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Abstract
The study of eukaryotic tRNA processing has given rise to an explosion of new information and insights in the last several years. We now have unprecedented knowledge of each step in the tRNA processing pathway, revealing unexpected twists in biochemical pathways, multiple new connections with regulatory pathways, and numerous biological effects of defects in processing steps that have profound consequences throughout eukaryotes, leading to growth phenotypes in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and to neurological and other disorders in humans. This review highlights seminal new results within the pathways that comprise the life of a tRNA, from its birth after transcription until its death by decay. We focus on new findings and revelations in each step of the pathway including the end-processing and splicing steps, many of the numerous modifications throughout the main body and anticodon loop of tRNA that are so crucial for tRNA function, the intricate tRNA trafficking pathways, and the quality control decay pathways, as well as the biogenesis and biology of tRNA-derived fragments. We also describe the many interactions of these pathways with signaling and other pathways in the cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric M Phizicky
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, New York 14642, USA
| | - Anita K Hopper
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Center for RNA Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43235, USA
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2
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Jarrous N, Liu F. Human RNase P: overview of a ribonuclease of interrelated molecular networks and gene-targeting systems. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2023; 29:300-307. [PMID: 36549864 PMCID: PMC9945436 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079475.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
The seminal discovery of ribonuclease P (RNase P) and its catalytic RNA by Sidney Altman has not only revolutionized our understanding of life, but also opened new fields for scientific exploration and investigation. This review focuses on human RNase P and its use as a gene-targeting tool, two topics initiated in Altman's laboratory. We outline early works on human RNase P as a tRNA processing enzyme and comment on its expanding nonconventional functions in molecular networks of transcription, chromatin remodeling, homology-directed repair, and innate immunity. The important implications and insights from these discoveries on the potential use of RNase P as a gene-targeting tool are presented. This multifunctionality calls to a modified structure-function partitioning of domains in human RNase P, as well as its relative ribonucleoprotein, RNase MRP. The role of these two catalysts in innate immunity is of particular interest in molecular evolution, as this dynamic molecular network could have originated and evolved from primordial enzymes and sensors of RNA, including predecessors of these two ribonucleoproteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nayef Jarrous
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem 9112010, Israel
| | - Fenyong Liu
- Division of Infectious Diseases, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
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3
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Palsule G, Gopalan V, Simcox A. Biogenesis of RNase P RNA from an intron requires co-assembly with cognate protein subunits. Nucleic Acids Res 2019; 47:8746-8754. [PMID: 31287870 PMCID: PMC6797745 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Revised: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
RNase P RNA (RPR), the catalytic subunit of the essential RNase P ribonucleoprotein, removes the 5′ leader from precursor tRNAs. The ancestral eukaryotic RPR is a Pol III transcript generated with mature termini. In the branch of the arthropod lineage that led to the insects and crustaceans, however, a new allele arose in which RPR is embedded in an intron of a Pol II transcript and requires processing from intron sequences for maturation. We demonstrate here that the Drosophila intronic-RPR precursor is trimmed to the mature form by the ubiquitous nuclease Rat1/Xrn2 (5′) and the RNA exosome (3′). Processing is regulated by a subset of RNase P proteins (Rpps) that protects the nascent RPR from degradation, the typical fate of excised introns. Our results indicate that the biogenesis of RPR in vivo entails interaction of Rpps with the nascent RNA to form the RNase P holoenzyme and suggests that a new pathway arose in arthropods by coopting ancient mechanisms common to processing of other noncoding RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geeta Palsule
- Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Venkat Gopalan
- Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Amanda Simcox
- Department of Molecular Genetics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
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4
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Purcell O, Cao J, Müller IE, Chen YC, Lu TK. Artificial Repeat-Structured siRNA Precursors as Tunable Regulators for Saccharomyces cerevisiae. ACS Synth Biol 2018; 7:2403-2412. [PMID: 30176724 DOI: 10.1021/acssynbio.8b00185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi) is widely used as a research tool for studying biological systems and implementing artificial genetic circuits that function by modulating RNA concentrations. Here we engineered Saccharomyces cerevisiae containing a heterologous Saccharomyces castelli RNAi system as a test-bed for RNAi-based circuits. Unlike prior approaches, we describe a strategy that leverages repeat-structured siRNA precursors with incrementally sized stems formed from 23 bp-repeats to achieve modular RNAi-based gene regulation. These enable repression strength to be tuned in a systematic manner by changing the size of the siRNA precursor hairpin stem, without modifying the number or sequence of target sites in the target RNA. We demonstrate that this hairpin-based regulation is able to target both cytoplasmic and nuclear localized RNAs and is stable over extended growth periods. This platform enables the targeting of cellular RNAs as a tunable regulatory layer for sophisticated gene circuits in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Purcell
- Synthetic Biology Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Jicong Cao
- Synthetic Biology Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Isaak E. Müller
- Synthetic Biology Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Microbiology Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Ying-Chou Chen
- Synthetic Biology Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Timothy K. Lu
- Synthetic Biology Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Research Laboratory of Electronics, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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5
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Blewett NH, Maraia RJ. La involvement in tRNA and other RNA processing events including differences among yeast and other eukaryotes. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2018; 1861:361-372. [PMID: 29397330 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2018.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2017] [Revised: 12/29/2017] [Accepted: 01/17/2018] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The conserved nuclear RNA-binding factor known as La protein arose in an ancient eukaryote, phylogenetically associated with another eukaryotic hallmark, synthesis of tRNA by RNA polymerase III (RNAP III). Because 3'-oligo(U) is the sequence-specific signal for transcription termination by RNAP III as well as the high affinity binding site for La, the latter is linked to the intranuclear posttranscriptional processing of eukaryotic precursor-tRNAs. The pre-tRNA processing pathway must accommodate a variety of substrates that are destined for both common steps as well as tRNA-specific events. The order of intranuclear pre-tRNA processing steps is mediated in part by three activities derived from interaction with La protein: 3'-end protection from untimely decay by 3' exonucleases, nuclear retention and chaperone activity that helps prevent pre-tRNA misfolding and mischanneling into offline pathways. A focus of this perspective will be on differences between yeast and mammals in the subcellular partitioning of pre-tRNA intermediates and differential interactions with La. We review how this is most relevant to pre-tRNA splicing which occurs in the cytoplasm of yeasts but in nuclei of higher eukaryotes. Also divergent is La architecture, comprised of three RNA-binding domains in organisms in all examined branches of the eukaryal tree except yeast, which have lost the C-terminal RNA recognition motif-2α (RRM2α) domain. We also review emerging data that suggest mammalian La interacts with nuclear pre-tRNA splicing intermediates and may impact this branch of the tRNA maturation pathway. Finally, because La is involved in intranuclear tRNA biogenesis we review relevant aspects of tRNA-associated neurodegenerative diseases. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: SI: Regulation of tRNA synthesis and modification in physiological conditions and disease edited by Dr. Boguta Magdalena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan H Blewett
- Intramural Research Program, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Richard J Maraia
- Intramural Research Program, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA; Commissioned Corps, U.S. Public Health Service, Rockville, MD, USA.
