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Sperstad PD, Holmstrom ED. Conformational dynamics of the hepatitis C virus 3'X RNA. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2024; 30:1151-1163. [PMID: 38834242 PMCID: PMC11331413 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079983.124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024]
Abstract
The 3' end of the hepatitis C virus genome is terminated by a highly conserved, 98 nt sequence called 3'X. This untranslated structural element is thought to regulate several essential RNA-dependent processes associated with infection. 3'X has two proposed conformations comprised of either three or two stem-loop structures that result from the different base-pairing interactions within the first 55 nt. Here, we used single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer spectroscopy to monitor the conformational status of fluorescently labeled constructs that isolate this region of the RNA (3'X55). We observed that 3'X55 can adopt both proposed conformations and the relative abundance of them can be modulated by either solution conditions or nucleotide deletions. Furthermore, interconversion between the two conformations takes place over the course of several hours. The simultaneous existence of two slowly interconverting conformations may help prime individual copies of the viral genome for either viral protein or RNA synthesis, thereby minimizing conflicts between these two competing processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parker D Sperstad
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA
| | - Erik D Holmstrom
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA
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2
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Triebel S, Lamkiewicz K, Ontiveros N, Sweeney B, Stadler PF, Petrov AI, Niepmann M, Marz M. Comprehensive survey of conserved RNA secondary structures in full-genome alignment of Hepatitis C virus. Sci Rep 2024; 14:15145. [PMID: 38956134 PMCID: PMC11219754 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-62897-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a plus-stranded RNA virus that often chronically infects liver hepatocytes and causes liver cirrhosis and cancer. These viruses replicate their genomes employing error-prone replicases. Thereby, they routinely generate a large 'cloud' of RNA genomes (quasispecies) which-by trial and error-comprehensively explore the sequence space available for functional RNA genomes that maintain the ability for efficient replication and immune escape. In this context, it is important to identify which RNA secondary structures in the sequence space of the HCV genome are conserved, likely due to functional requirements. Here, we provide the first genome-wide multiple sequence alignment (MSA) with the prediction of RNA secondary structures throughout all representative full-length HCV genomes. We selected 57 representative genomes by clustering all complete HCV genomes from the BV-BRC database based on k-mer distributions and dimension reduction and adding RefSeq sequences. We include annotations of previously recognized features for easy comparison to other studies. Our results indicate that mainly the core coding region, the C-terminal NS5A region, and the NS5B region contain secondary structure elements that are conserved beyond coding sequence requirements, indicating functionality on the RNA level. In contrast, the genome regions in between contain less highly conserved structures. The results provide a complete description of all conserved RNA secondary structures and make clear that functionally important RNA secondary structures are present in certain HCV genome regions but are largely absent from other regions. Full-genome alignments of all branches of Hepacivirus C are provided in the supplement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra Triebel
- RNA Bioinformatics and High-Throughput Analysis, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743, Jena, Germany
- European Virus Bioinformatics Center, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Kevin Lamkiewicz
- RNA Bioinformatics and High-Throughput Analysis, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743, Jena, Germany
- European Virus Bioinformatics Center, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743, Jena, Germany
| | - Nancy Ontiveros
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Wellcome Genome Campus, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Blake Sweeney
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Wellcome Genome Campus, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Peter F Stadler
- European Virus Bioinformatics Center, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743, Jena, Germany
- Bioinformatics Group, Institute of Computer Science, and Interdisciplinary Center for Bioinformatics, University Leipzig, 04107, Leipzig, Germany
- German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Michael Niepmann
- Institute for Biochemistry, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, 35392, Giessen, Germany
| | - Manja Marz
- RNA Bioinformatics and High-Throughput Analysis, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743, Jena, Germany.
- European Virus Bioinformatics Center, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743, Jena, Germany.
- Leibniz Institute on Aging-Fritz Lipmann Institute, 07745, Jena, Germany.
- German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
- Michael Stifel Center Jena, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743, Jena, Germany.
- Cluster of Excellence Balance of the Microverse, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743, Jena, Germany.
