Crystallization of a complex between ribonuclease T1 and 2'-guanylic acid

Determination of the NMR structure of Gln25-ribonuclease T1

Ribonuclease (RNase) T1 is a guanyloribonuclease, having two isozymes in nature, Gln25- and Lys25-RNase T1. Between these two isozymes, there is no difference in catalytic activity and three-dimensional structure; however, Lys25-RNase T1 is slightly more stable than Gln25-RNase T1. Recently, it has been suggested that the existence of a salt bridge between Lys25 and Asp29/Glu31 in Lys25-RNase T1 contributes to the stability. To elucidate the effects of the replacement of Lys25 with a Gln on the conformation and microenvironments of RNase T1 in detail, the three-dimensional solution structure of Gln25-RNase T1 was determined by simulated-annealing calculations. As a result, the topology of the overall folding was shown to be very similar to that of the Lys25-isozyme except for some differences. In particular, there were two differences in the property of torsion angles of the two disulfide bonds and the conformations of the residues 11-13, 63-66, and 92-93. With regard to the residues 11-13, the lack of the above-mentioned salt bridge in Gln25-RNase T1 was thought to induce the conformational difference of this segment as compared with the Lys25-isozyme. Furthermore, it was proposed that the perturbation of this segment might transfer to the residues 92-93 via the two disulfide bonds.

Hydrolysis of a slow cyclic thiophosphate substrate of RNase T1 analyzed by time-resolved crystallography

Here we present a time-resolved crystallographic analysis of the hydrolysis of exo (Sp) guanosine 2',3'-cyclophosphorothioate by RNase T1. The use of a slow substrate and fast crystallization methods made it possible to perform the study with conventional data-collection techniques. The results support the idea that the hydrolysis reaction proceeds through a mechanism that is the inverse of the transesterification reaction. In addition, the structures provide an explanation for the differential behavior of RNase T1 towards exo- and endo-cyclic thiophosphates.

X-ray crystallographic and calorimetric studies of the effects of the mutation Trp59-->Tyr in ribonuclease T1

Two mutants of ribonuclease T1 (RNaseT1), [59-tyrosine]ribonuclease T1 (W59Y) and [45-tryptophan,59-tyrosine]ribonuclease T1 (Y45W/W59Y) possess between 150% and 190% wild-type activity. They have been crystallised as complexes of the inhibitor 2'-guanylic acid and analysed by X-ray diffraction at resolutions of 0.23 nm and 0.24 nm, respectively. The space group for both is monoclinic, P2(1), with two molecules/asymmetric unit, W59Y: a = 4.934 nm, b = 4.820 nm, c = 4.025 nm, beta = 90.29 degrees. Y45W/W59Y: a = 4.915 nm, b = 4.815 nm, c = 4.015 nm, beta = 90.35 degrees. Compared to wild-type RNaseT1 in complex with 2'-guanylic acid (2'GMP) both mutant inhibitor complexes indicate that the replacement of Trp59 by Tyr leads to a 0.04-nm inward shift of the single alpha-helix and to significant differences in the active-site geometry, inhibitor conformation and inhibitor binding. Calorimetric studies of a range of mutants [24-tryptophan]ribonuclease T1 (Y24W), [42-tryptophan]ribonuclease T1 (Y42W), [45-tryptophan]ribonuclease T1 (Y45W), [92-alanine]ribonuclease T1 (H92A) and [92-threonine]ribonuclease T1 (H92T) with and without the further mutation Trp59-->Tyr showed that mutant proteins for which Trp59 is replaced by Tyr exhibit slightly decreased thermal stability.

RNase T1 mutant Glu46Gln binds the inhibitors 2′GMP and 2′AMP at the 3′ subsite

On the basis of molecular dynamics and free-energy perturbation approaches, the Glu46Gln (E46Q) mutation in the guanine-specific ribonuclease T1 (RNase T1) was predicted to render the enzyme specific for adenine. The E46Q mutant was genetically engineered and characterized biochemically and crystallographically by investigating the structures of its two complexes with 2'AMP and 2'GMP. The ribonuclease E46Q mutant is nearly inactive towards dinucleoside phosphate substrates but shows 17% residual activity towards RNA. It binds 2'AMP and 2'GMP equally well with dissociation constants of 49 microM and 37 microM, in contrast to the wild-type enzyme, which strongly discriminates between these two nucleotides, yielding dissociation constants of 36 microM and 0.6 microM. These data suggest that the E46Q mutant binds the nucleotides not to the specific recognition site but to the subsite at His92. This was confirmed by the crystal structures, which also showed that the Gln46 amide is hydrogen bonded to the Phe100 N and O atoms, and tightly anchored in this position. This interaction may either have locked the guanine recognition site so that 2'AMP and 2'GMP are unable to insert, or the contribution to guanine recognition of Glu46 is so important that the E46Q mutant is unable to function in recognition of either guanine and adenine.

