L. Insights into the structural stability of major groove RNA triplexes by WAXS-guided MD simulations. CELL REPORTS. PHYSICAL SCIENCE 2022; 3:100971. [PMID: 35936555 PMCID: PMC9351628 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2022.100971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
RNA triple helices are commonly observed tertiary motifs that are associated with critical biological functions, including signal transduction. Because the recognition of their biological importance is relatively recent, their full range of structural properties has not yet been elucidated. The integration of solution wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, described here, provides a new way to capture the structures of major-groove RNA triplexes that evade crystallographic characterization. This method yields excellent agreement between measured and computed WAXS profiles and allows for an atomically detailed visualization of these motifs. Using correlation maps, the relationship between well-defined features in the scattering profiles and real space characteristics of RNA molecules is defined, including the subtle conformational variations in the double-stranded RNA upon the incorporation of a third strand by base triples. This readily applicable approach has the potential to provide insight into interactions that stabilize RNA tertiary structure that enables function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yen-Lin Chen
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- These authors contributed equally
| | - Weiwei He
- Department of Chemistry, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA
- Chemistry Program, Science Division, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, UAE
- These authors contributed equally
| | - Serdal Kirmizialtin
- Chemistry Program, Science Division, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi 129188, UAE
| | - Lois Pollack
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Lead contact
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9
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Song J, Castillo-González C, Ma Z, Shippen DE. Arabidopsis retains vertebrate-type telomerase accessory proteins via a plant-specific assembly. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:9496-9507. [PMID: 34403479 PMCID: PMC8450087 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab699] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The recent discovery of the bona-fide telomerase RNA (TR) from plants reveals conserved and unique secondary structure elements and the opportunity for new insight into the telomerase RNP. Here we examine how two highly conserved proteins previously implicated in Arabidopsis telomere maintenance, AtPOT1a and AtNAP57 (dyskerin), engage plant telomerase. We report that AtPOT1a associates with Arabidopsis telomerase via interaction with TERT. While loss of AtPOT1a does not impact AtTR stability, the templating domain is more accessible in pot1a mutants, supporting the conclusion that AtPOT1a stimulates telomerase activity but does not facilitate telomerase RNP assembly. We also show, that despite the absence of a canonical H/ACA binding motif within AtTR, dyskerin binds AtTR with high affinity and specificity in vitro via a plant specific three-way junction (TWJ). A core element of the TWJ is the P1a stem, which unites the 5′ and 3′ ends of AtTR. P1a is required for dyskerin-mediated stimulation of telomerase repeat addition processivity in vitro, and for AtTR accumulation and telomerase activity in vivo. The deployment of vertebrate-like accessory proteins and unique RNA structural elements by Arabidopsis telomerase provides a new platform for exploring telomerase biogenesis and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiarui Song
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2128, USA
| | - Claudia Castillo-González
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2128, USA
| | - Zeyang Ma
- National Maize Improvement Center of China, China Agricultural University, 100193 Beijing, China
- College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University, 100193 Beijing, China
| | - Dorothy E Shippen
- To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +1 979 862 2342; Fax: +1 979 862 7638;
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10
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Fajkus P, Kilar A, Nelson ADL, Holá M, Peška V, Goffová I, Fojtová M, Zachová D, Fulnečková J, Fajkus J. Evolution of plant telomerase RNAs: farther to the past, deeper to the roots. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:7680-7694. [PMID: 34181710 PMCID: PMC8287931 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The enormous sequence heterogeneity of telomerase RNA (TR) subunits has thus far complicated their characterization in a wider phylogenetic range. Our recent finding that land plant TRs are, similarly to known ciliate TRs, transcribed by RNA polymerase III and under the control of the type-3 promoter, allowed us to design a novel strategy to characterize TRs in early diverging Viridiplantae taxa, as well as in ciliates and other Diaphoretickes lineages. Starting with the characterization of the upstream sequence element of the type 3 promoter that is conserved in a number of small nuclear RNAs, and the expected minimum TR template region as search features, we identified candidate TRs in selected Diaphoretickes genomes. Homologous TRs were then used to build covariance models to identify TRs in more distant species. Transcripts of the identified TRs were confirmed by transcriptomic data, RT-PCR and Northern hybridization. A templating role for one of our candidates was validated in Physcomitrium patens. Analysis of secondary structure demonstrated a deep conservation of motifs (pseudoknot and template boundary element) observed in all published TRs. These results elucidate the evolution of the earliest eukaryotic TRs, linking the common origin of TRs across Diaphoretickes, and underlying evolutionary transitions in telomere repeats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petr Fajkus
- Department of Cell Biology and Radiobiology, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno CZ-61265, Czech Republic.,Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, CEITEC Masaryk University, Brno CZ-62500, Czech Republic
| | - Agata Kilar
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, CEITEC Masaryk University, Brno CZ-62500, Czech Republic.,Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, NCBR, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno CZ-61137, Czech Republic
| | | | - Marcela Holá
- Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague CZ-16000, Czech Republic
| | - Vratislav Peška
- Department of Cell Biology and Radiobiology, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno CZ-61265, Czech Republic
| | - Ivana Goffová
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, CEITEC Masaryk University, Brno CZ-62500, Czech Republic.,Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, NCBR, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno CZ-61137, Czech Republic
| | - Miloslava Fojtová
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, CEITEC Masaryk University, Brno CZ-62500, Czech Republic.,Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, NCBR, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno CZ-61137, Czech Republic
| | - Dagmar Zachová
- Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, CEITEC Masaryk University, Brno CZ-62500, Czech Republic
| | - Jana Fulnečková
- Department of Cell Biology and Radiobiology, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno CZ-61265, Czech Republic
| | - Jiří Fajkus
- Department of Cell Biology and Radiobiology, Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno CZ-61265, Czech Republic.,Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics, CEITEC Masaryk University, Brno CZ-62500, Czech Republic.,Laboratory of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, NCBR, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno CZ-61137, Czech Republic
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11
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Ruszkowska A, Ruszkowski M, Hulewicz JP, Dauter Z, Brown JA. Molecular structure of a U•A-U-rich RNA triple helix with 11 consecutive base triples. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:3304-3314. [PMID: 31930330 PMCID: PMC7102945 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz1222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Revised: 12/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Three-dimensional structures have been solved for several naturally occurring RNA triple helices, although all are limited to six or fewer consecutive base triples, hindering accurate estimation of global and local structural parameters. We present an X-ray crystal structure of a right-handed, U•A-U-rich RNA triple helix with 11 continuous base triples. Due to helical unwinding, the RNA triple helix spans an average of 12 base triples per turn. The double helix portion of the RNA triple helix is more similar to both the helical and base step structural parameters of A′-RNA rather than A-RNA. Its most striking features are its wide and deep major groove, a smaller inclination angle and all three strands favoring a C3′-endo sugar pucker. Despite the presence of a third strand, the diameter of an RNA triple helix remains nearly identical to those of DNA and RNA double helices. Contrary to our previous modeling predictions, this structure demonstrates that an RNA triple helix is not limited in length to six consecutive base triples and that longer RNA triple helices may exist in nature. Our structure provides a starting point to establish structural parameters of the so-called ‘ideal’ RNA triple helix, analogous to A-RNA and B-DNA double helices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnieszka Ruszkowska
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA
| | - Milosz Ruszkowski
- Synchrotron Radiation Research Section of MCL, National Cancer Institute, Argonne, IL 60439 USA
| | - Jacob P Hulewicz
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA
| | - Zbigniew Dauter
- Synchrotron Radiation Research Section of MCL, National Cancer Institute, Argonne, IL 60439 USA
| | - Jessica A Brown
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA
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12
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Brown JA. Unraveling the structure and biological functions of RNA triple helices. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2020; 11:e1598. [PMID: 32441456 PMCID: PMC7583470 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