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3
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Chkuaseli T, White K. Dimerization of an umbravirus RNA genome activates subgenomic mRNA transcription. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:8787-8804. [PMID: 37395397 PMCID: PMC10484742 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad550] [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: 04/25/2023] [Revised: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Many eukaryotic RNA viruses transcribe subgenomic (sg) mRNAs during infections to control expression of a subset of viral genes. Such transcriptional events are commonly regulated by local or long-range intragenomic interactions that form higher-order RNA structures within these viral genomes. In contrast, here we report that an umbravirus activates sg mRNA transcription via base pair-mediated dimerization of its plus-strand RNA genome. Compelling in vivo and in vitro evidence demonstrate that this viral genome dimerizes via a kissing-loop interaction involving an RNA stem-loop structure located just upstream from its transcriptional initiation site. Both specific and non-specific features of the palindromic kissing-loop complex were found to contribute to transcriptional activation. Structural and mechanistic aspects of the process in umbraviruses are discussed and compared with genome dimerization events in other RNA viruses. Notably, probable dimer-promoting RNA stem-loop structures were also identified in a diverse group of umbra-like viruses, suggesting broader utilization of this unconventional transcriptional strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamari Chkuaseli
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada
| | - K Andrew White
- Department of Biology, York University, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada
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Tants JN, Schlundt A. Advances, Applications, and Perspectives in Small-Angle X-ray Scattering of RNA. Chembiochem 2023; 24:e202300110. [PMID: 37466350 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202300110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 04/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
RNAs exhibit a plethora of functions far beyond transmitting genetic information. Often, RNA functions are entailed in their structure, be it as a regulatory switch, protein binding site, or providing catalytic activity. Structural information is a prerequisite for a full understanding of RNA-regulatory mechanisms. Owing to the inherent dynamics, size, and instability of RNA, its structure determination remains challenging. Methods such as NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and cryo-electron microscopy can provide high-resolution structures; however, their limitations make structure determination, even for small RNAs, cumbersome, if at all possible. Although at a low resolution, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) has proven valuable in advancing structure determination of RNAs as a complementary method, which is also applicable to large-sized RNAs. Here, we review the technological and methodological advancements of RNA SAXS. We provide examples of the powerful inclusion of SAXS in structural biology and discuss possible future applications to large RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan-Niklas Tants
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute for Molecular Biosciences and Biomagnetic Resonance Centre (BMRZ), Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Andreas Schlundt
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute for Molecular Biosciences and Biomagnetic Resonance Centre (BMRZ), Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438, Frankfurt, Germany
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5
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Deng J, Fang X, Huang L, Li S, Xu L, Ye K, Zhang J, Zhang K, Zhang QC. RNA structure determination: From 2D to 3D. FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 3:727-737. [PMID: 38933295 PMCID: PMC11197651 DOI: 10.1016/j.fmre.2023.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2023] [Revised: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
RNA molecules serve a wide range of functions that are closely linked to their structures. The basic structural units of RNA consist of single- and double-stranded regions. In order to carry out advanced functions such as catalysis and ligand binding, certain types of RNAs can adopt higher-order structures. The analysis of RNA structures has progressed alongside advancements in structural biology techniques, but it comes with its own set of challenges and corresponding solutions. In this review, we will discuss recent advances in RNA structure analysis techniques, including structural probing methods, X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance, cryo-electron microscopy, and small-angle X-ray scattering. Often, a combination of multiple techniques is employed for the integrated analysis of RNA structures. We also survey important RNA structures that have been recently determined using various techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Deng
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for RNA Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510120, China
| | - Xianyang Fang
- Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Lin Huang
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Malignant Tumor Epigenetics and Gene Regulation, Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for RNA Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510120, China
| | - Shanshan Li
- MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics and Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China
| | - Lilei Xu
- Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Keqiong Ye
- Key Laboratory of RNA Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jinsong Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology & Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China
| | - Kaiming Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory for Cellular Dynamics and Center for Advanced Interdisciplinary Science and Biomedicine of IHM, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230027, China
| | - Qiangfeng Cliff Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology & Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Center for Synthetic and Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
- Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100084, China
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Marušič M, Toplishek M, Plavec J. NMR of RNA - Structure and interactions. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2023; 79:102532. [PMID: 36746110 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2023.102532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