Evidence for rapid association-dissociation of ribonuclease T1 from a recombinant strain of Escherichia coli

On the basis of photon correlation experiments and computer simulations, we provide evidence for a rapid dimerization of the enzyme ribonuclease T1 isolated from an Escherichia coli overproducing strain. An attractive potential in addition to the usual repulsive hardcore and electrostatic potentials was found to be necessary for interpreting the concentration dependence of the diffusion coefficient of the enzyme. Computer searches of surface complementarity suggest that dimer formation of ribonuclease T1 takes place due to an extensive surface contact of approximately 700 A2. Energy minimization of the ribonuclease T1 dimer shows that large conformational changes are not induced upon self-association of the enzyme. The two molecules in the dimer are orientated back-to-back, and this is expected to lead to an active enzyme form.

Three-dimensional structure of ribonuclease T1 complexed with guanylyl-2',5'-guanosine at 1.8 A resolution

The enzyme ribonuclease T1 (RNase T1) isolated from Aspergillus oryzae was cocrystallized with the specific inhibitor guanylyl-2',5'-guanosine (2',5'-GpG) and the structure refined by the stereochemically restrained least-squares refinement method to a crystallographic R-factor of 14.9% for X-ray data above 3 sigma in the resolution range 6 to 1.8 A. The refined model consists of 781 protein atoms, 43 inhibitor atoms in a major site and 29 inhibitor atoms in a minor site, 107 water oxygen atoms, and a metal site assigned as Ca. At the end of the refinement, the orientation of His, Asn and Gln side-chains was reinterpreted on the basis of two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance data. The crystal packing and enzyme conformation of the RNase T1/2',5'-GpG complex and of the near-isomorphous RNase T1/2'-GMP complex are comparable. The root-mean-square deviation is 0.73 A between equivalent protein atoms. Differences in the unit cell dimensions are mainly due to the bound inhibitor. The 5'-terminal guanine of 2',5'-GpG binds to RNase T1 in much the same way as in the 2'-GMP complex. In contrast, the hydrogen bonds between the catalytic center and the phosphate group are different and the 3'-terminal guanine forms no hydrogen bonds with the enzyme. This poor binding is reflected in a 2-fold disorder of 2',5'-GpG (except the 5'-terminal guanine), which originates from differences in the pucker of the 5'-terminal ribose. The pucker is C2'-exo for the major site (2/3 occupancy) and C1'-endo for the minor site (1/3 occupancy). The orientation of the major site is stabilized through stacking interactions between the 3'-terminal guanine and His92, an amino acid necessary for catalysis. This might explain the high inhibition rate observed for 2',5'-GpG, which exceeds that of all other inhibitors of type 2',5'-GpN. On the basis of distance criteria, one solvent peak in the electron density was identified as metal ion, probably Ca2+. The ion is co-ordinated by the two Asp15 carboxylate oxygen atoms and by six water molecules. The co-ordination polyhedron displays approximate 4m2 symmetry.

Crystallographic study of mechanism of ribonuclease T1-catalysed specific RNA hydrolysis

Ribonuclease T1 (RNase T1) cleaves the phosphodiester bond of RNA specifically at the 3'-end of guanosine. 2'-guanosinemonophosphate (2'-GMP) acts as inhibitor for this reaction and was cocrystallized with RNase T1. X-Ray analysis provided insight in the geometry of the active site and in the parts of the enzyme involved in the recognition of guanosine. RNase T1 is globular in shape and consists of a 4.5 turns alpha-helix lying "below" a four-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet containing recognition center as well as active site. The latter is indicated by the position of phosphate and sugar residues of 2'-GMP and shows that Glu58, His92 and Arg77 are active in phosphodiester hydrolysis. Guanine is recognized by a stretch of protein from Tyr42 to Tyr45. Residues involved in recognition are peptide NH and C = O, guanine O6 and N1H which form hydrogen bonds and a stacking interaction of Tyr45 on guanine. Although, on a theoretical basis, many specific amino acid-guanine interactions are possible, none is employed in the RNase T1.guanine recognition.

Specific protein-nucleic acid recognition in ribonuclease T1-2'-guanylic acid complex: an X-ray study

RNase T1 is folded into an alpha-helix of 4.5 turns, covered by a four-strand antiparallel beta-sheet. Specific recognition of 2'-guanylic acid arises from hydrogen bonding between main chain peptide groups and the O-6 and N-1-H of guanine, as well as from stacking of Tyr 45 on guanine. At the active site, Glu 58, His 92 and Arg 77 are involved in phosphodiester hydrolysis.