It has been nearly 63 years since the first characterization of an RNA triple helix in vitro by Gary Felsenfeld, David Davies, and Alexander Rich. An RNA triple helix consists of three strands: A Watson–Crick RNA double helix whose major‐groove establishes hydrogen bonds with the so‐called “third strand”. In the past 15 years, it has been recognized that these major‐groove RNA triple helices, like single‐stranded and double‐stranded RNA, also mediate prominent biological roles inside cells. Thus far, these triple helices are known to mediate catalysis during telomere synthesis and RNA splicing, bind to ligands and ions so that metabolite‐sensing riboswitches can regulate gene expression, and provide a clever strategy to protect the 3′ end of RNA from degradation. Because RNA triple helices play important roles in biology, there is a renewed interest in better understanding the fundamental properties of RNA triple helices and developing methods for their high‐throughput discovery. This review provides an overview of the fundamental biochemical and structural properties of major‐groove RNA triple helices, summarizes the structure and function of naturally occurring RNA triple helices, and describes prospective strategies to isolate RNA triple helices as a means to establish the “triplexome”. This article is categorized under:RNA Structure and Dynamics > RNA Structure and Dynamics RNA Structure and Dynamics > RNA Structure, Dynamics and Chemistry RNA Structure and Dynamics > Influence of RNA Structure in Biological Systems
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Brown
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
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13
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Abstract
RNA molecules fold into complex three-dimensional structures that sample alternate conformations ranging from minor differences in tertiary structure dynamics to major differences in secondary structure. This allows them to form entirely different substructures with each population potentially giving rise to a distinct biological outcome. The substructures can be partitioned along an existing energy landscape given a particular static cellular cue or can be shifted in response to dynamic cues such as ligand binding. We review a few key examples of RNA molecules that sample alternate conformations and how these are capitalized on for control of critical regulatory functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Teng-Pei Wu
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
| | - Victoria D'Souza
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
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14
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Bhunia S, Kumar A, Ojha AK. Tuning of structural and magnetic properties by intriguing radical-radical interaction by double electron oxidation in U-A-U′ triplex formation. Chem Phys 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chemphys.2019.110527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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15
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Wang Y, Sušac L, Feigon J. Structural Biology of Telomerase. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2019; 11:cshperspect.a032383. [PMID: 31451513 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a032383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Telomerase is a DNA polymerase that extends the 3' ends of chromosomes by processively synthesizing multiple telomeric repeats. It is a unique ribonucleoprotein (RNP) containing a specialized telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and telomerase RNA (TER) with its own template and other elements required with TERT for activity (catalytic core), as well as species-specific TER-binding proteins important for biogenesis and assembly (core RNP); other proteins bind telomerase transiently or constitutively to allow association of telomerase and other proteins with telomere ends for regulation of DNA synthesis. Here we describe how nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography of TER and protein domains helped define the structure and function of the core RNP, laying the groundwork for interpreting negative-stain and cryo electron microscopy (cryo-EM) density maps of Tetrahymena thermophila and human telomerase holoenzymes. As the resolution has improved from ∼30 Å to ∼5 Å, these studies have provided increasingly detailed information on telomerase architecture and mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaqiang Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California 90095-1569
| | - Lukas Sušac
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California 90095-1569
| | - Juli Feigon
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, California 90095-1569
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16
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Jansson LI, Stone MD. Single-Molecule Analysis of Reverse Transcriptase Enzymes. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2019; 11:11/9/a032458. [PMID: 31481455 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a032458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The original discovery of enzymes that synthesize DNA using an RNA template appeared to contradict the central dogma of biology, in which information is transferred, in a unidirectional way, from DNA genes into RNA molecules. The paradigm-shifting discovery of RNA-dependent DNA polymerases, also called reverse transcriptases (RTs), reshaped existing views for how cells function; however, the scope of the impact RTs impose on biology had yet to be realized. In the decades of research since the early 1970s, the biomedical and biotechnological significance of retroviral RTs, as well as the evolutionarily related telomerase enzyme, has become exceedingly clear. One common theme that has emerged in the course of RT-related research is the central role of nucleic acid binding and dynamics during enzyme function. However, directly interrogating these dynamic properties is challenging because of the stochastic properties of biological macromolecules. In this review, we describe how the development of single-molecule biophysical techniques has opened new windows through which to observe the dynamic behavior of this remarkable class of enzymes. Specifically, we focus on how the powerful single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) method has been exploited to study the structure and function of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RT and telomerase ribonucleoprotein (RNP) enzymes. These exciting studies have refined our understanding of RT catalysis, have revealed unforeseen structural rearrangements between RTs and their nucleic acid substrates, and have helped to characterize the mode of action of RT-inhibiting drugs. We conclude with a discussion of how the ongoing development of single-molecule technologies will continue to empower researchers to probe RT mechanisms in new and exciting ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linnea I Jansson
- Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064.,The Center for Molecular Biology of RNA, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064
| | - Michael D Stone
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064.,The Center for Molecular Biology of RNA, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064
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17
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Ageeli AA, McGovern-Gooch KR, Kaminska MM, Baird NJ. Finely tuned conformational dynamics regulate the protective function of the lncRNA MALAT1 triple helix. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:1468-1481. [PMID: 30462290 PMCID: PMC6379651 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky1171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2018] [Revised: 10/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Nucleic acid triplexes may regulate many important biological processes. Persistent accumulation of the oncogenic 7-kb long noncoding RNA MALAT1 is dependent on an unusually long intramolecular triple helix. This triplex structure is positioned within a conserved ENE (element for nuclear expression) motif at the lncRNA 3′ terminus and protects the entire transcript from degradation in a polyA-independent manner. A requisite 3′ maturation step leads to triplex formation though the precise mechanism of triplex folding remains unclear. Furthermore, the contributions of several peripheral structural elements to triplex formation and protective function have not been determined. We evaluated the stability, conformational fluctuations, and function of this MALAT1 ENE triple helix (M1TH) protective element using in vitro mutational analyses coupled with biochemical and biophysical characterizations. Using fluorescence and UV melts, FRET, and an exonucleolytic decay assay we define a concerted mechanism for triplex formation and uncover a metastable, dynamic triplex population under near-physiological conditions. Structural elements surrounding the triplex regulate the dynamic M1TH conformational variability, but increased triplex dynamics lead to M1TH degradation. Taken together, we suggest that finely tuned dynamics may be a general mechanism regulating triplex-mediated functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abeer A Ageeli
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, PA 19143, USA
| | | | - Magdalena M Kaminska
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, PA 19143, USA
| | - Nathan J Baird
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, PA 19143, USA
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18
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DNA·RNA triple helix formation can function as a cis-acting regulatory mechanism at the human β-globin locus. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:6130-6139. [PMID: 30867287 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1900107116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
We have identified regulatory mechanisms in which an RNA transcript forms a DNA duplex·RNA triple helix with a gene or one of its regulatory elements, suggesting potential auto-regulatory mechanisms in vivo. We describe an interaction at the human β-globin locus, in which an RNA segment embedded in the second intron of the β-globin gene forms a DNA·RNA triplex with the HS2 sequence within the β-globin locus control region, a major regulator of globin expression. We show in human K562 cells that the triplex is stable in vivo. Its formation causes displacement from HS2 of major transcription factors and RNA Polymerase II, and consequently in loss of factors and polymerase that bind to the human ε- and γ-globin promoters, which are activated by HS2 in K562 cells. This results in reduced expression of these genes. These effects are observed when a small length of triplex-forming RNA is introduced into cells, or when a full-length intron-containing human β-globin transcript is expressed. Related results are obtained in human umbilical cord blood-derived erythroid progenitor-2 cells, in which β-globin expression is similarly affected by triplex formation. These results suggest a model in which RNAs conforming to the strict sequence rules for DNA·RNA triplex formation may participate in feedback regulation of genes in cis.