RNA was shown to have a more substantial role in the regulation of diverse cellular processes than anticipated until recently. Answers to questions what is the structure of specific RNAs, how structure changes to accommodate different functional roles, and how RNA senses other biomolecules and changes its fold upon interaction create a complete representation of RNA involved in cellular processes. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy encompasses a collection of methods and approaches that offer insight into several structural aspects of RNAs. We review the most recent advances in the field of viral, long non-coding, regulatory, and four-stranded RNAs, with an emphasis on the detection of dynamic sub-states and in view of chemical modifications that expand RNA's function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja Marušič
- Slovenian NMR Center, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maria Toplishek
- Slovenian NMR Center, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Janez Plavec
- Slovenian NMR Center, National Institute of Chemistry, Hajdrihova 19, Ljubljana, Slovenia; University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Ljubljana, Slovenia; EN-FIST Centre of Excellence, Cesta OF 13, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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7
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Structural Characteristics of the 5′-Terminal Region of Mouse p53 mRNA and Identification of Proteins That Bind to This mRNA Region. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23179709. [PMID: 36077109 PMCID: PMC9456389 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23179709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
A mouse model has often been used in studies of p53 gene expression. Detailed interpretation of functional studies is, however, hampered by insufficient knowledge of the impact of mouse p53 mRNA’s structure and its interactions with proteins in the translation process. In particular, the 5′-terminal region of mouse p53 mRNA is an important region which takes part in the regulation of the synthesis of p53 protein and its N-truncated isoform Δ41p53. In this work, the spatial folding of the 5′-terminal region of mouse p53 mRNA and its selected sub-fragments was proposed based on the results of the SAXS method and the RNAComposer program. Subsequently, RNA-assisted affinity chromatography was used to identify proteins present in mouse fibroblast cell lysates that are able to bind the RNA oligomer, which corresponds to the 5′-terminal region of mouse p53 mRNA. Possible sites to which the selected, identified proteins can bind were proposed. Interestingly, most of these binding sites coincide with the sites determined as accessible to hybridization of complementary oligonucleotides. Finally, the high binding affinity of hnRNP K and PCBP2 to the 5′-terminal region of mouse p53 mRNA was confirmed and their possible binding sites were proposed.
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8
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D’Souza MH, Mrozowich T, Badmalia MD, Geeraert M, Frederickson A, Henrickson A, Demeler B, Wolfinger M, Patel T. Biophysical characterisation of human LincRNA-p21 sense and antisense Alu inverted repeats. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:5881-5898. [PMID: 35639511 PMCID: PMC9177966 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [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: 12/08/2021] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Human Long Intergenic Noncoding RNA-p21 (LincRNA-p21) is a regulatory noncoding RNA that plays an important role in promoting apoptosis. LincRNA-p21 is also critical in down-regulating many p53 target genes through its interaction with a p53 repressive complex. The interaction between LincRNA-p21 and the repressive complex is likely dependent on the RNA tertiary structure. Previous studies have determined the two-dimensional secondary structures of the sense and antisense human LincRNA-p21 AluSx1 IRs using SHAPE. However, there were no insights into its three-dimensional structure. Therefore, we in vitro transcribed the sense and antisense regions of LincRNA-p21 AluSx1 Inverted Repeats (IRs) and performed analytical ultracentrifugation, size exclusion chromatography, light scattering, and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) studies. Based on these studies, we determined low-resolution, three-dimensional structures of sense and antisense LincRNA-p21. By adapting previously known two-dimensional information, we calculated their sense and antisense high-resolution models and determined that they agree with the low-resolution structures determined using SAXS. Thus, our integrated approach provides insights into the structure of LincRNA-p21 Alu IRs. Our study also offers a viable pipeline for combining the secondary structure information with biophysical and computational studies to obtain high-resolution atomistic models for long noncoding RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael H D’Souza
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Tyler Mrozowich
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Maulik D Badmalia
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Mitchell Geeraert
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Angela Frederickson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Amy Henrickson
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Borries Demeler
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
- NorthWest Biophysics Consortium, University of Lethbridge, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Michael T Wolfinger
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, Faculty of Computer Science, Währingerstrasse 29, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Department of Theoretical Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währingerstrasse 17, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Trushar R Patel
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Disease, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
- Li Ka Shing Institute of Virology and Discovery Lab, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
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9
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Fang X, Gallego J, Wang YX. Deriving RNA topological structure from SAXS. Methods Enzymol 2022; 677:479-529. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.mie.2022.08.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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