Conformational heterogeneity of the protein-free human spliceosomal U2-U6 snRNA complex

Topology of the U12-U6atac snRNA Complex of the Minor Spliceosome and Binding by NTC-Related Protein RBM22

Splicing of precursor messenger RNA is catalyzed by the spliceosome, a dynamic ribonucleoprotein assembly including five small nuclear (sn)RNAs and >100 proteins. RNA components catalyze the two transesterification reactions, but proteins perform critical roles in assembly and rearrangement. The catalytic core comprises a paired complex of U2 and U6 snRNAs for the major form of the spliceosome and U12 and U6_atac snRNAs for the minor variant (∼0.3% of all spliceosomes in higher eukaryotes); the latter shares key catalytic sequence elements and performs identical chemistry. Here we use solution NMR techniques to show that the U12-U6_atac snRNA complex of both human and Arabidopsis maintain base-pairing patterns similar to those in the three-helix model of the U2-U6 snRNA complex that position key elements to form the spliceosome's active site. However, in place of the stacked base pairs at the base of the U6 snRNA intramolecular stem loop and the central junction of the U2-U6 snRNA complex, we see altered geometry in the single-stranded hinge region opposing termini of the snRNAs to enable interaction between the key elements. We then use electrophoretic mobility shift assays and fluorescence assays to show that the protein RBM22, implicated in remodeling the human U2-U6 snRNA complex prior to catalysis, also binds the U12-U6_atac snRNA complexes specifically and with similar affinity as to U2-U6 snRNA (a mean K _d for the two methods = 3.4 and 8.0 μM for U2-U6 and U12-U6_atac snRNA complexes, respectively), suggesting that RBM22 performs the same role in both spliceosomes.

Role of the central junction in folding topology of the protein-free human U2-U6 snRNA complex

U2 and U6 small nuclear (sn)RNAs are the only snRNAs directly implicated in catalyzing the splicing of pre-mRNA, but assembly and rearrangement steps prior to catalysis require numerous proteins. Previous studies have shown that the protein-free U2-U6 snRNA complex adopts two conformations in equilibrium, characterized by four and three helices surrounding a central junction. The four-helix conformer is strongly favored in the in vitro protein-free state, but the three-helix conformer predominates in spliceosomes. To analyze the role of the central junction in positioning elements forming the active site, we derived three-dimensional models of the two conformations from distances measured between fluorophores at selected locations in constructs representing the protein-free human U2-U6 snRNA complex by time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer. Data describing four angles in the four-helix conformer suggest tetrahedral geometry; addition of Mg²⁺ results in shortening of the distances between neighboring helices, indicating compaction of the complex around the junction. In contrast, the three-helix conformer shows a closer approach between helices bearing critical elements, but the addition of Mg²⁺ widens the distance between them; thus in neither conformer are the critical helices positioned to favor the proposed triplex interaction. The presence of Mg²⁺ also enhances the fraction of the three-helix conformer, as does incubation with the Prp19-related protein RBM22, which has been implicated in the remodeling of the U2-U6 snRNA complex to render it catalytically active. These data suggest that although the central junction assumes a significant role in orienting helices, spliceosomal proteins and Mg²⁺ facilitate formation of the catalytically active conformer.

TDP-43 regulates site-specific 2'-O-methylation of U1 and U2 snRNAs via controlling the Cajal body localization of a subset of C/D scaRNAs

TDP-43 regulates cellular levels of Cajal bodies (CBs) that provide platforms for the assembly and RNA modifications of small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) involved in pre-mRNA splicing. Alterations in these snRNPs may be linked to pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. However, specific roles for TDP-43 in CBs remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that TDP-43 regulates the CB localization of four UG-rich motif-bearing C/D-box-containing small Cajal body-specific RNAs (C/D scaRNAs; i.e. scaRNA2, 7, 9 and 28) through the direct binding to these scaRNAs. TDP-43 enhances binding of a CB-localizing protein, WD40-repeat protein 79 (WDR79), to a subpopulation of scaRNA2 and scaRNA28; the remaining population of the four C/D scaRNAs was localized to CB-like structures even with WDR79 depletion. Depletion of TDP-43, in contrast, shifted the localization of these C/D scaRNAs, mainly into the nucleolus, as well as destabilizing scaRNA2, and reduced the site-specific 2'-O-methylation of U1 and U2 snRNAs, including at 70A in U1 snRNA and, 19G, 25G, 47U and 61C in U2 snRNA. Collectively, we suggest that TDP-43 and WDR79 have separate roles in determining CB localization of subsets of C/D and H/ACA scaRNAs.