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19
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Keller H, Weickhmann AK, Bock T, Wöhnert J. Adenine protonation enables cyclic-di-GMP binding to cyclic-GAMP sensing riboswitches. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2018; 24:1390-1402. [PMID: 30006500 PMCID: PMC6140456 DOI: 10.1261/rna.067470.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/09/2018] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
In certain structural or functional contexts, RNA structures can contain protonated nucleotides. However, a direct role for stably protonated nucleotides in ligand binding and ligand recognition has not yet been demonstrated unambiguously. Previous X-ray structures of c-GAMP binding riboswitch aptamer domains in complex with their near-cognate ligand c-di-GMP suggest that an adenine of the riboswitch either forms two hydrogen bonds to a G nucleotide of the ligand in the unusual enol tautomeric form or that the adenine in its N1 protonated form binds the G nucleotide of the ligand in its canonical keto tautomeric state. By using NMR spectroscopy we demonstrate that the c-GAMP riboswitches bind c-di-GMP using a stably protonated adenine in the ligand binding pocket. Thereby, we provide novel insights into the putative biological functions of protonated nucleotides in RNA, which in this case influence the ligand selectivity in a riboswitch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heiko Keller
- Institute for Molecular Biosciences and Center of Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance (BMRZ), Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - A Katharina Weickhmann
- Institute for Molecular Biosciences and Center of Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance (BMRZ), Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Thomas Bock
- Institute for Molecular Biosciences and Center of Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance (BMRZ), Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Jens Wöhnert
- Institute for Molecular Biosciences and Center of Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance (BMRZ), Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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20
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Fischer NM, Polêto MD, Steuer J, van der Spoel D. Influence of Na+ and Mg2+ ions on RNA structures studied with molecular dynamics simulations. Nucleic Acids Res 2018; 46:4872-4882. [PMID: 29718375 PMCID: PMC6007214 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2017] [Revised: 02/16/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The structure of ribonucleic acid (RNA) polymers is strongly dependent on the presence of, in particular Mg2+ cations to stabilize structural features. Only in high-resolution X-ray crystallography structures can ions be identified reliably. Here, we perform molecular dynamics simulations of 24 RNA structures with varying ion concentrations. Twelve of the structures were helical and the others complex folded. The aim of the study is to predict ion positions but also to evaluate the impact of different types of ions (Na+ or Mg2+) and the ionic strength on structural stability and variations of RNA. As a general conclusion Mg2+ is found to conserve the experimental structure better than Na+ and, where experimental ion positions are available, they can be reproduced with reasonable accuracy. If a large surplus of ions is present the added electrostatic screening makes prediction of binding-sites less reproducible. Distinct differences in ion-binding between helical and complex folded structures are found. The strength of binding (ΔG‡ for breaking RNA atom-ion interactions) is found to differ between roughly 10 and 26 kJ/mol for the different RNA atoms. Differences in stability between helical and complex folded structures and of the influence of metal ions on either are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina M Fischer
- Uppsala Centre for Computational Chemistry, Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Husargatan 3, Box 596, SE-75124 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Marcelo D Polêto
- Uppsala Centre for Computational Chemistry, Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Husargatan 3, Box 596, SE-75124 Uppsala, Sweden
- Center of Biotechnology, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Bento Gonçalves 9500, BR-91500-970 Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Jakob Steuer
- Uppsala Centre for Computational Chemistry, Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Husargatan 3, Box 596, SE-75124 Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Chemistry, University of Konstanz, Universitätstraße 10, D-78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - David van der Spoel
- Uppsala Centre for Computational Chemistry, Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Husargatan 3, Box 596, SE-75124 Uppsala, Sweden
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21
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Current Perspectives of Telomerase Structure and Function in Eukaryotes with Emerging Views on Telomerase in Human Parasites. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19020333. [PMID: 29364142 PMCID: PMC5855555 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19020333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2017] [Revised: 01/10/2018] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Replicative capacity of a cell is strongly correlated with telomere length regulation. Aberrant lengthening or reduction in the length of telomeres can lead to health anomalies, such as cancer or premature aging. Telomerase is a master regulator for maintaining replicative potential in most eukaryotic cells. It does so by controlling telomere length at chromosome ends. Akin to cancer cells, most single-cell eukaryotic pathogens are highly proliferative and require persistent telomerase activity to maintain constant length of telomere and propagation within their host. Although telomerase is key to unlimited cellular proliferation in both cases, not much was known about the role of telomerase in human parasites (malaria, Trypanosoma, etc.) until recently. Since telomerase regulation is mediated via its own structural components, interactions with catalytic reverse transcriptase and several factors that can recruit and assemble telomerase to telomeres in a cell cycle-dependent manner, we compare and discuss here recent findings in telomerase biology in cancer, aging and parasitic diseases to give a broader perspective of telomerase function in human diseases.
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22
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Abstract
Dynamic programming methods for predicting RNA secondary structure often use thermodynamics and experimental restraints and/or constraints to limit folding space. Chemical mapping results typically restrain certain nucleotides not to be in AU or GC pairs. Two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra can reveal the order of AU, GC, and GU pairs in double helixes. This chapter describes a program, NMR-assisted prediction of secondary structure and chemical shifts (NAPSS-CS), that constrains possible secondary structures on the basis of the NMR determined order and 5'-3' direction of AU, GC, and GU pairs in helixes. NAPSS-CS minimally requires input of the order of base pairs as determined from nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY) of imino protons. The program deduces the 5'-3' direction of the base pairs if certain chemical shifts are also input. Secondary structures predicted by the program provide assignments of input chemical shifts to particular nucleotides in the sequence, thus facilitating an important step for determination of the three dimensional structure by NMR. The method is particularly useful for revealing pseudoknots and an example is provided. The method may also allow determination of secondary structures when a sequence folds into two structures that exchange slowly.
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23
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Wang Y, Feigon J. Structural biology of telomerase and its interaction at telomeres. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2017; 47:77-87. [PMID: 28732250 PMCID: PMC5564310 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2017.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2017] [Accepted: 06/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Telomerase is an RNP that synthesizes the 3' ends of linear chromosomes and is an important regulator of telomere length. It contains a single long non-coding telomerase RNA (TER), telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), and other proteins that vary among organisms. Recent progress in structural biology of telomerase includes reports of the first cryo-electron microscopy structure of telomerase, from Tetrahymena, new crystal structures of TERT domains, telomerase RNA structures and models, and identification in Tetrahymena telomerase holoenzyme of human homologues of telomere-associated proteins that have provided a more unified view of telomerase interaction at telomeres as well as insights into the role of telomerase RNA in activity and assembly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaqiang Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1569, USA
| | - Juli Feigon
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1569, USA.
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24
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Musgrove C, Jansson LI, Stone MD. New perspectives on telomerase RNA structure and function. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2017; 9. [PMID: 29124890 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2017] [Revised: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 09/18/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Telomerase is an ancient ribonucleoprotein (RNP) that protects the ends of linear chromosomes from the loss of critical coding sequences through repetitive addition of short DNA sequences. These repeats comprise the telomere, which together with many accessory proteins, protect chromosomal ends from degradation and unwanted DNA repair. Telomerase is a unique reverse transcriptase (RT) that carries its own RNA to use as a template for repeat addition. Over decades of research, it has become clear that there are many diverse, crucial functions played by telomerase RNA beyond simply acting as a template. In this review, we highlight recent findings in three model systems: ciliates, yeast and vertebrates, that have shifted the way the field views the structural and mechanistic role(s) of RNA within the functional telomerase RNP complex. Viewed in this light, we hope to demonstrate that while telomerase RNA is just one example of the myriad functional RNA in the cell, insights into its structure and mechanism have wide-ranging impacts. WIREs RNA 2018, 9:e1456. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1456 This article is categorized under: RNA Structure and Dynamics > Influence of RNA Structure in Biological Systems RNA Structure and Dynamics > RNA Structure, Dynamics and Chemistry RNA Evolution and Genomics > RNA and Ribonucleoprotein Evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cherie Musgrove
- Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Linnea I Jansson
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Michael D Stone
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.,Center for Molecular Biology of RNA, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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25
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Spencer M, Max N, Ireland J, Zou Z, Wang R, Sun P. Over-expression of a human CD62L ecto-domain and a potential role of RNA pseudoknot structures in recombinant protein expression. Protein Expr Purif 2017; 140:65-73. [PMID: 28842197 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2017.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2016] [Revised: 08/18/2017] [Accepted: 08/21/2017] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
L-selectin (CD62L) is an extracellular protein with a lectin-like domain that mediates rolling adhesion of leukocytes to vascular endothelial cell surfaces. Currently, there are no solved structures for the ectodomain of CD62L, nor of CD62L in complex with its ligand. We have developed a rapid mammalian recombinant protein expression system using an amplifiable glutamine synthase based vector. Here, we further developed and applied this method to express and purify the entire extracellular region of CD62L. This resulted in excess of 20 mg/L yield of recombinant CD62L. In an attempt to understand the different expression levels among four similar CD62L constructs that differ primarily in signal sequences, we calculated the presence of potential RNA pseudoknots in their signal sequences. The results showed the presence of pseudoknots involving the start codon and between the signal sequence and gene in the mRNA of the non-expressing constructs, suggesting a potential inhibitory role of RNA pseudoknots in recombinant protein expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Spencer
- Structural Immunology Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 12441 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, MD 20852, United States
| | - Nathan Max
- Structural Immunology Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 12441 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, MD 20852, United States
| | - Joanna Ireland
- Structural Immunology Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 12441 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, MD 20852, United States
| | - Zhongcheng Zou
- Structural Immunology Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 12441 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, MD 20852, United States
| | - Ruipeng Wang
- Structural Immunology Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 12441 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, MD 20852, United States
| | - Peter Sun
- Structural Immunology Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 12441 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, MD 20852, United States.
