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Toroney R, Nielsen KH, Staley JP. Termination of pre-mRNA splicing requires that the ATPase and RNA unwindase Prp43p acts on the catalytic snRNA U6. Genes Dev 2019; 33:1555-1574. [PMID: 31558568 PMCID: PMC6824469 DOI: 10.1101/gad.328294.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In this study, Toroney et al. set out to identify the mechanism of Prp43p action in splicing. The authors use biochemical approaches to demonstrate that the 3' end of U6 acts as the key substrate by which Prp43p promotes disassembly and intron release, thereby terminating splicing. The termination of pre-mRNA splicing functions to discard suboptimal substrates, thereby enhancing fidelity, and to release excised introns in a manner coupled to spliceosome disassembly, thereby allowing recycling. The mechanism of termination, including the RNA target of the DEAH-box ATPase Prp43p, remains ambiguous. We discovered a critical role for nucleotides at the 3′ end of the catalytic U6 small nuclear RNA in splicing termination. Although conserved sequence at the 3′ end is not required, 2′ hydroxyls are, paralleling requirements for Prp43p biochemical activities. Although the 3′ end of U6 is not required for recruiting Prp43p to the spliceosome, the 3′ end cross-links directly to Prp43p in an RNA-dependent manner. Our data indicate a mechanism of splicing termination in which Prp43p translocates along U6 from the 3′ end to disassemble the spliceosome and thereby release suboptimal substrates or excised introns. This mechanism reveals that the spliceosome becomes primed for termination at the same stage it becomes activated for catalysis, implying a requirement for stringent control of spliceosome activity within the cell.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Toroney
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Klaus H Nielsen
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
| | - Jonathan P Staley
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA
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2
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Belfort M, Lambowitz AM. Group II Intron RNPs and Reverse Transcriptases: From Retroelements to Research Tools. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 2019; 11:11/4/a032375. [PMID: 30936187 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a032375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Group II introns, self-splicing retrotransposons, serve as both targets of investigation into their structure, splicing, and retromobility and a source of tools for genome editing and RNA analysis. Here, we describe the first cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure determination, at 3.8-4.5 Å, of a group II intron ribozyme complexed with its encoded protein, containing a reverse transcriptase (RT), required for RNA splicing and retromobility. We also describe a method called RIG-seq using a retrotransposon indicator gene for high-throughput integration profiling of group II introns and other retrotransposons. Targetrons, RNA-guided gene targeting agents widely used for bacterial genome engineering, are described next. Finally, we detail thermostable group II intron RTs, which synthesize cDNAs with high accuracy and processivity, for use in various RNA-seq applications and relate their properties to a 3.0-Å crystal structure of the protein poised for reverse transcription. Biological insights from these group II intron revelations are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlene Belfort
- Department of Biological Sciences and RNA Institute, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York 12222
| | - Alan M Lambowitz
- Institute for Cellular and Molecular Biology and Department of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
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3
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Qu Y, Legen J, Arndt J, Henkel S, Hoppe G, Thieme C, Ranzini G, Muino JM, Weihe A, Ohler U, Weber G, Ostersetzer O, Schmitz-Linneweber C. Ectopic Transplastomic Expression of a Synthetic MatK Gene Leads to Cotyledon-Specific Leaf Variegation. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2018; 9:1453. [PMID: 30337934 PMCID: PMC6180158 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.01453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2018] [Accepted: 09/12/2018] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Chloroplasts (and other plastids) harbor their own genetic material, with a bacterial-like gene-expression systems. Chloroplast RNA metabolism is complex and is predominantly mediated by nuclear-encoded RNA-binding proteins. In addition to these nuclear factors, the chloroplast-encoded intron maturase MatK has been suggested to perform as a splicing factor for a subset of chloroplast introns. MatK is essential for plant cell survival in tobacco, and thus null mutants have not yet been isolated. We therefore attempted to over-express MatK from a neutral site in the chloroplast, placing it under the control of a theophylline-inducible riboswitch. This ectopic insertion of MatK lead to a variegated cotyledons phenotype. The addition of the inducer theophylline exacerbated the phenotype in a concentration-dependent manner. The extent of variegation was further modulated by light, sucrose and spectinomycin, suggesting that the function of MatK is intertwined with photosynthesis and plastid translation. Inhibiting translation in the transplastomic lines has a profound effect on the accumulation of several chloroplast mRNAs, including the accumulation of an RNA antisense to rpl33, a gene coding for an essential chloroplast ribosomal protein. Our study further supports the idea that MatK expression needs to be tightly regulated to prevent detrimental effects and establishes another link between leaf variegation and chloroplast translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujiao Qu
- Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Julia Legen
- Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jürgen Arndt
- Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephanie Henkel
- Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Galina Hoppe
- Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Giovanna Ranzini
- Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jose M. Muino
- Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Weihe
- Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Uwe Ohler
- Computational Regulatory Genomics, Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany
| | - Gert Weber
- Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, Joint Research Group Macromolecular Crystallography, Berlin, Germany
| | - Oren Ostersetzer
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Christian Schmitz-Linneweber
- Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- *Correspondence: Christian Schmitz-Linneweber,
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Zhao C, Pyle AM. Structural Insights into the Mechanism of Group II Intron Splicing. Trends Biochem Sci 2017; 42:470-482. [PMID: 28438387 PMCID: PMC5492998 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2017.03.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2017] [Revised: 03/28/2017] [Accepted: 03/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
While the major architectural features and active-site components of group II introns have been known for almost a decade, information on the individual stages of splicing has been lacking. Recent advances in crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) have provided major new insights into the structure of intact lariat introns. Conformational changes that mediate the steps of splicing and retrotransposition are being elucidated, revealing the dynamic, highly coordinated motions that are required for group II intron activity. Finally, these ribozymes can now be viewed in their larger, more natural context as components of holoenzymes that include encoded maturase proteins. These studies expand our understanding of group II intron structural diversity and evolution, while setting the stage for rigorous mechanistic analysis of RNA splicing machines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Zhao
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Anna Marie Pyle
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA.