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6
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Fu BXH, St Onge RP, Fire AZ, Smith JD. Distinct patterns of Cas9 mismatch tolerance in vitro and in vivo. Nucleic Acids Res 2016; 44:5365-77. [PMID: 27198218 PMCID: PMC4914125 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkw417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2015] [Revised: 04/27/2016] [Accepted: 04/30/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Cas9, a CRISPR-associated RNA-guided nuclease, has been rapidly adopted as a tool for biochemical and genetic manipulation of DNA. Although complexes between Cas9 and guide RNAs (gRNAs) offer remarkable specificity and versatility for genome manipulation, mis-targeted events occur. To extend the understanding of gRNA::target homology requirements, we compared mutational tolerance for a set of Cas9::gRNA complexes in vitro and in vivo (in Saccharomyces cerevisiae). A variety of gRNAs were tested with variant libraries based on four different targets (with varying GC content and sequence features). In each case, we challenged a mixture of matched and mismatched targets, evaluating cleavage activity on a wide variety of potential target sequences in parallel through high-throughput sequencing of the products retained after cleavage. These experiments evidenced notable and consistent differences between in vitro and S. cerevisiae (in vivo) Cas9 cleavage specificity profiles including (i) a greater tolerance for mismatches in vitro and (ii) a greater specificity increase in vivo with truncation of the gRNA homology regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Becky X H Fu
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Robert P St Onge
- Stanford Genome Technology Center, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA Department of Biochemistry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Andrew Z Fire
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Justin D Smith
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA Stanford Genome Technology Center, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA
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7
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Klemm BP, Wu N, Chen Y, Liu X, Kaitany KJ, Howard MJ, Fierke CA. The Diversity of Ribonuclease P: Protein and RNA Catalysts with Analogous Biological Functions. Biomolecules 2016; 6:biom6020027. [PMID: 27187488 PMCID: PMC4919922 DOI: 10.3390/biom6020027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2016] [Revised: 05/04/2016] [Accepted: 05/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribonuclease P (RNase P) is an essential endonuclease responsible for catalyzing 5' end maturation in precursor transfer RNAs. Since its discovery in the 1970s, RNase P enzymes have been identified and studied throughout the three domains of life. Interestingly, RNase P is either RNA-based, with a catalytic RNA subunit, or a protein-only (PRORP) enzyme with differential evolutionary distribution. The available structural data, including the active site data, provides insight into catalysis and substrate recognition. The hydrolytic and kinetic mechanisms of the two forms of RNase P enzymes are similar, yet features unique to the RNA-based and PRORP enzymes are consistent with different evolutionary origins. The various RNase P enzymes, in addition to their primary role in tRNA 5' maturation, catalyze cleavage of a variety of alternative substrates, indicating a diversification of RNase P function in vivo. The review concludes with a discussion of recent advances and interesting research directions in the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bradley P Klemm
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
| | - Nancy Wu
- Program in Chemical Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
| | - Yu Chen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, USA.
| | - Xin Liu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, USA.
| | - Kipchumba J Kaitany
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
| | - Michael J Howard
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
| | - Carol A Fierke
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
- Program in Chemical Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48103, USA.
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8
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Foretek D, Wu J, Hopper AK, Boguta M. Control of Saccharomyces cerevisiae pre-tRNA processing by environmental conditions. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2016; 22:339-49. [PMID: 26729922 PMCID: PMC4748812 DOI: 10.1261/rna.054973.115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2015] [Accepted: 11/17/2015] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
tRNA is essential for translation and decoding of the proteome. The yeast proteome responds to stress and tRNA biosynthesis contributes in this response by repression of tRNA transcription and alterations of tRNA modification. Here we report that the stress response also involves processing of pre-tRNA 3' termini. By a combination of Northern analyses and RNA sequencing, we show that upon shift to elevated temperatures and/or to glycerol-containing medium, aberrant pre-tRNAs accumulate in yeast cells. For pre-tRNAUAU(Ile) and pre-tRNAUUU Lys) these aberrant forms are unprocessed at the 5' ends, but they possess extended 3' termini. Sequencing analyses showed that partial 3' processing precedes 5' processing for pre-tRNAUAU(Ile). An aberrant pre-tRNA(Tyr) that accumulates also possesses extended 3' termini, but it is processed at the 5' terminus. Similar forms of these aberrant pre-tRNAs are detected in the rex1Δ strain that is defective in 3' exonucleolytic trimming of pre-tRNAs but are absent in the lhp1Δ mutant lacking 3' end protection. We further show direct correlation between the inhibition of 3' end processing rate and the stringency of growth conditions. Moreover, under stress conditions Rex1 nuclease seems to be limiting for 3' end processing, by decreased availability linked to increased protection by Lhp1. Thus, our data document complex 3' processing that is inhibited by stress in a tRNA-type and condition-specific manner. This stress-responsive tRNA 3' end maturation process presumably contributes to fine-tune the levels of functional tRNA in budding yeast in response to environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominika Foretek
- Department of Genetics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Jingyan Wu
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Center for RNA Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
| | - Anita K Hopper
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Center for RNA Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
| | - Magdalena Boguta
- Department of Genetics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
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9
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Skowronek E, Grzechnik P, Späth B, Marchfelder A, Kufel J. tRNA 3' processing in yeast involves tRNase Z, Rex1, and Rrp6. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2014; 20:115-30. [PMID: 24249226 PMCID: PMC3866640 DOI: 10.1261/rna.041467.113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2013] [Accepted: 10/24/2013] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Mature tRNA 3' ends in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae are generated by two pathways: endonucleolytic and exonucleolytic. Although two exonucleases, Rex1 and Rrp6, have been shown to be responsible for the exonucleolytic trimming, the identity of the endonuclease has been inferred from other systems but not confirmed in vivo. Here, we show that the yeast tRNA 3' endonuclease tRNase Z, Trz1, is catalyzing endonucleolytic tRNA 3' processing. The majority of analyzed tRNAs utilize both pathways, with a preference for the endonucleolytic one. However, 3'-end processing of precursors with long 3' trailers depends to a greater extent on Trz1. In addition to its function in the nucleus, Trz1 processes the 3' ends of mitochondrial tRNAs, contributing to the general RNA metabolism in this organelle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Skowronek
- Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Pawel Grzechnik
- Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Bettina Späth
- Molekulare Botanik, Universität Ulm, 89069 Ulm, Germany
| | | | - Joanna Kufel
- Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland
- Corresponding authorE-mail
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10
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Wichtowska D, Turowski TW, Boguta M. An interplay between transcription, processing, and degradation determines tRNA levels in yeast. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2013; 4:709-22. [PMID: 24039171 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.1190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2013] [Revised: 07/09/2013] [Accepted: 07/10/2013] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
tRNA biogenesis in yeast involves the synthesis of the initial transcript by RNA polymerase III followed by processing and controlled degradation in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm. A vast landscape of regulatory elements controlling tRNA stability in yeast has emerged from recent studies. Diverse pathways of tRNA maturation generate multiple stable and unstable intermediates. A significant impact on tRNA stability is exerted by a variety of nucleotide modifications. Pre-tRNAs are targets of exosome-dependent surveillance in the nucleus. Some tRNAs that are hypomodified or bear specific destabilizing mutations are directed to the rapid tRNA decay pathway leading to 5'→3' exonucleolytic degradation by Rat1 and Xrn1. tRNA molecules are selectively marked for degradation by a double CCA at their 3' ends. In addition, under different stress conditions, tRNA half-molecules can be generated by independent endonucleolytic cleavage events. Recent studies reveal unexpected relationships between the subsequent steps of tRNA biosynthesis and the mechanisms controlling its quality and turnover.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominika Wichtowska
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
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11
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Dieci G, Conti A, Pagano A, Carnevali D. Identification of RNA polymerase III-transcribed genes in eukaryotic genomes. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2012; 1829:296-305. [PMID: 23041497 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2012.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2012] [Revised: 09/20/2012] [Accepted: 09/21/2012] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The RNA polymerase (Pol) III transcription system is devoted to the production of short, generally abundant noncoding (nc) RNAs in all eukaryotic cells. Previously thought to be restricted to a few housekeeping genes easily detectable in genome sequences, the set of known Pol III-transcribed genes (class III genes) has been expanding in the last ten years, and the issue of their detection, annotation and actual expression has been stimulated and revived by the results of recent high-resolution genome-wide location analyses of the mammalian Pol III machinery, together with those of Pol III-centered computational studies and of ncRNA-focused transcriptomic approaches. In this article, we provide an outline of distinctive features of Pol III-transcribed genes that have allowed and currently allow for their detection in genome sequences, we critically review the currently practiced strategies for the identification of novel class III genes and transcripts, and we discuss emerging themes in Pol III transcription regulation which might orient future transcriptomic studies. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Transcription by Odd Pols.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgio Dieci
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Università degli Studi di Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 23/A, 43124 Parma, Italy.