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26
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Abstract
Telomerase is an RNA-protein complex that extends the 3' ends of linear chromosomes, using a unique telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and template in the telomerase RNA (TR), thereby helping to maintain genome integrity. TR assembles with TERT and species-specific proteins, and telomerase function in vivo requires interaction with telomere-associated proteins. Over the past two decades, structures of domains of TR and TERT as well as other telomerase- and telomere-interacting proteins have provided insights into telomerase function. A recently reported 9-Å cryo-electron microscopy map of the Tetrahymena telomerase holoenzyme has provided a framework for understanding how TR, TERT, and other proteins from ciliate as well as vertebrate telomerase fit and function together as well as unexpected insight into telomerase interaction at telomeres. Here we review progress in understanding the structural basis of human and Tetrahymena telomerase activity, assembly, and interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry Chan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1569; , ,
| | - Yaqiang Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1569; , ,
| | - Juli Feigon
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1569; , ,
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27
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Zou Z, Misasi J, Sullivan N, Sun PD. Overexpression of Ebola virus envelope GP1 protein. Protein Expr Purif 2017; 135:45-53. [PMID: 28458053 DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2017.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2016] [Revised: 04/18/2017] [Accepted: 04/19/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Ebola virus uses its envelope GP1 and GP2 for viral attachment and entry into host cells. Due to technical difficulty expressing full-length envelope, many structural and functional studies of Ebola envelope protein have been carried out primarily using GP1 lacking its mucin-like domain. As a result, the viral invasion mechanisms involving the mucin-like domain are not fully understood. To elucidate the role of the mucin-like domain of GP1 in Ebola-host attachment and infection and to facilitate vaccine development, we constructed a GP1 expression vector containing the entire attachment region (1-496). Cysteine 53 of GP1, which forms a disulfide bond with GP2, was mutated to serine to avoid potential disulfide bond mispairing. Stable expression clones using codon optimized open reading frame were developed in human 293-H cells with yields reaching ∼25 mg of GP1 protein per liter of spent medium. Purified GP1 was functional and bound to Ebola attachment receptors, DC-SIGN and DC-SIGNR. The over-expression and easy purification characteristic of this system has implications in Ebola research and vaccine development. To further understand the differential expression yields between the codon optimized and native GP1, we analyzed the presence of RNA structural motifs in the first 100 nucleotides of translational initiation AUG site. RNA structural prediction showed the codon optimization removed two potential RNA pseudoknot structures. This methodology is also applicable to the expression of other difficult virus envelope proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongcheng Zou
- Structural Immunology Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | - John Misasi
- Biodefense Research Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Nancy Sullivan
- Biodefense Research Section, Vaccine Research Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Peter D Sun
- Structural Immunology Section, Laboratory of Immunogenetics, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD 20852, USA.
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28
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Abstract
Telomeres are specialized chromatin structures that protect chromosome ends from dangerous processing events. In most tissues, telomeres shorten with each round of cell division, placing a finite limit on cell growth. In rapidly dividing cells, including the majority of human cancers, cells bypass this growth limit through telomerase-catalyzed maintenance of telomere length. The dynamic properties of telomeres and telomerase render them difficult to study using ensemble biochemical and structural techniques. This review describes single-molecule approaches to studying how individual components of telomeres and telomerase contribute to function. Single-molecule methods provide a window into the complex nature of telomeres and telomerase by permitting researchers to directly visualize and manipulate the individual protein, DNA, and RNA molecules required for telomere function. The work reviewed in this article highlights how single-molecule techniques have been utilized to investigate the function of telomeres and telomerase.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph W Parks
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064; .,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80303
| | - Michael D Stone
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064; .,Center for Molecular Biology of RNA, Santa Cruz, California 95064
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29
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Wolter AC, Weickhmann AK, Nasiri AH, Hantke K, Ohlenschläger O, Wunderlich CH, Kreutz C, Duchardt‐Ferner E, Wöhnert J. Ein stabil protoniertes Adenin‐Nukleotid mit einem extrem verschobenen p
K
a
‐Wert stabilisiert die Tertiärstruktur eines GTP‐bindenden RNA‐Aptamers. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.201609184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Antje C. Wolter
- Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften und Zentrum für Biomolekulare Magnetische Resonanz (BMRZ) Goethe-Universität Frankfurt Max-von-Laue-Straße 9 60438 Frankfurt/Main Deutschland
| | - A. Katharina Weickhmann
- Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften und Zentrum für Biomolekulare Magnetische Resonanz (BMRZ) Goethe-Universität Frankfurt Max-von-Laue-Straße 9 60438 Frankfurt/Main Deutschland
| | - Amir H. Nasiri
- Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften und Zentrum für Biomolekulare Magnetische Resonanz (BMRZ) Goethe-Universität Frankfurt Max-von-Laue-Straße 9 60438 Frankfurt/Main Deutschland
| | - Katharina Hantke
- Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften und Zentrum für Biomolekulare Magnetische Resonanz (BMRZ) Goethe-Universität Frankfurt Max-von-Laue-Straße 9 60438 Frankfurt/Main Deutschland
| | - Oliver Ohlenschläger
- Leibniz Institut für Alternsforschung (Fritz-Lipmann-Institut) Beutenbergstraße 11 07745 Jena Deutschland
| | - Christoph H. Wunderlich
- Institut für Organische Chemie Centre for Molecular Biosciences (CMBI) Universität Innsbruck Innrain 80/82 6020 Innsbruck Österreich
| | - Christoph Kreutz
- Institut für Organische Chemie Centre for Molecular Biosciences (CMBI) Universität Innsbruck Innrain 80/82 6020 Innsbruck Österreich
| | - Elke Duchardt‐Ferner
- Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften und Zentrum für Biomolekulare Magnetische Resonanz (BMRZ) Goethe-Universität Frankfurt Max-von-Laue-Straße 9 60438 Frankfurt/Main Deutschland
| | - Jens Wöhnert
- Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften und Zentrum für Biomolekulare Magnetische Resonanz (BMRZ) Goethe-Universität Frankfurt Max-von-Laue-Straße 9 60438 Frankfurt/Main Deutschland
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30
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Cash DD, Feigon J. Structure and folding of the Tetrahymena telomerase RNA pseudoknot. Nucleic Acids Res 2016; 45:482-495. [PMID: 27899638 PMCID: PMC5224487 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkw1153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2016] [Revised: 10/26/2016] [Accepted: 11/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomerase maintains telomere length at the ends of linear chromosomes using an integral telomerase RNA (TER) and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT). An essential part of TER is the template/pseudoknot domain (t/PK) which includes the template, for adding telomeric repeats, template boundary element (TBE), and pseudoknot, enclosed in a circle by stem 1. The Tetrahymena telomerase holoenzyme catalytic core (p65-TER-TERT) was recently modeled in our 9 Å resolution cryo-electron microscopy map by fitting protein and TER domains, including a solution NMR structure of the Tetrahymena pseudoknot. Here, we describe in detail the structure and folding of the isolated pseudoknot, which forms a compact structure with major groove U•A-U and novel C•G-A+ base triples. Base substitutions that disrupt the base triples reduce telomerase activity in vitro. NMR studies also reveal that the pseudoknot does not form in the context of full-length TER in the absence of TERT, due to formation of a competing structure that sequesters pseudoknot residues. The residues around the TBE remain unpaired, potentially providing access by TERT to this high affinity binding site during an early step in TERT-TER assembly. A model for the assembly pathway of the catalytic core is proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darian D Cash
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1569, USA
| | - Juli Feigon
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1569, USA
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31
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Wolter AC, Weickhmann AK, Nasiri AH, Hantke K, Ohlenschläger O, Wunderlich CH, Kreutz C, Duchardt-Ferner E, Wöhnert J. A Stably Protonated Adenine Nucleotide with a Highly Shifted pK a Value Stabilizes the Tertiary Structure of a GTP-Binding RNA Aptamer. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2016; 56:401-404. [PMID: 27885761 DOI: 10.1002/anie.201609184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2016] [Revised: 11/01/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
