Footprinting analysis of BWYV pseudoknot-ribosome complexes

Conformational Shannon Entropy of mRNA Structures from Force Spectroscopy Measurements Predicts the Efficiency of -1 Programmed Ribosomal Frameshift Stimulation

-1 programmed ribosomal frameshifting (-1  PRF) is stimulated by structures in messenger RNA (mRNA), but the factors determining -1  PRF efficiency are unclear. We show that -1  PRF efficiency varies directly with the conformational heterogeneity of the stimulatory structure, quantified as the Shannon entropy of the state occupancy, for a panel of stimulatory structures with efficiencies from 2% to 80%. The correlation is force dependent and vanishes at forces above those applied by the ribosome. These results support the hypothesis that heterogeneous conformational dynamics are a key factor in stimulating -1  PRF.

Fluorescent Aminoglycoside Antibiotics and Methods for Accurately Monitoring Uptake by Bacteria

Characterizing how multidrug-resistant bacteria circumvent the action of clinically used or novel antibiotics requires a detailed understanding of how the antibiotics interact with and cross bacterial membranes to accumulate in the cells and exert their action. When monitoring the interactions of drugs with bacteria, it remains challenging to differentiate functionally relevant internalized drug levels from nonspecific binding. Fluorescence is a method of choice for observing dynamics of biomolecules. In order to facilitate studies involving aminoglycoside antibiotics, we have generated fluorescently labeled aminoglycoside derivatives with uptake and bactericidal activities similar, albeit with a moderate loss, to those of the parent drug. The method combines fluorescence microscopy with fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) using neomycin coupled to nonpermeable cyanine dyes. Fluorescence imaging allowed membrane-bound antibiotic to be distinguished from molecules in the cytoplasm. Patterns of uptake were assigned to different populations in the FACS analysis. Our study illustrates how fluorescent derivatives of an aminoglycoside enable a robust characterization of the three components of uptake: membrane binding, EDPI, and EDPII. Because EDPI levels are weak compared to the two other types of accumulation and critical for the action of these drugs, the three components of uptake must be taken into account separately when drawing conclusions about aminoglycoside function.

Use of Baby Spinach and Broccoli for imaging of structured cellular RNAs

Fluorogenic RNA aptamers provide a powerful tool for study of RNA analogous to green fluorescent protein for the study of proteins. Spinach and Broccoli are RNAs selected in vitro or in vivo respectively to bind to an exogenous chromophore. They can be genetically inserted into an RNA of interest for live-cell imaging. Spinach aptamer has been altered to increase thermal stability and stabilize the desired folding. How well these fluorogenic RNA aptamers behave when inserted into structured cellular RNAs and how aptamer properties might be affected remains poorly characterized. Here, we report a study of the performance of distinct RNA Spinach and Broccoli aptamer sequences in isolation or inserted into the small subunit of the bacterial ribosome. We found that the ribosomal context helped maintaining the yield of the folded Baby Spinach aptamer; other versions of Spinach did not perform well in the context of ribosomes. In vivo, two aptamers clearly stood out. Baby Spinach and Broccoli aptamers yielded fluorescence levels markedly superior to all previous Spinach sequences including the super-folder tRNA scaffolded tSpinach2. Overall, the results suggest the use of Broccoli and Baby Spinach aptamers for live cell imaging of structured RNAs.