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12
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Hipp K, Galani K, Batisse C, Prinz S, Böttcher B. Modular architecture of eukaryotic RNase P and RNase MRP revealed by electron microscopy. Nucleic Acids Res 2011; 40:3275-88. [PMID: 22167472 PMCID: PMC3326328 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkr1217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Ribonuclease P (RNase P) and RNase MRP are closely related ribonucleoprotein enzymes, which process RNA substrates including tRNA precursors for RNase P and 5.8 S rRNA precursors, as well as some mRNAs, for RNase MRP. The structures of RNase P and RNase MRP have not yet been solved, so it is unclear how the proteins contribute to the structure of the complexes and how substrate specificity is determined. Using electron microscopy and image processing we show that eukaryotic RNase P and RNase MRP have a modular architecture, where proteins stabilize the RNA fold and contribute to cavities, channels and chambers between the modules. Such features are located at strategic positions for substrate recognition by shape and coordination of the cleaved-off sequence. These are also the sites of greatest difference between RNase P and RNase MRP, highlighting the importance of the adaptation of this region to the different substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Hipp
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JR, Scotland, UK
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13
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Marvin MC, Clauder-Münster S, Walker SC, Sarkeshik A, Yates JR, Steinmetz LM, Engelke DR. Accumulation of noncoding RNA due to an RNase P defect in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2011; 17:1441-50. [PMID: 21665995 PMCID: PMC3153969 DOI: 10.1261/rna.2737511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2011] [Accepted: 04/28/2011] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Ribonuclease P (RNase P) is an essential endoribonuclease that catalyzes the cleavage of the 5' leader of pre-tRNAs. In addition, a growing number of non-tRNA substrates have been identified in various organisms. RNase P varies in composition, as bacterial RNase P contains a catalytic RNA core and one protein subunit, while eukaryotic nuclear RNase P retains the catalytic RNA but has at least nine protein subunits. The additional eukaryotic protein subunits most likely provide additional functionality to RNase P, with one possibility being additional RNA recognition capabilities. To investigate the possible range of additional RNase P substrates in vivo, a strand-specific, high-density microarray was used to analyze what RNA accumulates with a mutation in the catalytic RNA subunit of nuclear RNase P in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. A wide variety of noncoding RNAs were shown to accumulate, suggesting that nuclear RNase P participates in the turnover of normally unstable nuclear RNAs. In some cases, the accumulated noncoding RNAs were shown to be antisense to transcripts that commensurately decreased in abundance. Pre-mRNAs containing introns also accumulated broadly, consistent with either compromised splicing or failure to efficiently turn over pre-mRNAs that do not enter the splicing pathway. Taken together with the high complexity of the nuclear RNase P holoenzyme and its relatively nonspecific capacity to bind and cleave mixed sequence RNAs, these data suggest that nuclear RNase P facilitates turnover of nuclear RNAs in addition to its role in pre-tRNA biogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael C. Marvin
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0606, USA
| | | | - Scott C. Walker
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0606, USA
| | - Ali Sarkeshik
- Department of Chemical Physiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - John R. Yates
- Department of Chemical Physiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | | | - David R. Engelke
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0606, USA
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14
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Wang S, Shepard JRE, Shi H. An RNA-based transcription activator derived from an inhibitory aptamer. Nucleic Acids Res 2010; 38:2378-86. [PMID: 20071370 PMCID: PMC2853134 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkp1227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
According to the recruitment model of transcriptional activation, an activator helps initiate transcription by bringing the RNA polymerase to a specific location on the DNA through interaction with components of the transcriptional machinery. However, it is difficult to isolate and define the activities of specific activator–target pairs experimentally through rearranging existing protein parts. Here we designed and constructed an RNA-based transcriptional activator to study specificity from both sides of the activator–target interface. Utilizing a well-characterized site-specific RNA aptamer for TFIIB, we were able to delineate some key features of this process. By rationally converting an inhibitory aptamer into the activation domain of the activator, we also introduced a new source of submolecular building blocks to synthetic biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengchun Wang
- Department of Biological Sciences and Institute for RNA Science and Technology, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY 12222, USA
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15
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Abstract
Ribonuclease P (RNase P) is an ancient and essential endonuclease that catalyses the cleavage of the 5' leader sequence from precursor tRNAs (pre-tRNAs). The enzyme is one of only two ribozymes which can be found in all kingdoms of life (Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya). Most forms of RNase P are ribonucleoproteins; the bacterial enzyme possesses a single catalytic RNA and one small protein. However, in archaea and eukarya the enzyme has evolved an increasingly more complex protein composition, whilst retaining a structurally related RNA subunit. The reasons for this additional complexity are not currently understood. Furthermore, the eukaryotic RNase P has evolved into several different enzymes including a nuclear activity, organellar activities, and the evolution of a distinct but closely related enzyme, RNase MRP, which has different substrate specificities, primarily involved in ribosomal RNA biogenesis. Here we examine the relationship between the bacterial and archaeal RNase P with the eukaryotic enzyme, and summarize recent progress in characterizing the archaeal enzyme. We review current information regarding the nuclear RNase P and RNase MRP enzymes in the eukaryotes, focusing on the relationship between these enzymes by examining their composition, structure and functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott C Walker
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0606, USA
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16
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Jackman JE, Phizicky EM. tRNAHis guanylyltransferase adds G-1 to the 5' end of tRNAHis by recognition of the anticodon, one of several features unexpectedly shared with tRNA synthetases. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2006; 12:1007-14. [PMID: 16625026 PMCID: PMC1464847 DOI: 10.1261/rna.54706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
All eukaryotic tRNA(His) molecules are unique among tRNA species because they require addition of a guanine nucleotide at the -1 position by tRNA(His) guanylyltransferase, encoded in yeast by THG1. This G(-1) residue is both necessary and sufficient for aminoacylation of tRNA by histidyl-tRNA synthetase in vitro and is required for aminoacylation in vivo. Although Thg1 is presumed to be highly specific for tRNA(His) to prevent misacylation of tRNAs, the source of this specificity is unknown. We show here that Thg1 is >10,000-fold more selective for its cognate substrate tRNA(His) than for the noncognate substrate tRNA(Phe). We also demonstrate that the GUG anticodon of tRNA(His) is a crucial Thg1 identity element, since alteration of this anticodon in tRNA(His) completely abrogates Thg1 activity, and the simple introduction of this GUG anticodon to any of three noncognate tRNAs results in significant Thg1 activity. For tRNA(Phe), k(cat)/K(M) is improved by at least 200-fold. Thg1 is the only protein other than aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases that is known to use the anticodon as an identity element to discriminate among tRNA species while acting at a remote site on the tRNA, an unexpected link given the lack of any identifiable sequence similarity between these two families of proteins. Moreover, Thg1 and tRNA synthetases share two other features: They act in close proximity to one another at the top of the tRNA aminoacyl-acceptor stem, and the chemistry of their respective reactions is strikingly similar.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jane E Jackman
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Rochester School of Medicine, New York 14642, USA
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17
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Xiao S, Hsieh J, Nugent RL, Coughlin DJ, Fierke CA, Engelke DR. Functional characterization of the conserved amino acids in Pop1p, the largest common protein subunit of yeast RNases P and MRP. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2006; 12:1023-37. [PMID: 16618965 PMCID: PMC1464857 DOI: 10.1261/rna.23206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
RNase P and RNase MRP are ribonucleoprotein enzymes required for 5'-end maturation of precursor tRNAs (pre-tRNAs) and processing of precursor ribosomal RNAs, respectively. In yeast, RNase P and MRP holoenzymes have eight protein subunits in common, with Pop1p being the largest at >100 kDa. Little is known about the functions of Pop1p, beyond the fact that it binds specifically to the RNase P RNA subunit, RPR1 RNA. In this study, we refined the previous Pop1 phylogenetic sequence alignment and found four conserved regions. Highly conserved amino acids in yeast Pop1p were mutagenized by randomization and conditionally defective mutations were obtained. Effects of the Pop1p mutations on pre-tRNA processing, pre-rRNA processing, and stability of the RNA subunits of RNase P and MRP were examined. In most cases, functional defects in RNase P and RNase MRP in vivo were consistent with assembly defects of the holoenzymes, although moderate kinetic defects in RNase P were also observed. Most mutations affected both pre-tRNA and pre-rRNA processing, but a few mutations preferentially interfered with only RNase P or only RNase MRP. In addition, one temperature-sensitive mutation had no effect on either tRNA or rRNA processing, consistent with an additional role for RNase P, RNase MRP, or Pop1p in some other form. This study shows that the Pop1p subunit plays multiple roles in the assembly and function of of RNases P and MRP, and that the functions can be differentiated through the mutations in conserved residues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaohua Xiao
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 48109, USA
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18
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Kassavetis GA, Steiner DF. Nhp6 is a transcriptional initiation fidelity factor for RNA polymerase III transcription in vitro and in vivo. J Biol Chem 2006; 281:7445-51. [PMID: 16407207 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m512810200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The binding of the RNA polymerase III (pol III) transcription factor TFIIIC to the box A intragenic promoter element of tRNA genes specifies the placement of TFIIIB on upstream-lying DNA. In turn, TFIIIB recruits pol III to the promoter and specifies transcription initiating 17-19 base pairs upstream of box A. The resolution of the pol III transcription apparatus into recombinant TFIIIB, highly purified TFIIIC, and pol III is accompanied by a loss of precision in specifying where transcription initiation occurs due to heterogeneous placement of TFIIIB. In this paper we show that Nhp6a, an abundant high mobility group B (HMGB) family, non-sequence-specific DNA-binding protein in Saccharomyces cerevisiae restores transcriptional initiation fidelity to this highly purified in vitro system. Restoration of initiation fidelity requires the presence of Nhp6a prior to TFIIIB-DNA complex formation. Chemical nuclease footprinting of TFIIIC- and TFIIIB-TFIIIC-DNA complexes reveals that Nhp6a markedly alters the TFIIIC footprint over box A and reduces the size of the TFIIIB footprint on upstream DNA sequence. Analyses of unprocessed tRNAs from yeast lacking Nhp6a and its closely related paralogue Nhp6b demonstrate that Nhp6 is required for transcriptional initiation fidelity of some but not all tRNA genes, in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- George A Kassavetis
- Division of Biological Sciences and Center for Molecular Genetics, University of California-San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0634, USA.