Gibbs/MCMC Sampling for Multiple RNA Interaction with Sub-optimal Solutions

Multiple RNA interaction can be modeled as a problem in combinatorial optimization, where the "optimal" structure is driven by an energy-minimization-like algorithm. However, the actual structure may not be optimal in this computational sense. Moreover, it is not necessarily unique. Therefore, alternative sub-optimal solutions are needed to cover the biological ground. We present a combinatorial formulation for the Multiple RNA Interaction problem with approximation algorithms to handle various interaction patterns, which when combined with Gibbs sampling and MCMC (Markov Chain Monte Carlo), can efficiently generate a reasonable number of optimal and sub-optimal solutions. When viable structures are far from an optimal solution, exploring dependence among different parts of the interaction can increase their score and boost their candidacy for the sampling algorithm. By clustering the solutions, we identify few representatives that are distinct enough to suggest possible alternative structures.

Single-molecule fluorescence-based studies on the dynamics, assembly and catalytic mechanism of the spliceosome

Pre-mRNA (precursor mRNA) splicing is a key step in cellular gene expression where introns are excised and exons are ligated together to produce mature mRNA. This process is catalysed by the spliceosome, which consists of five snRNPs (small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles) and numerous protein factors. Assembly of these snRNPs and associated proteins is a highly dynamic process, making it challenging to study the conformational rearrangements and spliceosome assembly kinetics in bulk studies. In the present review, we discuss recent studies utilizing techniques based on single-molecule detection that have helped overcome this challenge. These studies focus on the assembly dynamics and splicing kinetics in real-time, which help understanding of spliceosomal assembly and catalysis.

Multiple RNA interaction: beyond two

The interaction of two RNA molecules involves a complex interplay between folding and binding that warranted recent developments in RNA-RNA interaction algorithms. However, biological mechanisms in which more than two RNAs take part in an interaction also exist. It is reasonable to believe that interactions involving multiple RNAs are generally more complex to be treated pairwise. In addition, given a pool of RNAs, it is not trivial to predict which RNAs interact without sufficient biological knowledge. Therefore, structures resulting from multiple RNA interactions often cannot be predicted by the existing algorithms that handle RNAs pairwise and may simply favor the best interacting pair. We propose a system for multiple RNA interaction that overcomes the difficulties mentioned above by formulating a combinatorial optimization problem called Pegs and Rubber Bands. A solution to this problem encodes a structure of interacting RNAs. The problem, not surprisingly, is NP-hard. However, our experiments with approximation algorithms and heuristics for the problem suggest that this formulation is adequate to predict known interaction patterns of multiple RNAs. In general, however, the optimal solution obtained does not necessarily correspond to the actual structure observed in biological experiments. Moreover, a structure produced by interacting RNAs may not be unique. We extend our approach to generate multiple suboptimal solutions. By clustering these solutions, we are able to reveal representatives that correspond to realistic structures. Specifically, our results on the U2-U6 complex with introns in the spliceosome of human/yeast and the CopA-CopT complex in E. coli are consistent with published biological structures.

Measurement of chemical exchange between RNA conformers by 19F NMR

Many noncoding RNA molecules adopt alternative secondary and tertiary conformations that are critical for their roles in gene expression. Although many of these rearrangements are mediated by other biomolecular components, it is important to evaluate the equilibrium relationship of the conformers. To measure the spontaneous interconversion in a bi-stable RNA stem loop sequence into which a single (19)F-uridine label was incorporated, a (19)F-(19)F EXSY experiment was employed. The kinetic exchange rate measured from EXSY experiments for this system was 37.3±2.8s(-1). The advantage of this approach is that exchange kinetics can be monitored in any RNA sequence into which a single (19)F nucleotide is incorporated by commercial synthesis. This method is therefore suitable for application to biologically significant systems in which dynamic conformational rearrangement is important for function and may therefore facilitate studies of RNA structure-function relationships.

Post-transcriptional modifications modulate conformational dynamics in human U2-U6 snRNA complex

The spliceosome catalyzes precursor-mRNA splicing in all eukaryotes. It consists of over 100 proteins and five small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs), including U2 and U6 snRNAs, which are essential for catalysis. Human and yeast snRNAs share structural similarities despite the fact that human snRNAs contain numerous post-transcriptional modifications. Although functions for these modifications have been proposed, their exact roles are still not well understood. To help elucidate these roles in pre-mRNA splicing, we have used single-molecule fluorescence to characterize the effect of several post-transcriptional modifications in U2 snRNA on the conformation and dynamics of the U2-U6 complex in vitro. Consistent with yeast, the human U2-U6 complex reveals the presence of a magnesium-dependent dynamic equilibrium among three conformations. Interestingly, our data show that modifications in human U2 stem I modulate the dynamic equilibrium of the U2-U6 complex by stabilizing the four-helix structure. However, the small magnitude of this effect suggests that post-transcriptional modifications in human snRNAs may have a primary role in the mediation of specific RNA-protein interactions in vivo.