Coordination among tertiary base pairs results in an efficient frameshift-stimulating RNA pseudoknot

Frameshifting is an essential process that regulates protein synthesis in many viruses. The ribosome may slip backward when encountering a frameshift motif on the messenger RNA, which usually contains a pseudoknot structure involving tertiary base pair interactions. Due to the lack of detailed molecular explanations, previous studies investigating which features of the pseudoknot are important to stimulate frameshifting have presented diverse conclusions. Here we constructed a bimolecular pseudoknot to dissect the interior tertiary base pairs and used single-molecule approaches to assess the structure targeted by ribosomes. We found that the first ribosome target stem was resistant to unwinding when the neighboring loop was confined along the stem; such constrained conformation was dependent on the presence of consecutive adenosines in this loop. Mutations that disrupted the distal base triples abolished all remaining tertiary base pairs. Changes in frameshifting efficiency correlated with the stem unwinding resistance. Our results demonstrate that various tertiary base pairs are coordinated inside a highly efficient frameshift-stimulating RNA pseudoknot and suggest a mechanism by which mechanical resistance of the pseudoknot may persistently act on translocating ribosomes.

Mechanical unfolding kinetics of the SRV-1 gag-pro mRNA pseudoknot: possible implications for -1 ribosomal frameshifting stimulation

Minus-one ribosomal frameshifting is a translational recoding mechanism widely utilized by many RNA viruses to generate accurate ratios of structural and catalytic proteins. An RNA pseudoknot structure located in the overlapping region of the gag and pro genes of Simian Retrovirus type 1 (SRV-1) stimulates frameshifting. However, the experimental characterization of SRV-1 pseudoknot (un)folding dynamics and the effect of the base triple formation is lacking. Here, we report the results of our single-molecule nanomanipulation using optical tweezers and theoretical simulation by steered molecular dynamics. Our results directly reveal that the energetic coupling between loop 2 and stem 1 via minor-groove base triple formation enhances the mechanical stability. The terminal base pair in stem 1 (directly in contact with a translating ribosome at the slippery site) also affects the mechanical stability of the pseudoknot. The -1 frameshifting efficiency is positively correlated with the cooperative one-step unfolding force and inversely correlated with the one-step mechanical unfolding rate at zero force. A significantly improved correlation was observed between -1 frameshifting efficiency and unfolding rate at forces of 15-35 pN, consistent with the fact that the ribosome is a force-generating molecular motor with helicase activity. No correlation was observed between thermal stability and -1 frameshifting efficiency.

Ribosomal frameshifting and transcriptional slippage: From genetic steganography and cryptography to adventitious use

Genetic decoding is not ‘frozen’ as was earlier thought, but dynamic. One facet of this is frameshifting that often results in synthesis of a C-terminal region encoded by a new frame. Ribosomal frameshifting is utilized for the synthesis of additional products, for regulatory purposes and for translational ‘correction’ of problem or ‘savior’ indels. Utilization for synthesis of additional products occurs prominently in the decoding of mobile chromosomal element and viral genomes. One class of regulatory frameshifting of stable chromosomal genes governs cellular polyamine levels from yeasts to humans. In many cases of productively utilized frameshifting, the proportion of ribosomes that frameshift at a shift-prone site is enhanced by specific nascent peptide or mRNA context features. Such mRNA signals, which can be 5′ or 3′ of the shift site or both, can act by pairing with ribosomal RNA or as stem loops or pseudoknots even with one component being 4 kb 3′ from the shift site. Transcriptional realignment at slippage-prone sequences also generates productively utilized products encoded trans-frame with respect to the genomic sequence. This too can be enhanced by nucleic acid structure. Together with dynamic codon redefinition, frameshifting is one of the forms of recoding that enriches gene expression.

-1 Programmed Ribosomal Frameshifting as a Force-Dependent Process

-1 Programmed ribosomal frameshifting is a translational recoding event in which ribosomes slip backward along messenger RNA presumably due to increased tension disrupting the codon-anticodon interaction at the ribosome's coding site. Single-molecule physical methods and recent experiments characterizing the physical properties of mRNA's slippery sequence as well as the mechanical stability of downstream mRNA structure motifs that give rise to frameshifting are discussed. Progress in technology, experimental assays, and data analysis methods hold promise for accurate physical modeling and quantitative understanding of -1 programmed ribosomal frameshifting.