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19
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Kachouri R, Stribinskis V, Zhu Y, Ramos KS, Westhof E, Li Y. A surprisingly large RNase P RNA in Candida glabrata. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2005; 11:1064-72. [PMID: 15987816 PMCID: PMC1370791 DOI: 10.1261/rna.2130705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
We have found an extremely large ribonuclease P (RNase P) RNA (RPR1) in the human pathogen Candida glabrata and verified that this molecule is expressed and present in the active enzyme complex of this hemiascomycete yeast. A structural alignment of the C. glabrata sequence with 36 other hemiascomycete RNase P RNAs (abbreviated as P RNAs) allows us to characterize the types of insertions. In addition, 15 P RNA sequences were newly characterized by searching in the recently sequenced genomes Candida albicans, C. glabrata, Debaryomyces hansenii, Eremothecium gossypii, Kluyveromyces lactis, Kluyveromyces waltii, Naumovia castellii, Saccharomyces kudriavzevii, Saccharomyces mikatae, and Yarrowia lipolytica; and by PCR amplification for other Candida species (Candida guilliermondii, Candida krusei, Candida parapsilosis, Candida stellatoidea, and Candida tropicalis). The phylogenetic comparative analysis identifies a hemiascomycete secondary structure consensus that presents a conserved core in all species with variable insertions or deletions. The most significant variability is found in C. glabrata P RNA in which three insertions exceeding in total 700 nt are present in the Specificity domain. This P RNA is more than twice the length of any other homologous P RNAs known in the three domains of life and is eight times the size of the smallest. RNase P RNA, therefore, represents one of the most diversified noncoding RNAs in terms of size variation and structural diversity.
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MESH Headings
- Ascomycota/classification
- Ascomycota/genetics
- Base Sequence
- Candida glabrata/chemistry
- Candida glabrata/enzymology
- Candida glabrata/genetics
- Candida glabrata/metabolism
- Conserved Sequence
- DNA, Fungal
- Databases, Genetic
- Genes, Fungal
- Genetic Variation
- Genome, Fungal
- Models, Chemical
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Mutation
- Nucleic Acid Conformation
- Phylogeny
- RNA, Fungal/chemistry
- RNA, Fungal/genetics
- RNA, Fungal/isolation & purification
- RNA, Fungal/metabolism
- Ribonuclease P/chemistry
- Ribonuclease P/genetics
- Ribonuclease P/metabolism
- Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
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Affiliation(s)
- Rym Kachouri
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Center for Genetics and Molecular Medicine School of Medicine, University of Louisville, 319 Abraham Flexner Way, Louisville, KY 40202, USA
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20
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Xiao S, Day-Storms JJ, Srisawat C, Fierke CA, Engelke DR. Characterization of conserved sequence elements in eukaryotic RNase P RNA reveals roles in holoenzyme assembly and tRNA processing. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2005; 11:885-96. [PMID: 15872187 PMCID: PMC1370773 DOI: 10.1261/rna.7282205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2004] [Accepted: 03/02/2005] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
RNase P is a ubiquitous endoribonuclease responsible for cleavage of the 5' leader of precursor tRNAs (pre-tRNAs). Although the protein composition of RNase P holoenzymes varies significantly among Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya, the holoenzymes have essential RNA subunits with several sequences and structural features that are common to all three kingdoms of life. Additional structural elements of the RNA subunits have been found that are conserved in eukaryotes, but not in bacteria, and might have functions specifically required by the more complex eukaryotic holoenzymes. In this study, we have mutated four eukaryotic-specific conserved regions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae nuclear RNase P RNA and characterized the effects of the mutations on cell growth, enzyme function, and biogenesis of RNase P. RNase P with mutations in each of the four regions tested is sufficiently functional to support life although growth of the resulting yeast strains was compromised to varying extents. Further analysis revealed that mutations in three different regions cause differential defects in holoenzyme assembly, localization, and pre-tRNA processing in vivo and in vitro. These data suggest that most, but not all, eukaryotic-specific conserved regions of RNase P RNA are important for the maturation and function of the holoenzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaohua Xiao
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 48109-0606, USA
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21
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Kufel J, Tollervey D. 3'-processing of yeast tRNATrp precedes 5'-processing. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2003; 9:202-8. [PMID: 12554863 PMCID: PMC1370386 DOI: 10.1261/rna.2145103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2002] [Accepted: 10/21/2002] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Previous analyses of eukaryotic pre-tRNAs processing have reported that 5'-cleavage by RNase P precedes 3'-maturation. Here we report that in contrast to all other yeast tRNAs analyzed to date, tRNA(Trp) undergoes 3'-maturation prior to 5'-cleavage. Despite its unusual processing pathway, pre-tRNA(Trp) resembles other pre-tRNAs, showing dependence on the essential Lsm proteins for normal processing and efficient association with the yeast La homolog, Lhp1p. tRNA(Trp) is also unusual in not requiring Lhp1p for 3' processing and stability. However, other Lhp1p-independent tRNAs, tRNA(2)(Lys) and tRNA(1)(Ile), follow the normal pathway of 5'-processing prior to 3-processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Kufel
- Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell Biology, King's Buildings, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JR, Scotland, UK
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22
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Srisawat C, Houser-Scott F, Bertrand E, Xiao S, Singer RH, Engelke DR. An active precursor in assembly of yeast nuclear ribonuclease P. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2002; 8:1348-60. [PMID: 12403471 PMCID: PMC1370342 DOI: 10.1017/s1355838202027048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The RNA-protein subunit assembly of nuclear RNase P was investigated by specific isolation and characterization of the precursor and mature forms of RNase P using an RNA affinity ligand. Pre-RNase P was as active in pre-tRNA cleavage as mature RNase P, although it contained only seven of the nine proteins found in mature RNase P. Pop3p and Rpr2p were not required for maturation of the RPR1 RNA subunit and virtually absent from pre-RNase P, implying that they are dispensable for pre-tRNA substrate recognition and cleavage. The RNase P subunit assembly is likely to occur in the nucleolus, where both precursor and mature forms of RNase P RNA are primarily localized. The results provide insight into assembly of nuclear RNase P, and suggest pre-tRNA substrate recognition is largely determined by the RNA subunit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chatchawan Srisawat
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-0606, USA
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23
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Affiliation(s)
- Venkat Gopalan
- Department of Biochemistry, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210-1292, USA
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24
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Abstract
Ribonuclease P (RNase P) is an essential endonuclease that acts early in the tRNA biogenesis pathway. This enzyme catalyzes cleavage of the leader sequence of precursor tRNAs (pre-tRNAs), generating the mature 5' end of tRNAs. RNase P activities have been identified in Bacteria, Archaea, and Eucarya, as well as organelles. Most forms of RNase P are ribonucleoproteins, i.e., they consist of an essential RNA subunit and protein subunits, although the composition of the enzyme in mitochondria and chloroplasts is still under debate. The recent purification of the eukaryotic nuclear RNase P has demonstrated a significantly larger protein content compared to the bacterial enzyme. Moreover, emerging evidence suggests that the eukaryotic RNase P has evolved into at least two related nuclear enzymes with distinct functions, RNase P and RNase MRP. Here we review current information on RNase P, with emphasis on the composition, structure, and functions of the eukaryotic nuclear holoenzyme, and its relationship with RNase MRP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaohua Xiao