RNA tertiary structure motifs are stabilized by a wide variety of hydrogen-bonding interactions. Protonated A and C nucleotides are normally not considered to be suitable building blocks for such motifs since their pKa values are far from physiological pH. Here, we report the NMR solution structure of an in vitro selected GTP-binding RNA aptamer bound to GTP with an intricate tertiary structure. It contains a novel kind of base quartet stabilized by a protonated A residue. Owing to its unique structural environment in the base quartet, the pKa value for the protonation of this A residue in the complex is shifted by more than 5 pH units compared to the pKa for A nucleotides in single-stranded RNA. This is the largest pKa shift for an A residue in structured nucleic acids reported so far, and similar in size to the largest pKa shifts observed for amino acid side chains in proteins. Both RNA pre-folding and ligand binding contribute to the pKa shift.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antje C Wolter
- Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften and Zentrum für Biomolekulare Magnetische Resonanz (BMRZ), Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue Str. 9, 60438, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - A Katharina Weickhmann
- Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften and Zentrum für Biomolekulare Magnetische Resonanz (BMRZ), Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue Str. 9, 60438, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Amir H Nasiri
- Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften and Zentrum für Biomolekulare Magnetische Resonanz (BMRZ), Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue Str. 9, 60438, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Katharina Hantke
- Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften and Zentrum für Biomolekulare Magnetische Resonanz (BMRZ), Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue Str. 9, 60438, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Oliver Ohlenschläger
- Leibniz Institut für Alternsforschung (Fritz-Lipmann-Institut), Beutenbergstrasse 11, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Christoph H Wunderlich
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Centre for Molecular Biosciences (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80/82, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Christoph Kreutz
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Centre for Molecular Biosciences (CMBI), University of Innsbruck, Innrain 80/82, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Elke Duchardt-Ferner
- Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften and Zentrum für Biomolekulare Magnetische Resonanz (BMRZ), Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue Str. 9, 60438, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
| | - Jens Wöhnert
- Institut für Molekulare Biowissenschaften and Zentrum für Biomolekulare Magnetische Resonanz (BMRZ), Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue Str. 9, 60438, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
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32
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Structural conservation in the template/pseudoknot domain of vertebrate telomerase RNA from teleost fish to human. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:E5125-34. [PMID: 27531956 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1607411113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomerase is an RNA-protein complex that includes a unique reverse transcriptase that catalyzes the addition of single-stranded telomere DNA repeats onto the 3' ends of linear chromosomes using an integral telomerase RNA (TR) template. Vertebrate TR contains the template/pseudoknot (t/PK) and CR4/5 domains required for telomerase activity in vitro. All vertebrate pseudoknots include two subdomains: P2ab (helices P2a and P2b with a 5/6-nt internal loop) and the minimal pseudoknot (P2b-P3 and associated loops). A helical extension of P2a, P2a.1, is specific to mammalian TR. Using NMR, we investigated the structures of the full-length TR pseudoknot and isolated subdomains in Oryzias latipes (Japanese medaka fish), which has the smallest vertebrate TR identified to date. We determined the solution NMR structure and studied the dynamics of medaka P2ab, and identified all base pairs and tertiary interactions in the minimal pseudoknot. Despite differences in length and sequence, the structure of medaka P2ab is more similar to human P2ab than predicted, and the medaka minimal pseudoknot has the same tertiary interactions as the human pseudoknot. Significantly, although P2a.1 is not predicted to form in teleost fish, we find that it forms in the full-length pseudoknot via an unexpected hairpin. Model structures of the subdomains are combined to generate a model of t/PK. These results provide evidence that the architecture for the vertebrate t/PK is conserved from teleost fish to human. The organization of the t/PK on telomerase reverse transcriptase for medaka and human is modeled based on the cryoEM structure of Tetrahymena telomerase, providing insight into function.
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33
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Podlevsky JD, Li Y, Chen JJL. The functional requirement of two structural domains within telomerase RNA emerged early in eukaryotes. Nucleic Acids Res 2016; 44:9891-9901. [PMID: 27378779 PMCID: PMC5175330 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkw605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2016] [Revised: 06/22/2016] [Accepted: 06/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomerase emerged during evolution as a prominent solution to the eukaryotic linear chromosome end-replication problem. Telomerase minimally comprises the catalytic telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and telomerase RNA (TR) that provides the template for telomeric DNA synthesis. While the TERT protein is well-conserved across taxa, TR is highly divergent amongst distinct groups of species. Herein, we have identified the essential functional domains of TR from the basal eukaryotic species Trypanosoma brucei, revealing the ancestry of TR comprising two distinct structural core domains that can assemble in trans with TERT and reconstitute active telomerase enzyme in vitro. The upstream essential domain of T. brucei TR, termed the template core, constitutes three short helices in addition to the 11-nt template. Interestingly, the trypanosome template core domain lacks the ubiquitous pseudoknot found in all known TRs, suggesting later evolution of this critical structural element. The template-distal domain is a short stem-loop, termed equivalent CR4/5 (eCR4/5). While functionally similar to vertebrate and fungal CR4/5, trypanosome eCR4/5 is structurally distinctive, lacking the essential P6.1 stem-loop. Our functional study of trypanosome TR core domains suggests that the functional requirement of two discrete structural domains is a common feature of TRs and emerged early in telomerase evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua D Podlevsky
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Yang Li
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Julian J-L Chen
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
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34
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Abstract
Telomerase is the eukaryotic solution to the ‘end-replication problem’ of linear chromosomes by synthesising the highly repetitive DNA constituent of telomeres, the nucleoprotein cap that protects chromosome termini. Functioning as a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) enzyme, telomerase is minimally composed of the highly conserved catalytic telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and essential telomerase RNA (TR) component. Beyond merely providing the template for telomeric DNA synthesis, TR is an innate telomerase component and directly facilitates enzymatic function. TR accomplishes this by having evolved structural elements for stable assembly with the TERT protein and the regulation of the telomerase catalytic cycle. Despite its prominence and prevalence, TR has profoundly diverged in length, sequence, and biogenesis pathway among distinct evolutionary lineages. This diversity has generated numerous structural and mechanistic solutions for ensuring proper RNP formation and high fidelity telomeric DNA synthesis. Telomerase provides unique insights into RNA and protein coevolution within RNP enzymes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua D Podlevsky
- a School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University , Tempe , AZ , USA
| | - Julian J-L Chen
- a School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University , Tempe , AZ , USA
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35
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Brown JA, Kinzig CG, DeGregorio SJ, Steitz JA. Hoogsteen-position pyrimidines promote the stability and function of the MALAT1 RNA triple helix. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2016; 22:743-9. [PMID: 26952103 PMCID: PMC4836648 DOI: 10.1261/rna.055707.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2015] [Accepted: 02/10/2016] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Triple-stranded RNA was first deduced to form in vitro more than 50 years ago and has since been implicated in RNA catalysis, stability, and small molecule binding. Despite the emerging biological significance of RNA triple helices, it remains unclear how their nucleotide composition contributes to their thermodynamic stability and cellular function. To investigate these properties, we used in vitro RNA electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) and in vivo intronless β-globin reporter assays to measure the relative contribution of 20 RNA base triples (N•A-U, N•G-C, N•C-G, N•U-A, and N•G-U) to triple-helical stability. These triples replaced a single internal U•A-U within the known structure of the triple-helical RNA stability element of human metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1), which contains 10 major-groove base triples. In addition to the canonical C•G-C triple, the noncanonical base triples U•G-C, U•G-U, C•C-G, and U•C-G exhibited at least 30% stability relative to the wild-type U•A-U base triple in both assays. Of these triples, only U•A-U, C•G-C, and U•G-C, when tested as four successive triples, formed stabilizing structures that allowed accumulation of the intronless β-globin reporter. Overall, we find that Hoogsteen-position pyrimidines support triple helix stability and function and that thermodynamic stability, based on EMSA results, is necessary but not sufficient for stabilization activity of the MALAT1 triple helix in cells. These results suggest that additional RNA triple helices containing noncanonical triples likely exist in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Brown