A stochastic model of translation with -1 programmed ribosomal frameshifting

Many viruses produce multiple proteins from a single mRNA sequence by encoding overlapping genes. One mechanism to decode both genes, which reside in alternate reading frames, is -1 programmed ribosomal frameshifting. Although recognized for over 25 years, the molecular and physical mechanism of -1 frameshifting remains poorly understood. We have developed a mathematical model that treats mRNA translation and associated -1 frameshifting as a stochastic process in which the transition probabilities are based on the energetics of local molecular interactions. The model predicts both the location and efficiency of -1 frameshift events in HIV-1. Moreover, we compute -1 frameshift efficiencies upon mutations in the viral mRNA sequence and variations in relative tRNA abundances, predictions that are directly testable in experiment.

Group II intron-ribosome association protects intron RNA from degradation

The influence of the cellular environment on the structures and properties of catalytic RNAs is not well understood, despite great interest in ribozyme function. Here we report on ribosome association of group II introns, which are ribozymes that are important because of their putative ancestry to spliceosomal introns and retrotransposons, their retromobility via an RNA intermediate, and their application as gene delivery agents. We show that group II intron RNA, in complex with the intron-encoded protein from the native Lactoccocus lactis host, associates strongly with ribosomes in vivo. Ribosomes have little effect on intron ribozyme activities; rather, the association with host ribosomes protects the intron RNA against degradation by RNase E, an enzyme previously shown to be a silencer of retromobility in Escherichia coli. The ribosome interacts strongly with the intron, exerting protective effects in vivo and in vitro, as demonstrated by genetic and biochemical experiments. These results are consistent with the ribosome influencing the integrity of catalytic RNAs in bacteria in the face of degradative nucleases that regulate intron mobility.

HIV-1 frameshift efficiency is primarily determined by the stability of base pairs positioned at the mRNA entrance channel of the ribosome

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) requires a programmed −1 ribosomal frameshift for Pol gene expression. The HIV frameshift site consists of a heptanucleotide slippery sequence (UUUUUUA) followed by a spacer region and a downstream RNA stem–loop structure. Here we investigate the role of the RNA structure in promoting the −1 frameshift. The stem–loop was systematically altered to decouple the contributions of local and overall thermodynamic stability towards frameshift efficiency. No correlation between overall stability and frameshift efficiency is observed. In contrast, there is a strong correlation between frameshift efficiency and the local thermodynamic stability of the first 3–4 bp in the stem–loop, which are predicted to reside at the opening of the mRNA entrance channel when the ribosome is paused at the slippery site. Insertion or deletions in the spacer region appear to correspondingly change the identity of the base pairs encountered 8 nt downstream of the slippery site. Finally, the role of the surrounding genomic secondary structure was investigated and found to have a modest impact on frameshift efficiency, consistent with the hypothesis that the genomic secondary structure attenuates frameshifting by affecting the overall rate of translation.

Programmed -1 frameshifting efficiency correlates with RNA pseudoknot conformational plasticity, not resistance to mechanical unfolding

Programmed -1 frameshifting, whereby the reading frame of a ribosome on messenger RNA is shifted in order to generate an alternate gene product, is often triggered by a pseudoknot structure in the mRNA in combination with an upstream slippery sequence. The efficiency of frameshifting varies widely for different sites, but the factors that determine frameshifting efficiency are not yet fully understood. Previous work has suggested that frameshifting efficiency is related to the resistance of the pseudoknot against mechanical unfolding. We tested this hypothesis by studying the mechanical properties of a panel of pseudoknots with frameshifting efficiencies ranging from 2% to 30%: four pseudoknots from retroviruses, two from luteoviruses, one from a coronavirus, and a nonframeshifting bacteriophage pseudoknot. Using optical tweezers to apply tension across the RNA, we measured the distribution of forces required to unfold each pseudoknot. We found that neither the average unfolding force, nor the unfolding kinetics, nor the parameters describing the energy landscape for mechanical unfolding of the pseudoknot (energy barrier height and distance to the transition state) could be correlated to frameshifting efficiency. These results indicate that the resistance of pseudoknots to mechanical unfolding is not a primary determinant of frameshifting efficiency. However, increased frameshifting efficiency was correlated with an increased tendency to form alternate, incompletely folded structures, suggesting a more complex picture of the role of the pseudoknot involving the conformational dynamics.