- Department of Biological Chemistry, 3200 MSRB III, 1150 W. Medical Center Drive, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0606
| | - Felicia Scott
- Department of Biological Chemistry, 3200 MSRB III, 1150 W. Medical Center Drive, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0606
| | - Carol A. Fierke
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0606
| | - David R. Engelke
- Department of Biological Chemistry, 3200 MSRB III, 1150 W. Medical Center Drive, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0606
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25
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Srisawat C, Engelke DR. Streptavidin aptamers: affinity tags for the study of RNAs and ribonucleoproteins. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2001; 7:632-41. [PMID: 11345441 PMCID: PMC1370116 DOI: 10.1017/s135583820100245x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
RNA affinity tags would be very useful for the study of RNAs and ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) as a means for rapid detection, immobilization, and purification. To develop a new affinity tag, streptavidin-binding RNA ligands, termed "aptamers," were identified from a random RNA library using in vitro selection. Individual aptamers were classified into two groups based on common sequences, and representative members of the groups had sufficiently low dissociation constants to suggest they would be useful affinity tools. Binding of the aptamers to streptavidin was blocked by presaturation of the streptavidin with biotin, and biotin could be used to dissociate RNA/streptavidin complexes. To investigate the practicality of using the aptamer as an affinity tag, one of the higher affinity aptamers was inserted into RPR1 RNA, the large RNA subunit of RNase P. The aptamer-tagged RNase P could be specifically isolated using commercially available streptavidin-agarose and recovered in a catalytically active form when biotin was used as an eluting agent under mild conditions. The aptamer tag was also used to demonstrate that RNase P exists in a monomeric form, and is not tightly associated with RNase MRP, a closely related ribonucleoprotein enzyme. These results show that the streptavidin aptamers are potentially powerful tools for the study of RNAs or RNPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Srisawat
- Department of Biological Chemistry, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-0606, USA
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26
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Ziehler WA, Morris J, Scott FH, Millikin C, Engelke DR. An essential protein-binding domain of nuclear RNase P RNA. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2001; 7:565-75. [PMID: 11345435 PMCID: PMC1370110 DOI: 10.1017/s1355838201001996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Eukaryotic RNase P and RNase MRP are endoribonucleases composed of RNA and protein subunits. The RNA subunits of each enzyme share substantial secondary structural features, and most of the protein subunits are shared between the two. One of the conserved RNA subdomains, designated P3, has previously been shown to be required for nucleolar localization. Phylogenetic sequence analysis suggests that the P3 domain interacts with one of the proteins common to RNase P and RNase MRP, a conclusion strengthened by an earlier observation that the essential domain can be interchanged between the two enzymes. To examine possible functions of the P3 domain, four conserved nucleotides in the P3 domain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae RNase P RNA (RPR1) were randomized to create a library of all possible sequence combinations at those positions. Selection of functional genes in vivo identified permissible variations, and viable clones that caused yeast to exhibit conditional growth phenotypes were tested for defects in RNase P RNA and tRNA biosynthesis. Under nonpermissive conditions, the mutants had reduced maturation of the RPR1 RNA precursor, an expected phenotype in cases where RNase P holoenzyme assembly is defective. This loss of RPR1 RNA maturation coincided, as expected, with a loss of pre-tRNA maturation characteristic of RNase P defects. To test whether mutations at the conserved positions inhibited interactions with a particular protein, specific binding of the individual protein subunits to the RNA subunit was tested in yeast using the three-hybrid system. Pop1p, the largest subunit shared by RNases P and MRP, bound specifically to RPR1 RNA and the isolated P3 domain, and this binding was eliminated by mutations at the conserved P3 residues. These results indicate that Pop1p interacts with the P3 domain common to RNases P and MRP, and that this interaction is critical in the maturation of RNase P holoenzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- W A Ziehler
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-0606, USA
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27
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XIAO SHAOHUA, HOUSER-SCOTT FELICIA, ENGELKE DAVIDR. Eukaryotic ribonuclease P: increased complexity to cope with the nuclear pre-tRNA pathway. J Cell Physiol 2001; 187:11-20. [PMID: 11241345 PMCID: PMC3758117 DOI: 10.1002/1097-4652(200104)187:1<11::aid-jcp1055>3.0.co;2-k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Ribonuclease P is an ancient enzyme that cleaves pre-tRNAs to generate mature 5' ends. It contains an essential RNA subunit in Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya, but the degree to which the RNA subunit relies on proteins to supplement catalysis is highly variable. The eukaryotic nuclear holoenzyme has recently been found to contain almost twenty times the protein content of the bacterial enzymes, in addition to having split into at least two related enzymes with distinct substrate specificity. In this review, recent progress in understanding the molecular architecture and functions of nuclear forms of RNase P will be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - DAVID R. ENGELKE
- Correspondence: David R. Engelke, Department of Biological Chemistry, The University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-0606, USA.
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28
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Houser-Scott F, Ziehler WA, Engelke DR. Saccharomyces cerevisiae nuclear ribonuclease P: structure and function. Methods Enzymol 2001; 342:101-17. [PMID: 11586886 DOI: 10.1016/s0076-6879(01)42539-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- F Houser-Scott
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
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29
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Thomas BC, Chamberlain J, Engelke DR, Gegenheimer P. Evidence for an RNA-based catalytic mechanism in eukaryotic nuclear ribonuclease P. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2000; 6:554-62. [PMID: 10786846 PMCID: PMC1369936 DOI: 10.1017/s1355838200991477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Ribonuclease P is the enzyme responsible for removing the 5'-leader segment of precursor transfer RNAs in all organisms. All eukaryotic nuclear RNase Ps are ribonucleoproteins in which multiple protein components and a single RNA species are required for activity in vitro as well as in vivo. It is not known, however, which subunits participate directly in phosphodiester-bond hydrolysis. The RNA subunit of nuclear RNase P is evolutionarily related to its catalytically active bacterial counterpart, prompting speculation that in eukaryotes the RNA may be the catalytic component. In the bacterial RNase P reaction, Mg(II) is required to coordinate the nonbridging phosphodiester oxygen(s) of the scissile bond. As a consequence, bacterial RNase P cannot cleave pre-tRNA in which the pro-Rp nonbridging oxygen of the scissile bond is replaced by sulfur. In contrast, the RNase P reaction in plant chloroplasts is catalyzed by a protein enzyme whose mechanism does not involve Mg(II) coordinated by the pro-Rp oxygen. To determine whether the mechanism of nuclear RNase P resembles more closely an RNA- or a protein-catalyzed reaction, we analyzed the ability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae nuclear RNase P to cleave pre-tRNA containing a sulfur substitution of the pro-Rp oxygen at the cleavage site. Sulfur substitution at this position prohibits correct cleavage of pre-tRNA. Cleavage by eukaryotic RNase P thus depends on the presence of a thio-sensitive ligand to the pro-Rp oxygen of the scissile bond, and is consistent with a common, RNA-based mechanism for the bacterial and eukaryal enzymes.