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06536, USA
| | - Charles G Kinzig
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06536, USA
| | - Suzanne J DeGregorio
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06536, USA
| | - Joan A Steitz
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06536, USA
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36
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Rahim MMA, Vigneault F, Zerges W. The RNA Structure of cis-acting Translational Elements of the Chloroplast psbC mRNA in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 7:828. [PMID: 27379123 PMCID: PMC4906055 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2016] [Accepted: 05/26/2016] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Photosystem II is the first of two light-driven oxidoreductase complexes in oxygenic photosynthesis. The biogenesis of photosystem II requires the synthesis of polypeptide subunits encoded by the genomes in the chloroplast and the nucleus. In the chloroplast of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, the synthesis of each subunit requires interactions between the 5' UTR of the mRNA encoding it and gene-specific translation factors. Here, we analyze the sequences and structures in the 5' UTR of the psbC mRNA, which are known to be required to promote translation and genetic interaction with TBC1, a nuclear gene required specifically for psbC translation. Results of enzymatic probing in vitro and chemical probing in vivo and in vitro support three secondary structures and reveal that one participates in a pseudoknot structure. Analyses of the effects of mutations affecting pseudoknot sequences, by structural mapping and thermal gradient gel electrophoresis, reveal that flexibility at the base of the major stem-loop is required for translation and higher order RNA conformation, and suggest that this conformation is stabilized by TBC1. This RNA pseudoknot tertiary structure is analogous to the internal ribosome entry sites that promote translation of certain viruses and cellular mRNAs in the nuclear-cytoplasmic systems of eukaryotes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mir Munir A. Rahim
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Dalhousie University, HalifaxNS, Canada
| | - Frederic Vigneault
- Synthetic Biology Platform, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, BostonMA, USA
| | - William Zerges
- Biology Department and Centre for Structural and Functional Genomics, Concordia University, MontrealQC, Canada
- *Correspondence: William Zerges,
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37
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Abstract
Knowledge of RNA secondary structure is often sufficient to identify relationships between the structure of RNA and processing pathways, and the design of therapeutics. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) can identify types of nucleotide base pairs and the sequence, thus limiting possible secondary structures. Because NMR experiments, like chemical mapping, are performed in solution, not in single crystals, experiments can be initiated as soon as the biomolecule is expressed and purified. This chapter summarizes NMR methods that permit rapid identification of RNA secondary structure, information that can be used as supplements to chemical mapping, and/or as preliminary steps required for 3D structure determination. The primary aim is to provide guidelines to enable a researcher with minimal knowledge of NMR to quickly extract secondary structure information from basic datasets. Instrumental and sample considerations that can maximize data quality are discussed along with some details for optimal data acquisition and processing parameters. Approaches for identifying base pair types in both unlabeled and isotopically labeled RNA are covered. Common problems, such as missing signals and overlaps, and approaches to address them are considered. Programs under development for merging NMR data with structure prediction algorithms are briefly discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott D Kennedy
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14642, USA.
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38
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Abstract
Since the first description of the canonical B-form DNA double helix, it has been suggested that alternative DNA, DNA–RNA, and RNA structures exist and act as functional genomic elements. Indeed, over the past few years it has become clear that, in addition to serving as a repository for genetic information, genomic DNA elicits biological responses by adopting conformations that differ from the canonical right-handed double helix, and by interacting with RNA molecules to form complex secondary structures. This review focuses on recent advances on three-stranded (triplex) nucleic acids, with an emphasis on DNA–RNA and RNA–RNA interactions. Emerging work reveals that triplex interactions between noncoding RNAs and duplex DNA serve as platforms for delivering site-specific epigenetic marks critical for the regulation of gene expression. Additionally, an increasing body of genetic and structural studies demonstrates that triplex RNA–RNA interactions are essential for performing catalytic and regulatory functions in cellular nucleoprotein complexes, including spliceosomes and telomerases, and for enabling protein recoding during programmed ribosomal frameshifting. Thus, evidence is mounting that DNA and RNA triplex interactions are implemented to perform a range of diverse biological activities in the cell, some of which will be discussed in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Albino Bacolla
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Dell Pediatric Research Institute, Austin, Texas, United States of America
| | - Guliang Wang
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Dell Pediatric Research Institute, Austin, Texas, United States of America
| | - Karen M. Vasquez
- Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, Dell Pediatric Research Institute, Austin, Texas, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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39
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Zhang X, Xu X, Yang Z, Burcke AJ, Gates KS, Chen SJ, Gu LQ. Mimicking Ribosomal Unfolding of RNA Pseudoknot in a Protein Channel. J Am Chem Soc 2015; 137:15742-52. [PMID: 26595106 PMCID: PMC4886178 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5b07910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Pseudoknots are a fundamental RNA tertiary structure with important roles in regulation of mRNA translation. Molecular force spectroscopic approaches such as optical tweezers can track the pseudoknot's unfolding intermediate states by pulling the RNA chain from both ends, but the kinetic unfolding pathway induced by this method may be different from that in vivo, which occurs during translation and proceeds from the 5' to 3' end. Here we developed a ribosome-mimicking, nanopore pulling assay for dissecting the vectorial unfolding mechanism of pseudoknots. The pseudoknot unfolding pathway in the nanopore, either from the 5' to 3' end or in the reverse direction, can be controlled by a DNA leader that is attached to the pseudoknot at the 5' or 3' ends. The different nanopore conductance between DNA and RNA translocation serves as a marker for the position and structure of the unfolding RNA in the pore. With this design, we provided evidence that the pseudoknot unfolding is a two-step, multistate, metal ion-regulated process depending on the pulling direction. Most notably, unfolding in both directions is rate-limited by the unzipping of the first helix domain (first step), which is Helix-1 in the 5' → 3' direction and Helix-2 in the 3' → 5' direction, suggesting that the initial unfolding step in either pulling direction needs to overcome an energy barrier contributed by the noncanonical triplex base-pairs and coaxial stacking interactions for the tertiary structure stabilization. These findings provide new insights into RNA vectorial unfolding mechanisms, which play an important role in biological functions including frameshifting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyue Zhang
- Department of Bioengineering and Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, United States
| | - Xiaojun Xu
- Department of Physics, Department of Biochemistry, and Informatics Institute, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, United States
| | - Zhiyu Yang
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, United States
| | - Andrew J. Burcke
- Department of Bioengineering and Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, United States
| | - Kent S. Gates
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Biochemistry, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, United States
| | - Shi-Jie Chen
- Department of Physics, Department of Biochemistry, and Informatics Institute, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, United States
| | - Li-Qun Gu
- Department of Bioengineering and Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, United States
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40
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Chen JL, Bellaousov S, Tubbs JD, Kennedy SD, Lopez MJ, Mathews DH, Turner DH. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance-Assisted Prediction of Secondary Structure for RNA: Incorporation of Direction-Dependent Chemical Shift Constraints. Biochemistry 2015; 54:6769-82. [PMID: 26451676 PMCID: PMC4666457 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.5b00833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
![]()
Knowledge
of RNA
structure is necessary to determine structure–function relationships
and to facilitate design of potential therapeutics.
