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Lentini JM, Ramos J, Fu D. Monitoring the 5-methoxycarbonylmethyl-2-thiouridine (mcm5s2U) modification in eukaryotic tRNAs via the γ-toxin endonuclease. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2018; 24:749-758. [PMID: 29440318 PMCID: PMC5900570 DOI: 10.1261/rna.065581.118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2018] [Accepted: 02/06/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The post-transcriptional modification of tRNA at the wobble position is a universal process occurring in all domains of life. In eukaryotes, the wobble uridine of particular tRNAs is transformed to the 5-methoxycarbonylmethyl-2-thiouridine (mcm5s2U) modification which is critical for proper mRNA decoding and protein translation. However, current methods to detect mcm5s2U are technically challenging and/or require specialized instrumental expertise. Here, we show that γ-toxin endonuclease from the yeast Kluyveromyces lactis can be used as a probe for assaying mcm5s2U status in the tRNA of diverse eukaryotic organisms ranging from protozoans to mammalian cells. The assay couples the mcm5s2U-dependent cleavage of tRNA by γ-toxin with standard molecular biology techniques such as northern blot analysis or quantitative PCR to monitor mcm5s2U levels in multiple tRNA isoacceptors. The results gained from the γ-toxin assay reveals the evolutionary conservation of the mcm5s2U modification across eukaryotic species. Moreover, we have used the γ-toxin assay to verify uncharacterized eukaryotic Trm9 and Trm112 homologs that catalyze the formation of mcm5s2U. These findings demonstrate the use of γ-toxin as a detection method to monitor mcm5s2U status in diverse eukaryotic cell types for cellular, genetic, and biochemical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna M Lentini
- Department of Biology, Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
| | - Jillian Ramos
- Department of Biology, Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
| | - Dragony Fu
- Department of Biology, Center for RNA Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
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2
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Cbr1 is a Dph3 reductase required for the tRNA wobble uridine modification. Nat Chem Biol 2016; 12:995-997. [PMID: 27694803 PMCID: PMC5110365 DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.2190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2016] [Accepted: 07/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Diphthamide and the tRNA wobble uridine modifications both require Dph3 (DiPHthamide biosynthesis 3) protein as an electron donor for the iron-sulfur clusters in their biosynthetic enzymes. Here, using a proteomic approach, we identified Saccharomyces cerevisiae cytochrome B5 reductase (Cbr1) as a NADH-dependent reductase for Dph3. The NADH- and Cbr1-dependent reduction of Dph3 may provide a regulatory linkage between cellular metabolic state and protein translation.
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Site-directed mutagenesis of the heterotrimeric killer toxin zymocin identifies residues required for early steps in toxin action. Appl Environ Microbiol 2014; 80:6549-59. [PMID: 25128337 DOI: 10.1128/aem.02197-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Zymocin is a Kluyveromyces lactis protein toxin composed of αβγ subunits encoded by the cytoplasmic virus-like element k1 and functions by αβ-assisted delivery of the anticodon nuclease (ACNase) γ into target cells. The toxin binds to cells' chitin and exhibits chitinase activity in vitro that might be important during γ import. Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains carrying k1-derived hybrid elements deficient in either αβ (k1ORF2) or γ (k1ORF4) were generated. Loss of either gene abrogates toxicity, and unexpectedly, Orf2 secretion depends on Orf4 cosecretion. Functional zymocin assembly can be restored by nuclear expression of k1ORF2 or k1ORF4, providing an opportunity to conduct site-directed mutagenesis of holozymocin. Complementation required active site residues of α's chitinase domain and the sole cysteine residue of β (Cys250). Since βγ are reportedly disulfide linked, the requirement for the conserved γ C231 was probed. Toxicity of intracellularly expressed γ C231A indicated no major defect in ACNase activity, while complementation of k1ΔORF4 by γ C231A was lost, consistent with a role of β C250 and γ C231 in zymocin assembly. To test the capability of αβ to carry alternative cargos, the heterologous ACNase from Pichia acaciae (P. acaciae Orf2 [PaOrf2]) was expressed, along with its immunity gene, in k1ΔORF4. While efficient secretion of PaOrf2 was detected, suppression of the k1ΔORF4-derived k1Orf2 secretion defect was not observed. Thus, the dependency of k1Orf2 on k1Orf4 cosecretion needs to be overcome prior to studying αβ's capability to deliver other cargo proteins into target cells.