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MESH Headings
- Base Sequence
- Catalysis
- Cell Nucleus/enzymology
- Chlorides/metabolism
- Endoribonucleases/chemistry
- Endoribonucleases/genetics
- Endoribonucleases/isolation & purification
- Endoribonucleases/metabolism
- Escherichia coli/enzymology
- Escherichia coli Proteins
- Eukaryotic Cells/cytology
- Eukaryotic Cells/enzymology
- Eukaryotic Cells/metabolism
- Magnesium/metabolism
- Manganese Compounds/metabolism
- Mutation/genetics
- Nucleic Acid Conformation
- Organothiophosphorus Compounds/metabolism
- Oxygen/metabolism
- RNA Precursors/chemistry
- RNA Precursors/genetics
- RNA Precursors/metabolism
- RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional
- RNA, Catalytic/chemistry
- RNA, Catalytic/genetics
- RNA, Catalytic/isolation & purification
- RNA, Catalytic/metabolism
- RNA, Transfer, Phe/chemistry
- RNA, Transfer, Phe/genetics
- RNA, Transfer, Phe/metabolism
- Ribonuclease P
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae/cytology
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae/enzymology
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae/genetics
- Substrate Specificity
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Affiliation(s)
- B C Thomas
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Kansas, Lawrence 66045-2106, USA
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30
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Abstract
Ribonuclease P (RNase P) is the endoribonuclease that generates the mature 5'-ends of tRNA by removal of the 5'-leader elements of precursor-tRNAs. This enzyme has been characterized from representatives of all three domains of life (Archaea, Bacteria, and Eucarya) (1) as well as from mitochondria and chloroplasts. The cellular and mitochondrial RNase Ps are ribonucleoproteins, whereas the most extensively studied chloroplast RNase P (from spinach) is composed solely of protein. Remarkably, the RNA subunit of bacterial RNase P is catalytically active in vitro in the absence of the protein subunit (2). Although RNA-only activity has not been demonstrated for the archael, eucaryal, or mitochondrial RNAs, comparative sequence analysis has established that these RNAs are homologous (of common ancestry) to bacterial RNA. RNase P holoenzymes vary greatly in organizational complexity across the phylogenetic domains, primarily because of differences in the RNase P protein subunits: Mitochondrial, archaeal, and eucaryal holoenzymes contain larger, and perhaps more numerous, protein subunits than do the bacterial holoenzymes. However, that the nonbacterial RNase P RNAs retain significant structural similarity to their catalytically active bacterial counterparts indicates that the RNA remains the catalytic center of the enzyme.
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Affiliation(s)
- D N Frank
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley 94720-3102, USA.
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31
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Thomas M, Chédin S, Carles C, Riva M, Famulok M, Sentenac A. Selective targeting and inhibition of yeast RNA polymerase II by RNA aptamers. J Biol Chem 1997; 272:27980-6. [PMID: 9346949 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.272.44.27980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
To probe the complex nucleic acid binding domains of yeast RNA polymerase II (Pol II), we have isolated in the presence of heparin RNA molecules that selectively bind to yeast Pol II. A class of RNA molecules was found to bind and strongly interfere with enzyme-DNA interaction but not with RNA chain elongation. Remarkably, one selected RNA ligand was a specific inhibitor of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pol II. S. cerevisiae Pol I and Pol III and Pol II from Schizosaccharomyces pombe or wheat germ cells were not affected. Photocross-linking experiments showed that the RNA ligand preferentially interacted with B220, the largest subunit of Pol II and, to a lesser extent, with B150, the second largest subunit. The selected RNA was expressed in yeast cells under the control of a Pol III promoter. Yeast cells that expressed the anti-Pol II aptamer grew normally. However, a cell growth defect was observed when expressing the RNA aptamer in cells having an artificially reduced level of Pol II.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Thomas
- Service de Biochimie et de Génétique Moléculaire, CEA/Saclay, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
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32
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Papadimitriou A, Gross HJ. Pre-tRNA 3'-processing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Purification and characterization of exo- and endoribonucleases. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY 1996; 242:747-59. [PMID: 9022706 DOI: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1996.0747r.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
We investigated ribonucleases from Saccharomyces cerevisiae which are active in pre-tRNA 3'-processing in vitro. Two pre-tRNA 3'-exonucleases with molecular masses of 33 and 60 kDa, two pre-tRNA 3'-endonucleases with molecular masses of 45 kDa/60 kDa and 55 kDa and 70-kDa 3'-pre-tRNase were purified from yeast whole cell extracts by several successive chromatographic purification steps. The purified exonucleases are non-processive 3'-exonucleases that catalyze the exonucleolytic processing of 3'-trailer sequences of pre-tRNAs to produce mature tRNAs. The 45-kDa/60-kDa 3'-endonuclease is tRNA-specific and catalyzes the processing of pre-tRNAs in a single endonucleolytic step. Two isoenzymes of this activity (p45 and p60) were identified by chromatography. The second endonuclease, p55, is dependent on monovalent ions and cleaves about three nucleotides downstream the mature 3'-end. All of the purified 3'-pre-tRNases accept homologous as well as heterologous pre-tRNA substrates. Pre-tRNAs carrying a 5'-leader are processed with almost the same efficiency as those lacking this 5'-leader. Mature tRNAs carrying the CCA 3'-sequence and tRNA pseudogene products carrying mutations in the mature domain are processed by the 3'-exonucleases, not by the 3'-endonucleases. The specific endonuclease p45/p60 discriminates between UUUOH as a 3'-flank, which is cleaved, and the CCA 3'-end of mature tRNAs, which is not cleaved. This study suggests that several 3'-pre-tRNases are active on tRNA precursors in vitro and might therefore in pre-tRNA 3'-processing in yeast, partly in a cooperative manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Papadimitriou
- Institut für Biochemie, Bayerische Julius-Maximilians-Universität, Biozentrum, Würzburg, Germany
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33
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Lygerou Z, Pluk H, van Venrooij WJ, Séraphin B. hPop1: an autoantigenic protein subunit shared by the human RNase P and RNase MRP ribonucleoproteins. EMBO J 1996; 15:5936-48. [PMID: 8918471 PMCID: PMC452370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The eukaryotic endonucleases RNase P and RNase MRP require both RNA and protein subunits for function. Even though the human RNase P and MRP RNAs were previously characterized, the protein composition of the particles remains unknown. We have identified a human a Caenorhabditis elegans sequence showing homology to yPop1, a protein subunit of the yeast RNase P and MRP particles. A cDNA containing the complete coding sequence for the human protein, hPop1, was cloned. Sequence analysis identifies three novel sequence motifs, conserved between the human, C. elegans and yeast proteins. Affinity-purified anti-hPop1 antibodies recognize a single 115 kDa protein in HeLa cell nuclear extracts. Immunoprecipitations with different anti-hPop1 antibodies demonstrate an association of hPop1 with the vast majority of the RNase P and MRP RNAs in HeLa cell nuclear extracts. Additionally, anti-hPop1 immunoprecipitates possess RNase P enzymatic activity. These results establish hPop1 as the first identified RNase P and MRP protein subunit from humans. Anti-hPop1 antibodies generate a strong nucleolar and a weaker homogeneous nuclear staining in HeLa cells. A certain class of autoimmune patient serum precipitates in vitro-translated hPop1. hPop1 is therefore an autoantigen in patients suffering from connective tissue diseases.