Spacer-length dependence of programmed -1 or -2 ribosomal frameshifting on a U6A heptamer supports a role for messenger RNA (mRNA) tension in frameshifting

Programmed -1 ribosomal frameshifting is employed in the expression of a number of viral and cellular genes. In this process, the ribosome slips backwards by a single nucleotide and continues translation of an overlapping reading frame, generating a fusion protein. Frameshifting signals comprise a heptanucleotide slippery sequence, where the ribosome changes frame, and a stimulatory RNA structure, a stem-loop or RNA pseudoknot. Antisense oligonucleotides annealed appropriately 3' of a slippery sequence have also shown activity in frameshifting, at least in vitro. Here we examined frameshifting at the U6A slippery sequence of the HIV gag/pol signal and found high levels of both -1 and -2 frameshifting with stem-loop, pseudoknot or antisense oligonucleotide stimulators. By examining -1 and -2 frameshifting outcomes on mRNAs with varying slippery sequence-stimulatory RNA spacing distances, we found that -2 frameshifting was optimal at a spacer length 1-2 nucleotides shorter than that optimal for -1 frameshifting with all stimulatory RNAs tested. We propose that the shorter spacer increases the tension on the mRNA such that when the tRNA detaches, it more readily enters the -2 frame on the U6A heptamer. We propose that mRNA tension is central to frameshifting, whether promoted by stem-loop, pseudoknot or antisense oligonucleotide stimulator.

Protein-RNA footprinting: an evolving tool

As more RNA molecules with important cellular functions are discovered, there is a strong need to characterize their structures, functions, and interactions. Chemical and enzymatic footprinting methods are used to map RNA secondary and tertiary structure, to monitor ligand interactions and conformational changes, and in the study of protein-RNA interactions. These methods provide data at single-nucleotide resolution that nicely complements the structural information available from X-ray diffraction, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), or cryo-electron microscopy. Footprinting methods also complement the dynamic information derived from single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer. RNA footprinting tools have been used for decades, but we have recently seen spectacular advances, for instance, the use in combination with massive parallel sequencing techniques. Large libraries of RNA molecules (small or large in size) can now be probed in high-throughput manner when RNA footprinting methods are combined with fluorescent probe technologies and automation. In this article, after a brief historical overview, we summarize recent advances in RNA-protein footprinting methodologies that now integrate tools for massive parallel analysis.

Interaction of the HIV-1 frameshift signal with the ribosome

Ribosomal frameshifting on viral RNAs relies on the mechanical properties of structural elements, often pseudoknots and more rarely stem-loops, that are unfolded by the ribosome during translation. In human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 type B a long hairpin containing a three-nucleotide bulge is responsible for efficient frameshifting. This three-nucleotide bulge separates the hairpin in two domains: an unstable lower stem followed by a GC-rich upper stem. Toeprinting and chemical probing assays suggest that a hairpin-like structure is retained when ribosomes, initially bound at the slippery sequence, were allowed multiple EF-G catalyzed translocation cycles. However, while the upper stem remains intact the lower stem readily melts. After the first, and single step of translocation of deacylated tRNA to the 30 S P site, movement of the mRNA stem-loop in the 5′ direction is halted, which is consistent with the notion that the downstream secondary structure resists unfolding. Mechanical stretching of the hairpin using optical tweezers only allows clear identification of unfolding of the upper stem at a force of 12.8 ± 1.0 pN. This suggests that the lower stem is unstable and may indeed readily unfold in the presence of a translocating ribosome.