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4
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Structure, mechanism, and specificity of a eukaryal tRNA restriction enzyme involved in self-nonself discrimination. Cell Rep 2014; 7:339-347. [PMID: 24726365 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2014.03.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2014] [Revised: 02/26/2014] [Accepted: 03/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
tRNA restriction by anticodon nucleases underlies cellular stress responses and self-nonself discrimination in a wide range of taxa. Anticodon breakage inhibits protein synthesis, which, in turn, results in growth arrest or cell death. The eukaryal ribotoxin PaT secreted by Pichia acaciae inhibits growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae via cleavage of tRNA(Gln(UUG)). We find that recombinant PaT incises a synthetic tRNA(Gln(UUG)) stem-loop RNA by transesterification at a single site 3' of the wobble uridine, yielding 2',3'-cyclic phosphate and 5'-OH ends. Incision is suppressed by replacement of the wobble nucleobase with adenine or guanine. The crystal structure of PaT reveals a distinctive fold and active site, essential components of which are demonstrated by mutagenesis. Pichia acaciae evades self-toxicity via a distinctive intracellular immunity protein, ImmPaT, which binds PaT and blocks nuclease activity. Our results highlight the evolutionary diversity of tRNA restriction and immunity systems.
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5
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Kast A, Klassen R, Meinhardt F. rRNA fragmentation induced by a yeast killer toxin. Mol Microbiol 2014; 91:606-17. [PMID: 24308908 DOI: 10.1111/mmi.12481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Virus like dsDNA elements (VLE) in yeast were previously shown to encode the killer toxins PaT and zymocin, which target distinct tRNA species via specific anticodon nuclease (ACNase) activities. Here, we characterize a third member of the VLE-encoded toxins, PiT from Pichia inositovora, and identify PiOrf4 as the cytotoxic subunit by conditional expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In contrast to the tRNA targeting toxins, however, neither a change of the wobble uridine modification status by introduction of elp3 or trm9 mutations nor tRNA overexpression rescued from PiOrf4 toxicity. Consistent with a distinct RNA target, expression of PiOrf4 causes specific fragmentation of the 25S and 18S rRNA. A stable cleavage product comprising the first ∼ 130 nucleotides of the 18S rRNA was purified and characterized by linker ligation and subsequent reverse transcription; 3'-termini were mapped to nucleotide 131 and 132 of the 18S rRNA sequence, a region showing some similarity to the anticodon loop of tRNA(Glu)(UUC), the zymocin target. PiOrf4 residues Glu9 and His214, corresponding to catalytic sites Glu9 and His209 in the ACNase subunit of zymocin are essential for in vivo toxicity and rRNA fragmentation, raising the possibility of functionally conserved RNase modules in both proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alene Kast
- Institut für Molekulare Mikrobiologie und Biotechnologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstr. 3, D-48149, Münster, Germany
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6
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Shigematsu M, Ogawa T, Tanaka W, Takahashi K, Kitamoto HK, Hidaka M, Masaki H. Evidence for DNA cleavage caused directly by a transfer RNA-targeting toxin. PLoS One 2013; 8:e75512. [PMID: 24069426 PMCID: PMC3775755 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0075512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2013] [Accepted: 08/13/2013] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The killer yeast species Pichiaacaciae produces a heteromeric killer protein, PaT, that causes DNA damage and arrests the cell cycle of sensitive Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the S phase. However, the mechanism by which DNA damage occurs remains elusive. A previous study has indicated that Orf2p, a subunit of PaT, specifically cleaves an anticodon loop of an S. cerevisiae transfer RNA (tRNAGlnmcm5s2UUG). This finding raised a question about whether the DNA damage is a result of the tRNA cleavage or whether Orf2p directly associates with and cleaves the genomic DNA of sensitive yeast cells. We showed that Orf2p cleaves genomic DNA in addition to cleaving tRNA in vitro. This DNA cleavage requires the same Orf2p residue as that needed for tRNA cleavage, His299. The expression of Orf2p, in which His299 was substituted to alanine, abolished the cell cycle arrest of the host cell. Moreover, the translation impairment induced by tRNA cleavage enabled Orf2p to enter the nucleus, thereby inducing histone phosphorylation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tetsuhiro Ogawa
- Department of Biotechnology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- * E-mail: (HM); (TO)
| | - Wataru Tanaka
- Department of Biotechnology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | | | - Makoto Hidaka
- Department of Biotechnology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Haruhiko Masaki
- Department of Biotechnology, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- * E-mail: (HM); (TO)