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34
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Abstract
Ribonuclease P (RNase P) is responsible for the generation of mature 5' termini of tRNA. The RNA component of this complex encodes the enzymatic activity in bacteria and is itself catalytically active under appropriate conditions in vitro. The role of the subunits in eucaryotes has not yet been established. We have partially purified RNase P activity from the ciliate protozoan Tetrahymena thermophila to learn more about the biochemical characteristics of RNase P from a lower eucaryote. The Tetrahymena RNase P displays a pH optimum and temperature optimum characteristic of RNase P enzymes isolated from other organisms. The Km of the T. thermophila enzyme for pre-tRNAGln is 1.6 x 10(-7)M, which is comparable to the values reported for other examples of RNase P. The Tetrahymena RNase P is a ribonucleoprotein complex, as supported by its sensitivity to micrococcal nuclease and proteinase K. The buoyant density of the enzyme in Cs2SO4 is 1.42 g/ml, which suggests that the RNA component of the Tetrahymena enzyme comprises a significantly greater percentage of the holoenzyme than that determined for RNase P of other Eucarya or Archaea. The holoenzyme has a requirement for divalent cations displaying characteristics that are unique for RNase P but closely resemble preferences reported for the Tetrahymena group I intron RNA. Puromycin inhibits pre-tRNA processing by the Tetrahymena complex, and implications of the similarities between recognition of tRNA by ribosomal components and RNase P are discussed.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Base Sequence
- Cations, Divalent
- Chromatography, Affinity
- Chromatography, Ion Exchange
- DNA Primers
- Endoribonucleases/antagonists & inhibitors
- Endoribonucleases/isolation & purification
- Endoribonucleases/metabolism
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Nucleic Acid Conformation
- Puromycin/pharmacology
- RNA Precursors/chemistry
- RNA Precursors/metabolism
- RNA, Catalytic/antagonists & inhibitors
- RNA, Catalytic/isolation & purification
- RNA, Catalytic/metabolism
- RNA, Transfer, Gln/chemistry
- RNA, Transfer, Gln/metabolism
- Ribonuclease P
- Substrate Specificity
- Tetrahymena thermophila/enzymology
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Affiliation(s)
- H L True
- Department of Microbiology and College of Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA
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35
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Sbisà E, Pesole G, Tullo A, Saccone C. The evolution of the RNase P- and RNase MRP-associated RNAs: phylogenetic analysis and nucleotide substitution rate. J Mol Evol 1996; 43:46-57. [PMID: 8660429 DOI: 10.1007/bf02352299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
We report a detailed evolutionary study of the RNase P- and RNase MRP- associated RNAs. The analyses were performed on all the available complete sequences of RNase MRP (vertebrates, yeast, plant), nuclear RNase P (vertebrates, yeast), and mitochondrial RNase P (yeast) RNAs. For the first time the phylogenetic distance between these sequences and the nucleotide substitution rates have been quantitatively measured.The analyses were performed by considering the optimal multiple alignments obtained mostly by maximizing similarity between primary sequences. RNase P RNA and MRP RNA display evolutionary dynamics following the molecular clock. Both have similar rates and evolve about one order of magnitude faster than the corresponding small rRNA sequences which have been, so far, the most common gene markers used for phylogeny. However, small rRNAs evolve too slowly to solve close phylogenetic relationships such as those between mammals. The quicker rate of RNase P and MRP RNA allowed us to assess phylogenetic relationships between mammals and other vertebrate species and yeast strains. The phylogenetic data obtained with yeasts perfectly agree with those obtained by functional assays, thus demonstrating the potential offered by this approach for laboratory experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Sbisà
- Centro di Studio sui Mitocondri e Metabolismo Energetico, CNR. Via Amendola, 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy
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36
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Biswas TK. Expression of the mitochondrial RNase P RNA subunit-encoding gene from a variant promoter sequence in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Gene 1996; 170:23-30. [PMID: 8621084 DOI: 10.1016/0378-1119(95)00874-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Ribonuclease P (RNase P) is a common tRNA processing enzyme that removes the 5' leader sequence of precursor tRNAs. This activity is identified in yeast mitochondria as a separate enzyme from the nuclear RNase P. Like other RNase P enzymes, the mitochondrial (mt) RNase P is also a ribonucleoprotein composed of both RNA and protein subunits. The RNA subunit is encoded by a mt gene and the protein subunit is supplied by a nuclear gene. Earlier studies described one active promoter (FP1) located 5' to the mt tRNA(fMet)-RNase P RNA-tRNA(Pro) gene cluster, so that the mitochondrially encoded RNA subunit was thought to be co-transcribed with two of its substrate tRNAs. However, the results of in vitro transcription and primer extension experiments presented here demonstrate that the mt RNase P RNA subunit-encoding gene (RPM1) is transcribed from a new promoter (SP)which is located between the tRNA(fMet) and RPM1 genes. The sequence [5'-TATAAGAA(+1)] of the new promoter varies from the conserved promoter sequence [5'-TATAAGTA(+1)], but is one of the sequences that is active in the in vitro transcription assay to determine the consensus promoter sequence [5'-T A T/a A A/g/c G T/a/c N(+1)]. This result demonstrates that a naturally occurring variant promoter is used by RPM1. Identification of the novel SP promoter suggests that the synthesis of the mt RNase P RNA subunit might be uncoupled from the expression of upstream tRNA(fMet) gene, and that RPM1 might be independently transcribed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
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Affiliation(s)
- T K Biswas
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
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37
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Abstract
RNase P, the enzyme response for 5'-end processing of tRNAs and 4.5S RNA, has been extensively characterized from E. coli. The RNA component of E. coli RNase P, without the protein, has the enzymatic activity and is the first true RNA enzyme to be characterized. RNase P and MRP are two distinct nuclear ribonucleoprotein (RNP) particles characterized in many eukaryotic cells including human, yeast and plant cells. There are many similarities between RNase P and MRP. These include: (1) sequence specific endonuclease activity; (2) homology at the primary and secondary structure levels; and (3) common proteins in both the RNPs. It is likely that RNase P and MRP originated from a common ancestor.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Reddy
- Department of Pharmacology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
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38
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Chamberlain JR, Tranguch AJ, Pagán-Ramos E, Engelke DR. Eukaryotic nuclear RNase P: structures and functions. PROGRESS IN NUCLEIC ACID RESEARCH AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 1996; 55:87-119. [PMID: 8787607 DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6603(08)60190-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- J R Chamberlain
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor 48109, USA
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39
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Reilly TH, Schmitt ME. The yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, RNase P/MRP ribonucleoprotein endoribonuclease family. Mol Biol Rep 1996; 22:87-93. [PMID: 8901493 DOI: 10.1007/bf00988711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Ribonuclease P (RNase P) is a ribonucleoprotein responsible for the endonucleolytic cleavage of the 5'-termini of tRNAs. Ribonuclease MRP (RNase MRP) is a ribonucleoprotein that has the ability to cleave both mitochondrial RNA primers presumed to be involved in mitochondrial DNA replication and rRNA precursors for the production of mature rRNAs. Several lines of evidence suggest that these two ribonucleoproteins are related to each other, both functionally and evolutionarily. Both of these enzymes have activity in the nucleus and mitochondria. Each cleave their RNA substrates in a divalent cation dependent manner to generate 5'-phosphate and 3'-OH termini. In addition, the RNA subunits of both complexes can be folded into a similar secondary structure. Each can be immunoprecipitated from mammalian cells with Th antibodies. In yeast, both have been found to share at least one common protein. This review will discuss some of the recent advances in our understanding of the structure, function and evolutionary relationship of these two enzymes in the yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
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Affiliation(s)
- T H Reilly
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
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40
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Engelke DR, Pagán-Ramos E, Tranguch AJ. Structure-function analysis in nuclear RNase P RNA. Mol Biol Rep 1996; 22:157-60. [PMID: 8901504 DOI: 10.1007/bf00988722] [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] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
Eukaryotic ribonuclease P (RNase P) enzymes require both RNA and protein subunits for activity in vivo and in vitro. We have undertaken an analysis of the complex RNA subunit of the nuclear holoenzyme in an effort to understand its structure and its similarities to and differences from the bacterial ribozymes. Phylogenetic analysis, structure-sensitive RNA footprinting, and directed mutagenesis reveal conserved secondary and tertiary structures with both strong similarities to the bacterial consensus and distinctive features. The effects of mutations in the most highly conserved positions are being used to dissect the functions of individual subdomains.