RNA secondary structure prediction can be improved by applying constraints
from nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments to a dynamic programming
algorithm. Imino proton walks from NOESY spectra reveal double-stranded
regions. Chemical shifts of protons in GH1, UH3, and UH5 of GU pairs,
UH3, UH5, and AH2 of AU pairs, and GH1 of GC pairs were analyzed to
identify constraints for the 5′ to 3′ directionality
of base pairs in helices. The 5′ to 3′ directionality
constraints were incorporated into an NMR-assisted prediction of secondary
structure (NAPSS-CS) program. When it was tested on 18 structures,
including nine pseudoknots, the sensitivity and positive predictive
value were improved relative to those of three unrestrained programs.
The prediction accuracy for the pseudoknots improved the most. The
program also facilitates assignment of chemical shifts to individual
nucleotides, a necessary step for determining three-dimensional structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan L Chen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester , Rochester, New York 14627, United States
| | - Stanislav Bellaousov
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry , Rochester, New York 14642, United States
| | - Jason D Tubbs
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester , Rochester, New York 14627, United States
| | - Scott D Kennedy
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry , Rochester, New York 14642, United States
| | - Michael J Lopez
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester , Rochester, New York 14627, United States
| | - David H Mathews
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry , Rochester, New York 14642, United States.,Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester , Rochester, New York 14642, United States
| | - Douglas H Turner
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester , Rochester, New York 14627, United States.,Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester , Rochester, New York 14642, United States
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Physical Connectivity Mapping by Circular Permutation of Human Telomerase RNA Reveals New Regions Critical for Activity and Processivity. Mol Cell Biol 2015; 36:251-61. [PMID: 26503788 DOI: 10.1128/mcb.00794-15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2015] [Accepted: 10/22/2015] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomerase is a specialized ribonucleoprotein complex that extends the 3' ends of chromosomes to counteract telomere shortening. However, increased telomerase activity is associated with ∼90% of human cancers. The telomerase enzyme minimally requires an RNA (hTR) and a specialized reverse transcriptase protein (TERT) for activity in vitro. Understanding the structure-function relationships within hTR has important implications for human disease. For the first time, we have tested the physical-connectivity requirements in the 451-nucleotide hTR RNA using circular permutations, which reposition the 5' and 3' ends. Our extensive in vitro analysis identified three classes of hTR circular permutants with altered function. First, circularly permuting 3' of the template causes specific defects in repeat-addition processivity, revealing that the template recognition element found in ciliates is conserved in human telomerase RNA. Second, seven circular permutations residing within the catalytically important core and CR4/5 domains completely abolish telomerase activity, unveiling mechanistically critical portions of these domains. Third, several circular permutations between the core and CR4/5 significantly increase telomerase activity. Our extensive circular permutation results provide insights into the architecture and coordination of human telomerase RNA and highlight where the RNA could be targeted for the development of antiaging and anticancer therapeutics.
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42
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Zemora G, Handl S, Waldsich C. Human telomerase reverse transcriptase binds to a pre-organized hTR in vivo exposing its template. Nucleic Acids Res 2015; 44:413-25. [PMID: 26481359 PMCID: PMC4705647 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkv1065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2015] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Telomerase is a specialized reverse transcriptase that is responsible for telomere length maintenance. As in other organisms, the minimal components required for an active human telomerase are the template-providing telomerase RNA (hTR) and the enzymatic entity telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT). Here, we explored the structure of hTR and the hTERT-induced conformational changes within hTR in living cells. By employing an in vivo DMS chemical probing technique, we showed that the pseudoknot and associated triple helical scaffold form stably in vivo independently of hTERT. In fact, the dimethyl-sulfate (DMS) modification pattern suggests that hTR alone is capable of adopting a conformation that is suited to interact with hTERT. However, in the absence of hTERT the template region of hTR is only weakly accessible to DMS-modifications. The predominant change after binding of hTERT to hTR is the exposure of the template region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgeta Zemora
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Dr Bohrgasse 9/5, A-1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Stefan Handl
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Dr Bohrgasse 9/5, A-1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Christina Waldsich
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Max F. Perutz Laboratories, University of Vienna, Dr Bohrgasse 9/5, A-1030 Vienna, Austria
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43
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Jiang J, Chan H, Cash DD, Miracco EJ, Ogorzalek Loo RR, Upton HE, Cascio D, O'Brien Johnson R, Collins K, Loo JA, Zhou ZH, Feigon J. Structure of Tetrahymena telomerase reveals previously unknown subunits, functions, and interactions. Science 2015; 350:aab4070. [PMID: 26472759 DOI: 10.1126/science.aab4070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2015] [Accepted: 09/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Telomerase helps maintain telomeres by processive synthesis of telomere repeat DNA at their 3'-ends, using an integral telomerase RNA (TER) and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT). We report the cryo-electron microscopy structure of Tetrahymena telomerase at ~9 angstrom resolution. In addition to seven known holoenzyme proteins, we identify two additional proteins that form a complex (TEB) with single-stranded telomere DNA-binding protein Teb1, paralogous to heterotrimeric replication protein A (RPA). The p75-p45-p19 subcomplex is identified as another RPA-related complex, CST (CTC1-STN1-TEN1). This study reveals the paths of TER in the TERT-TER-p65 catalytic core and single-stranded DNA exit; extensive subunit interactions of the TERT essential N-terminal domain, p50, and TEB; and other subunit identities and structures, including p19 and p45C crystal structures. Our findings provide structural and mechanistic insights into telomerase holoenzyme function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiansen Jiang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. California Nanosystems Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Henry Chan
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Darian D Cash
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Edward J Miracco
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | | | - Heather E Upton
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Duilio Cascio
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. UCLA-U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Institute of Genomics and Proteomics, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Reid O'Brien Johnson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Kathleen Collins
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Joseph A Loo
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. Department of Biological Chemistry, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. UCLA-U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Institute of Genomics and Proteomics, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Z Hong Zhou
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. California Nanosystems Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Juli Feigon
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. California Nanosystems Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. UCLA-U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Institute of Genomics and Proteomics, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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44
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Niederer RO, Zappulla DC. Refined secondary-structure models of the core of yeast and human telomerase RNAs directed by SHAPE. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2015; 21:254-261. [PMID: 25512567 PMCID: PMC4338352 DOI: 10.1261/rna.048959.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2014] [Accepted: 11/14/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Telomerase catalyzes the addition of nucleotides to the ends of chromosomes to complete genomic DNA replication in eukaryotes and is implicated in multiple diseases, including most cancers. The core enzyme is composed of a reverse transcriptase and an RNA subunit, which provides the template for DNA synthesis. Despite extensive divergence at the sequence level, telomerase RNAs share several structural features within the catalytic core, suggesting a conserved enzyme mechanism. We have investigated the structure of the core of the human and yeast telomerase RNAs using SHAPE, which interrogates flexibility of each nucleotide. We present improved secondary-structure models, refined by addition of five base triples within the yeast pseudoknot and an alternate pairing within the human-specific element J2a.1 in the human pseudoknot, both of which have implications for thermodynamic stability. We also identified a potentially structured CCC region within the template that may facilitate substrate binding and enzyme mechanism. Overall, the SHAPE findings reveal multiple similarities between the Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Homo sapiens telomerase RNA cores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel O Niederer
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
| | - David C Zappulla
- Department of Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA
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45
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Devi G, Zhou Y, Zhong Z, Toh DFK, Chen G. RNA triplexes: from structural principles to biological and biotech applications. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2014; 6:111-28. [DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2013] [Revised: 06/30/2014] [Accepted: 07/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gitali Devi
- Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences; Nanyang Technological University; Singapore Singapore
| | - Yuan Zhou
- Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences; Nanyang Technological University; Singapore Singapore
| | - Zhensheng Zhong
- Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences; Nanyang Technological University; Singapore Singapore
| | - Desiree-Faye Kaixin Toh
- Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences; Nanyang Technological University; Singapore Singapore
| | - Gang Chen
- Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences; Nanyang Technological University; Singapore Singapore
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46
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Gottstein-Schmidtke SR, Duchardt-Ferner E, Groher F, Weigand JE, Gottstein D, Suess B, Wöhnert J. Building a stable RNA U-turn with a protonated cytidine. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2014; 20:1163-72. [PMID: 24951555 PMCID: PMC4105743 DOI: 10.1261/rna.043083.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2013] [Accepted: 05/16/2014] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
The U-turn is a classical three-dimensional RNA folding motif first identified in the anticodon and T-loops of tRNAs. It also occurs frequently as a building block in other functional RNA structures in many different sequence and structural contexts. U-turns induce sharp changes in the direction of the RNA backbone and often conform to the 3-nt consensus sequence 5'-UNR-3' (N = any nucleotide, R = purine). The canonical U-turn motif is stabilized by a hydrogen bond between the N3 imino group of the U residue and the 3' phosphate group of the R residue as well as a hydrogen bond between the 2'-hydroxyl group of the uridine and the N7 nitrogen of the R residue. Here, we demonstrate that a protonated cytidine can functionally and structurally replace the uridine at the first position of the canonical U-turn motif in the apical loop of the neomycin riboswitch. Using NMR spectroscopy, we directly show that the N3 imino group of the protonated cytidine forms a hydrogen bond with the backbone phosphate 3' from the third nucleotide of the U-turn analogously to the imino group of the uridine in the canonical motif. In addition, we compare the stability of the hydrogen bonds in the mutant U-turn motif to the wild type and describe the NMR signature of the C+-phosphate interaction. Our results have implications for the prediction of RNA structural motifs and suggest simple approaches for the experimental identification of hydrogen bonds between protonated C-imino groups and the phosphate backbone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sina R Gottstein-Schmidtke
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-University Frankfurt/M., 60438 Frankfurt, Germany Center for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance (BMRZ), Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-University Frankfurt/M., 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Elke Duchardt-Ferner
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-University Frankfurt/M., 60438 Frankfurt, Germany Center for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance (BMRZ), Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-University Frankfurt/M., 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Florian Groher
- Department of Biology, Technical University Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Julia E Weigand
- Department of Biology, Technical University Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Daniel Gottstein
- Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-University Frankfurt/M., 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Beatrix Suess
- Department of Biology, Technical University Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Jens Wöhnert
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-University Frankfurt/M., 60438 Frankfurt, Germany Center for Biomolecular Magnetic Resonance (BMRZ), Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-University Frankfurt/M., 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
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47
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Brown JA, Bulkley D, Wang J, Valenstein ML, Yario TA, Steitz TA, Steitz JA. Structural insights into the stabilization of MALAT1 noncoding RNA by a bipartite triple helix. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2014; 21:633-40. [PMID: 24952594 PMCID: PMC4096706 DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 186] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2014] [Accepted: 05/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) is a highly-abundant nuclear long noncoding RNA that promotes malignancy. A 3′-stem-loop structure is predicted to confer stability by engaging a downstream A-rich tract in a triple helix, similar to the expression and nuclear retention element (ENE) from the KSHV polyadenylated nuclear RNA. The 3.1-Å resolution crystal structure of the human MALAT1 ENE and A-rich tract reveals a bipartite triple helix containing stacks of five and four U•A-U triples separated by a C+•G-C triplet and C-G doublet, extended by two A-minor interactions. In vivo decay assays indicate that this blunt-ended triple helix, with the 3′ nucleotide in a U•A-U triple, inhibits rapid nuclear RNA decay. Interruption of the triple helix by the C-G doublet induces a “helical reset” that explains why triple-helical stacks longer than six do not occur in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A Brown
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - David Bulkley
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Jimin Wang
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Max L Valenstein
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Therese A Yario
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Thomas A Steitz
- 1] Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. [2] Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. [3] Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Joan A Steitz
- 1] Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. [2] Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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48
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Eichhorn CD, Al-Hashimi HM. Structural dynamics of a single-stranded RNA-helix junction using NMR. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2014; 20:782-91. [PMID: 24742933 PMCID: PMC4024633 DOI: 10.1261/rna.043711.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Many regulatory RNAs contain long single strands (ssRNA) that adjoin secondary structural elements. Here, we use NMR spectroscopy to study the dynamic properties of a 12-nucleotide (nt) ssRNA tail derived from the prequeuosine riboswitch linked to the 3' end of a 48-nt hairpin. Analysis of chemical shifts, NOE connectivity, (13)C spin relaxation, and residual dipolar coupling data suggests that the first two residues (A25 and U26) in the ssRNA tail stack onto the adjacent helix and assume an ordered conformation. The following U26-A27 step marks the beginning of an A6-tract and forms an acute pivot point for substantial motions within the tail, which increase toward the terminal end. Despite substantial internal motions, the ssRNA tail adopts, on average, an A-form helical conformation that is coaxial with the helix. Our results reveal a surprising degree of structural and dynamic complexity at the ssRNA-helix junction, which involves a fine balance between order and disorder that may facilitate efficient pseudoknot formation on ligand recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine D. Eichhorn
- Chemical Biology Doctoral Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - Hashim M. Al-Hashimi
- Department of Biochemistry, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA
- Corresponding authorE-mail
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49
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Structural basis for protein-RNA recognition in telomerase. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2014; 21:507-12. [PMID: 24793650 DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2013] [Accepted: 04/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Telomerase is a large ribonucleoprotein complex minimally composed of a catalytic telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and an RNA component (TR) that provides the template for telomeric DNA synthesis. However, it remains unclear how TERT and TR assemble into a functional telomerase. Here we report the crystal structure of the conserved regions 4 and 5 (CR4/5) of TR in complex with the TR-binding domain (TRBD) of TERT from the teleost fish Oryzias latipes. The structure shows that CR4/5 adopts an L-shaped three-way-junction conformation with its two arms clamping onto TRBD. Both the sequence and conformation of CR4/5 are required for the interaction. Our structural and mutational analyses suggest that the observed CR4/5-TRBD recognition is common to most eukaryotes, and CR4/5 in vertebrate TR might have a similar role in telomerase regulation as that of stem-loop IV in Tetrahymena TR.
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50
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Fica SM, Mefford MA, Piccirilli JA, Staley JP. Evidence for a group II intron-like catalytic triplex in the spliceosome. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2014; 21:464-471. [PMID: 24747940 PMCID: PMC4257784 DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2013] [Accepted: 03/27/2014] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
To catalyze pre-mRNA splicing, U6 small nuclear RNA positions two metals that interact directly with the scissile phosphates. U6 metal ligands correspond stereospecifically to metal ligands within the catalytic domain V of a group II self-splicing intron. Domain V ligands are organized by base-triple interactions, which also juxtapose the 3' splice site with the catalytic metals. However, in the spliceosome, the mechanism for organizing catalytic metals and recruiting the substrate has remained unclear. Here we show by genetics, cross-linking and biochemistry in yeast that analogous triples form in U6 and promote catalytic-metal binding and both chemical steps of splicing. Because the triples include an element that defines the 5' splice site, they also provide a mechanism for juxtaposing the pre-mRNA substrate with the catalytic metals. Our data indicate that U6 adopts a group II intron-like tertiary conformation to catalyze splicing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian M Fica
- Graduate Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago IL.,Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago IL
| | - Melissa A Mefford
- Committee on Genetics Genomics and Systems Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Joseph A Piccirilli
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Chicago, Chicago IL.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Jonathan P Staley
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, The University of Chicago, Chicago IL
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