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Meineke B, Kast A, Schwer B, Meinhardt F, Shuman S, Klassen R. A fungal anticodon nuclease ribotoxin exploits a secondary cleavage site to evade tRNA repair. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2012; 18:1716-1724. [PMID: 22836353 PMCID: PMC3425785 DOI: 10.1261/rna.034132.112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2012] [Accepted: 06/14/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
PaOrf2 and γ-toxin subunits of Pichia acaciae toxin (PaT) and Kluyveromyces lactis zymocin are tRNA anticodon nucleases. These secreted ribotoxins are assimilated by Saccharomyces cerevisiae, wherein they arrest growth by depleting specific tRNAs. Toxicity can be recapitulated by induced intracellular expression of PaOrf2 or γ-toxin in S. cerevisiae. Mutational analysis of γ-toxin has identified amino acids required for ribotoxicity in vivo and RNA transesterification in vitro. Here, we report that PaOrf2 residues Glu9 and His287 (putative counterparts of γ-toxin Glu9 and His209) are essential for toxicity. Our results suggest a similar basis for RNA transesterification by PaOrf2 and γ-toxin, despite their dissimilar primary structures and distinctive tRNA target specificities. PaOrf2 makes two sequential incisions in tRNA, the first of which occurs 3' from the mcm(5)s(2)U wobble nucleoside and depends on mcm(5). A second incision two nucleotides upstream results in the net excision of a di-nucleotide. Expression of phage and plant tRNA repair systems can relieve PaOrf2 toxicity when tRNA cleavage is restricted to the secondary site in elp3 cells that lack the mcm(5) wobble U modification. Whereas the endogenous yeast tRNA ligase Trl1 can heal tRNA halves produced by PaOrf2 cleavage in elp3 cells, its RNA sealing activity is inadequate to complete the repair. Compatible sealing activity can be provided in trans by plant tRNA ligase. The damage-rescuing ability of tRNA repair systems is lost when PaOrf2 can break tRNA at both sites. These results highlight the logic of a two-incision mechanism of tRNA anticodon damage that evades productive repair by tRNA ligases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birthe Meineke
- Molecular Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Alene Kast
- Institut für Molekulare Mikrobiologie und Biotechnologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Beate Schwer
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Friedhelm Meinhardt
- Institut für Molekulare Mikrobiologie und Biotechnologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Stewart Shuman
- Molecular Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York, New York 10065, USA
| | - Roland Klassen
- Institut für Molekulare Mikrobiologie und Biotechnologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
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8
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Satwika D, Klassen R, Meinhardt F. Anticodon nuclease encoding virus-like elements in yeast. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2012; 96:345-56. [PMID: 22899498 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-012-4349-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2012] [Revised: 07/31/2012] [Accepted: 08/01/2012] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A variety of yeast species are known to host systems of cytoplasmic linear dsDNA molecules that establish replication and transcription independent of the nucleus via self-encoded enzymes that are phylogenetically related to those encoded by true infective viruses. Such yeast virus-like elements (VLE) fall into two categories: autonomous VLEs encode all the essential functions for their inheritance, and additional, dependent VLEs, which may encode a toxin-antitoxin system, generally referred to as killer toxin and immunity. In the two cases studied in depth, killer toxin action relies on chitin binding and hydrophobic domains, together allowing a separate toxic subunit to sneak into the target cell. Mechanistically, the latter sabotages codon-anticodon interaction by endonucleolytic cleavage of specific tRNAs 3' of the wobble nucleotide. This primary action provokes a number of downstream effects, including DNA damage accumulation, which contribute to the cell-killing efficiency and highlight the importance of proper transcript decoding capacity for other cellular processes than translation itself. Since wobble uridine modifications are crucial for efficient anticodon nuclease (ACNase) action of yeast killer toxins, the latter are valuable tools for the characterization of a surprisingly complex network regulating the addition of wobble base modifications in tRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhira Satwika
- Institut für Molekulare Mikrobiologie und Biotechnologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstr. 3, 48149, Münster, Germany
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9