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Affiliation(s)
- D R Engelke
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-0606, USA
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41
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Paluh JL, Clayton DA. Schizosaccharomyces pombe RNase MRP RNA is homologous to metazoan RNase MRP RNAs and may provide clues to interrelationships between RNase MRP and RNase P. Yeast 1995; 11:1249-64. [PMID: 8553696 DOI: 10.1002/yea.320111305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
RNase MRP and RNase P ribonucleoproteins are structurally and functionally similar across a large evolutionary distance. To better characterize possible complex interrelationships between these two enzymes, we have employed the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Unlike Saccharomyces cerevisiae, S. pombe is believed to harbour only one genetic locus for the RNA component of RNase P and does not contain a known mitochondrially encoded RNase P RNA. We have identified the single nuclear gene for the RNA component of RNase MRP in S. pombe, mrp-1, by homology to vertebrate RNase MRP RNAs. The mrp-1 gene encodes an RNA of maximum mature length 400 nucleotides that shares a high degree of identity, in evolutionarily conserved regions, to both vertebrate RNase MRP RNAs and S. pombe RNase P RNA. Disruption of mrp-1 in the diploid strain SP826 and sporulation of tetrads resulted in a 2 dead:2 viable segregation, consistent with the gene being essential. Lethality is rescued by a plasmid-borne copy of mrp-1. Partially purified ribonucleoprotein RNase MRP activity correctly and efficiently processed all previously characterized heterologous mitochondrial RNA substrates. The compact mitochondrial genome of S. pombe contains sequence elements with > 50% identity to mammalian D-loop CSBI and CSBII elements. The identification of mrp-1 in S. pombe should facilitate not only comparisons between the related ribonucleoproteins RNase MRP and RNase P, but should also provide an opportunity for genetic elucidation of RNase MRP function in a situation reflective of the animal kingdom.
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Affiliation(s)
- J L Paluh
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, California 94305-5427, USA
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42
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Levinger L, Vasisht V, Greene V, Bourne R, Birk A, Kolla S. Sequence and structure requirements for Drosophila tRNA 5'- and 3'-end processing. J Biol Chem 1995; 270:18903-9. [PMID: 7642547 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.270.32.18903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Eukaryotic tRNAs are processed at their 5'- and 3'- ends by endonucleases RNase P and 3'-tRNase, respectively. We have prepared substrates for both enzymes, separated the activities from a Drosophila extract, and designed variant tRNAs to assess the effects of sequence and structure on processing. Mutations affect these reactions in similar ways; thus, RNase P and 3'-tRNase probably require similar substrate structures to maintain the catalytic fit. RNase P is more sensitive to substrate substitutions than 3'-tRNase. In three of the four stems, one substitution prevents both processing reactions while the opposite one has less effect; anticodon stem substitutions hardly affect processing, and double substitution intended to restore base pairing also restore processing to the wild type rate. Structure probing suggests that tRNA misfolding sometimes coincides with reduced processing. In other cases, processing inhibition probably results from specific unfavorable stem appositions leading to local helix deformation. A single T loop substitution disrupts the tertiary D-T loop interaction and reduces processing. We have thus begun mapping tRNA processing determinants on the global, local, and tertiary structure levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Levinger
- Department of Natural Sciences/Biology, York College of the City University of New York, Jamaica 11451, USA
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43
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Abstract
A series of Saccharomyces cerevisiae--Escherichia coli shuttle vectors is described in which small RNAs can be stably expressed in yeast from two different promoters for RNA polymerase III transcription. The vectors are available in either high- or low-copy-number forms with either URA3, HIS3, or TRP1 selection markers, and are based on a previously described set of plasmid vectors [Sikorski and Hieter, Genetics 122 (1989) 19-27]. Transcripts have structured pre-tRNA or RPR1 leaders fused to RNA corresponding to inserted sequences. Levels of RNA accumulation are dependent on plasmid copy number and the type of transcript.
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Affiliation(s)
- P D Good
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-0606
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44
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Schmitt ME, Clayton DA. Characterization of a unique protein component of yeast RNase MRP: an RNA-binding protein with a zinc-cluster domain. Genes Dev 1994; 8:2617-28. [PMID: 7958920 DOI: 10.1101/gad.8.21.2617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
RNase MRP is a ribonucleoprotein endoribonuclease that has been shown to cleave mitochondrial primer RNA sequences from a variety of sources. Most of the RNase MRP activity is found in the nucleus where it plays a role in the processing of 5.8S rRNA. A temperature-conditional point mutation in the yeast RNA component of the enzyme has been identified. This mutation results in a loss of normal rRNA processing at the nonpermissive temperature while cellular levels of the RNA component of RNase MRP remain stable. High-copy suppressor analysis of this point mutation was employed to identify interacting proteins. A unique suppressor, termed SNM1 (suppressor of nuclear mitochondrial endoribonuclease 1), was identified repeatedly. The SNM1 gene was localized to the right arm of chromosome IV, directly adjacent to the SNF1 gene, and it contains an open reading frame encoding a protein of 198 amino acids. The protein contains a leucine zipper motif, a zinc-cluster motif, and a serine/lysine-rich tail. The gene was found to be essential for viability in a yeast cell, consistent with it being a protein component of the RNase MRP ribonucleoprotein complex. Recombinant SNM1 protein binds RNA in both gel retardation and Northwestern assays. Antibodies raised against bacterially expressed proteins identified four separate species in yeast whole cell extracts. Antibodies directed against the SNM1 protein immunoprecipitated RNase MRP RNA from whole-cell extracts without precipitating the structurally and functionally related RNase P RNA. We propose that the SNM1 protein is an essential and specific component of the RNase MRP ribonucleoprotein complex, the first unique protein of this complex to be identified.
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Affiliation(s)
- M E Schmitt
- Department of Developmental Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, California 94305-5427
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45
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Lefebvre O, Rüth J, Sentenac A. A mutation in the largest subunit of yeast TFIIIC affects tRNA and 5 S RNA synthesis. Identification of two classes of suppressors. J Biol Chem 1994. [DOI: 10.1016/s0021-9258(17)31663-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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46
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Tranguch AJ, Kindelberger DW, Rohlman CE, Lee JY, Engelke DR. Structure-sensitive RNA footprinting of yeast nuclear ribonuclease P. Biochemistry 1994; 33:1778-87. [PMID: 8110780 DOI: 10.1021/bi00173a022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Several enzymatic and chemical reagents were used to probe the secondary structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae nuclear RNase P RNA in the presence and absence of its protein components. Double-stranded regions were detected with RNase V1 and single-stranded regions with RNase ONE (Escherichia coli RNase I). Nucleotides not paired at Watson-Crick positions were monitored with dimethyl sulfate, kethoxal, and 1-cyclohexyl-3-[2-(N-methylmorpholinio)ethyl]carbodiimide p-toluenesulfonate. The results supported most aspects of the previously proposed, phylogenetically-derived RNA secondary structure, although minor refinements allowed incorporation of both the biochemical and phylogenetic data. Digestion of the RNase P protein(s) with proteinase K gave enhanced reactivities to structure probes at selected positions, indicating regions of the RNA made inaccessible by the presence of the protein subunit(s). The regions of RNA protected in the yeast nuclear holoenzyme were considerably more extensive than that seen in the Escherichia coli holoenzyme, consistent with the observation that the protein moiety generally comprises a larger percentage of the RNase P holoenzyme in eukaryotes than in eubacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- A J Tranguch
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-0606
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47
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Gal4 protein binding is required but not sufficient for derepression and induction of GAL2 expression. J Biol Chem 1993. [DOI: 10.1016/s0021-9258(18)41510-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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48
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Abstract
RNase P and RNase MRP are related ribonucleoproteins. RNase MRP processes mitochondrial precursor- (primer) RNAs, whereas RNase P cleaves precursor-tRNAs to produce their mature 5'-ends. Both RNase P and RNase MRP are associated with the Th/To ribonucleoprotein suggesting possible interrelated pathways and/or functions. All known RNase P and RNase MRP RNAs contain conserved structural elements possibly involved in catalysis/substrate binding, but these elements do not predict all cellular functions of the RNPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Karwan
- Institute of Tumor Biology, University of Vienna, Austria
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49
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Mortimer RK, Contopoulou CR, King JS. Genetic and physical maps of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Edition 11. Yeast 1992; 8:817-902. [PMID: 1413997 DOI: 10.1002/yea.320081002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- R K Mortimer
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley 94720
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