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Nawrot B, Sochacka E, Düchler M. tRNA structural and functional changes induced by oxidative stress. Cell Mol Life Sci 2011; 68:4023-32. [PMID: 21833586 PMCID: PMC3221842 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-011-0773-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2011] [Revised: 07/04/2011] [Accepted: 07/07/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Oxidatively damaged biomolecules impair cellular functions and contribute to the pathology of a variety of diseases. RNA is also attacked by reactive oxygen species, and oxidized RNA is increasingly recognized as an important contributor to neurodegenerative complications in humans. Recently, evidence has accumulated supporting the notion that tRNA is involved in cellular responses to various stress conditions. This review focuses on the intriguing consequences of oxidative modification of tRNA at the structural and functional level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Nawrot
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Centre of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences, 112, Sienkiewicza Street, 90-363 Lodz, Poland
| | - Elzbieta Sochacka
- Institute of Organic Chemistry, Technical University of Lodz, Zeromskiego 116, 90-924 Lodz, Poland
| | - Markus Düchler
- Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Centre of Molecular and Macromolecular Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences, 112, Sienkiewicza Street, 90-363 Lodz, Poland
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10
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Zhabokritsky A, Kutky M, Burns LA, Karran RA, Hudak KA. RNA toxins: mediators of stress adaptation and pathogen defense. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-RNA 2011; 2:890-903. [PMID: 21809449 DOI: 10.1002/wrna.99] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
RNA toxins are a group of enzymes primarily synthesized by bacteria, fungi, and plants that either cleave or depurinate RNA molecules. These proteins may be divided according to their RNA substrates: ribotoxins are nucleases that cleave ribosomal RNA (rRNA), ribosome inactivating proteins are glycosidases that remove a base from rRNA, messenger RNA (mRNA) interferases are nucleases that cleave mRNAs, and anticodon nucleases cleave transfer RNAs (tRNAs). These modifications to the RNAs may substantially alter gene expression and translation rates. Given that some of these enzymes cause cell death, it has been suggested that they function mainly in defense, either to kill competing cells or to elicit suicide and thereby limit pathogen spread from infected cells. Although good correlations have been drawn between their enzymatic functions and toxicity, recent work has shown that some RNA toxins cause apoptosis in the absence of damage to RNA and that defense against pathogens can be achieved without host cell death. Moreover, a decrease in cellular translation rate, insufficient to cause cell death, allows some organisms to adapt to stress and environmental change. Although ascribing effects observed in vitro to the roles of these toxins in nature has been challenging, recent results have expanded our understanding of their modes of action, and emphasized the importance of these toxins in development, adaptation to stress and defense against pathogens.
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Jain R, Poulos MG, Gros J, Chakravarty AK, Shuman S. Substrate specificity and mutational analysis of Kluyveromyces lactis gamma-toxin, a eukaryal tRNA anticodon nuclease. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2011; 17:1336-43. [PMID: 21610213 PMCID: PMC3138569 DOI: 10.1261/rna.2722711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2011] [Accepted: 04/11/2011] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
tRNA anticodon damage inflicted by the Kluyveromyces lactis γ-toxin underlies an RNA-based innate immune system that distinguishes self from nonself species. γ-toxin arrests the growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae by incising a single phosphodiester 3' of the wobble base of tRNA(Glu(UUC)) to generate a break with 2',3'-cyclic phosphate and 5'-OH ends. Recombinant γ-toxin cleaves oligonucleotide substrates in vitro that mimic the anticodon stem-loop of tRNA(Glu). A single 2'-deoxy sugar substitution at the wobble nucleoside abolishes anticodon nuclease activity. To gain further insights to γ-toxin's substrate specificity, we tested deoxynucleoside effects at positions other than the site of transesterification. The results attest to a stringent requirement for a ribonucleoside at the uridine 5' of the wobble base. In contrast, every other nonwobble ribonucleoside in the anticodon loop can be replaced by a deoxy without significantly affecting γ-toxin's cleavage activity. Whereas either the 5' half or the 3' half of the anticodon stem can be replaced en bloc with DNA without a major effect, simultaneously replacing both strands with DNA interfered strongly, signifying that γ-toxin requires an A-form helical conformation of the anticodon stem. We purified γ-toxin mutants identified previously as nontoxic in vivo and gauged their anticodon nuclease activities in vitro. The results highlight Glu9 and Arg151 as candidate catalytic residues, along with His209 implicated previously. By analogy to other endoribonucleases, we speculate that γ-toxin drives transesterification by general acid-base catalysis (via His209 and Glu9) and transition-state stabilization (via Arg151).
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruchi Jain
- Molecular Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York, New York 10065, USA.
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12
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Tanaka N, Shuman S. RtcB is the RNA ligase component of an Escherichia coli RNA repair operon. J Biol Chem 2011; 286:7727-7731. [PMID: 21224389 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.c111.219022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA 2',3'-cyclic phosphate ends play important roles in RNA metabolism as substrates for RNA ligases during tRNA restriction-repair and tRNA splicing. Diverse bacteria from multiple phyla encode a two-component RNA repair cassette, comprising Pnkp (polynucleotide kinase-phosphatase-ligase) and Hen1 (RNA 3'-terminal ribose 2'-O-methyltransferase), that heals and then seals broken tRNAs with 2',3'-cyclic phosphate and 5'-OH ends. The Pnkp-Hen1 repair operon is absent in the majority of bacterial species, thereby raising the prospect that other RNA repair systems might be extant. A candidate component is RNA 3'-phosphate cyclase, a widely distributed enzyme that transforms RNA 3'-monophosphate termini into 2',3'-cyclic phosphates but cannot seal the ends it produces. Escherichia coli RNA cyclase (RtcA) is encoded in a σ(54)-regulated operon with RtcB, a protein of unknown function. Taking a cue from Pnkp-Hen1, we purified E. coli RtcB and tested it for RNA ligase activity. We report that RtcB per se seals broken tRNA-like stem-loop structures with 2',3'-cyclic phosphate and 5'-OH ends to form a splice junction with a 2'-OH, 3',5'-phosphodiester. We speculate that: (i) RtcB might afford bacteria a means to recover from stress-induced RNA damage; and (ii) RtcB homologs might catalyze tRNA repair or splicing reactions in archaea and eukarya.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoko Tanaka
- From the Molecular Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York, New York 10065
| | - Stewart Shuman
- From the Molecular Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York, New York 10065.
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13
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Carte J, Pfister NT, Compton MM, Terns RM, Terns MP. Binding and cleavage of CRISPR RNA by Cas6. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2010; 16:2181-8. [PMID: 20884784 PMCID: PMC2957057 DOI: 10.1261/rna.2230110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
The CRISPR-Cas system provides many prokaryotes with acquired resistance to viruses and other mobile genetic elements. The core components of this defense system are small, host-encoded prokaryotic silencing (psi)RNAs and Cas (CRISPR-associated) proteins. Invader-derived sequences within the psiRNAs guide Cas effector proteins to recognize and silence invader nucleic acids. Critical for CRISPR-Cas defense is processing of the psiRNAs from the primary transcripts of the host CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat) locus. Cas6, a previously identified endoribonuclease present in a wide range of prokaryotes with the CRISPR-Cas system, binds and cleaves within the repeat sequences that separate the individual invader targeting elements in the CRISPR locus transcript. In the present study, we investigated several key aspects of the mechanism of function of Cas6 in psiRNA biogenesis. RNA footprinting reveals that Pyrococcus furiosus Cas6 binds to a 7-nt (nucleotide) sequence near the 5' end of the CRISPR RNA repeat sequence, 14 nt upstream of the Cas6 cleavage site. In addition, analysis of the cleavage activity of P. furiosus Cas6 proteins with mutations at conserved residues suggests that a triad comprised of Tyr31, His46, and Lys52 plays a critical role in catalysis, consistent with a possible general acid-base RNA cleavage mechanism for Cas6. Finally, we show that P. furiosus Cas6 remains stably associated with its cleavage products, suggesting additional roles for Cas6 in psiRNA biogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason Carte
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
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14
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Meineke B, Schwer B, Schaffrath R, Shuman S. Determinants of eukaryal cell killing by the bacterial ribotoxin PrrC. Nucleic Acids Res 2010; 39:687-700. [PMID: 20855293 PMCID: PMC3025547 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkq831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
tRNA damage inflicted by the Escherichia coli anticodon nuclease PrrC (EcoPrrC) underlies an antiviral response to phage T4 infection. PrrC homologs are present in many bacterial proteomes, though their biological activities are uncharted. PrrCs consist of two domains: an N-terminal NTPase module related to the ABC family and a distinctive C-terminal ribonuclease module. In this article, we report that the expression of EcoPrrC in budding yeast is fungicidal, signifying that PrrC is toxic in a eukaryon in the absence of other bacterial or viral proteins. Whereas Streptococcus PrrC is also toxic in yeast, Neisseria and Xanthomonas PrrCs are not. Via analysis of the effects of 118 mutations on EcoPrrC toxicity in yeast, we identified 22 essential residues in the NTPase domain and 11 in the nuclease domain. Overexpressing PrrCs with mutations in the NTPase active site ameliorated the toxicity of wild-type EcoPrrC. Our findings support a model in which EcoPrrC toxicity is contingent on head-to-tail dimerization of the NTPase domains to form two composite NTP phosphohydrolase sites. Comparisons of EcoPrrC activity in a variety of yeast genetic backgrounds, and the rescuing effects of tRNA overexpression, implicate tRNALys(UUU) as a target of EcoPrrC toxicity in yeast.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birthe Meineke
- Molecular Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065 USA and Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Beate Schwer
- Molecular Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065 USA and Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Raffael Schaffrath
- Molecular Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065 USA and Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Stewart Shuman
- Molecular Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10065 USA and Department of Genetics, University of Leicester, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK
- *To whom correspondence should be addressed. Tel: +1 212 639 7145; Fax: +1 212 717 3623;
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15
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Current awareness on yeast. Yeast 2009. [DOI: 10.1002/yea.1626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
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