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5
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Zhao C, Pyle AM. The group II intron maturase: a reverse transcriptase and splicing factor go hand in hand. Curr Opin Struct Biol 2017; 47:30-39. [PMID: 28528306 DOI: 10.1016/j.sbi.2017.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2016] [Accepted: 05/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The splicing of group II introns in vivo requires the assistance of a multifunctional intron encoded protein (IEP, or maturase). Each IEP is also a reverse-transcriptase enzyme that enables group II introns to behave as mobile genetic elements. During splicing or retro-transposition, each group II intron forms a tight, specific complex with its own encoded IEP, resulting in a highly reactive holoenzyme. This review focuses on the structural basis for IEP function, as revealed by recent crystal structures of an IEP reverse transcriptase domain and cryo-EM structures of an IEP-intron complex. These structures explain how the same IEP scaffold is utilized for intron recognition, splicing and reverse transcription, while providing a physical basis for understanding the evolutionary transformation of the IEP into the eukaryotic splicing factor Prp8.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Zhao
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - Anna Marie Pyle
- Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD 20815, USA.
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6
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Sultan LD, Mileshina D, Grewe F, Rolle K, Abudraham S, Głodowicz P, Niazi AK, Keren I, Shevtsov S, Klipcan L, Barciszewski J, Mower JP, Dietrich A, Ostersetzer-Biran O. The Reverse Transcriptase/RNA Maturase Protein MatR Is Required for the Splicing of Various Group II Introns in Brassicaceae Mitochondria. THE PLANT CELL 2016; 28:2805-2829. [PMID: 27760804 PMCID: PMC5155343 DOI: 10.1105/tpc.16.00398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2016] [Revised: 09/26/2016] [Accepted: 10/19/2016] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Group II introns are large catalytic RNAs that are ancestrally related to nuclear spliceosomal introns. Sequences corresponding to group II RNAs are found in many prokaryotes and are particularly prevalent within plants organellar genomes. Proteins encoded within the introns themselves (maturases) facilitate the splicing of their own host pre-RNAs. Mitochondrial introns in plants have diverged considerably in sequence and have lost their maturases. In angiosperms, only a single maturase has been retained in the mitochondrial DNA: the matR gene found within NADH dehydrogenase 1 (nad1) intron 4. Its conservation across land plants and RNA editing events, which restore conserved amino acids, indicates that matR encodes a functional protein. However, the biological role of MatR remains unclear. Here, we performed an in vivo investigation of the roles of MatR in Brassicaceae. Directed knockdown of matR expression via synthetically designed ribozymes altered the processing of various introns, including nad1 i4. Pull-down experiments further indicated that MatR is associated with nad1 i4 and several other intron-containing pre-mRNAs. MatR may thus represent an intermediate link in the gradual evolutionary transition from the intron-specific maturases in bacteria into their versatile spliceosomal descendants in the nucleus. The similarity between maturases and the core spliceosomal Prp8 protein further supports this intriguing theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laure D Sultan
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Givat-Ram, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Daria Mileshina
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, CNRS and Université de Strasbourg, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Felix Grewe
- Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588
| | - Katarzyna Rolle
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
| | - Sivan Abudraham
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Givat-Ram, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Paweł Głodowicz
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
| | - Adnan Khan Niazi
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, CNRS and Université de Strasbourg, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Ido Keren
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Givat-Ram, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Sofia Shevtsov
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Givat-Ram, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Liron Klipcan
- Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Jan Barciszewski
- Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, 61-704 Poznan, Poland
| | - Jeffrey P Mower
- Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588
| | - André Dietrich
- Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes, CNRS and Université de Strasbourg, 67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Oren Ostersetzer-Biran
- Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Givat-Ram, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
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Agrawal RK, Wang HW, Belfort M. Forks in the tracks: Group II introns, spliceosomes, telomeres and beyond. RNA Biol 2016; 13:1218-1222. [PMID: 27726484 DOI: 10.1080/15476286.2016.1244595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Group II introns are large catalytic RNAs that form a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex by binding to an intron-encoded protein (IEP). The IEP, which facilitates both RNA splicing and intron mobility, has multiple activities including reverse transcriptase. Recent structures of a group II intron RNP complex and of IEPs from diverse bacteria fuel arguments that group II introns are ancestrally related to eukaryotic spliceosomes as well as to telomerase and viruses. Furthermore, recent structural studies of various functional states of the spliceosome allow us to draw parallels between the group II intron RNP and the spliceosome. Here we present an overview of these studies, with an emphasis on the structure of the IEPs in their isolated and RNA-bound states and on their evolutionary relatedness. In addition, we address the conundrum of the free, albeit truncated IEPs forming dimers, whereas the IEP bound to the intron ribozyme is a monomer in the mature RNP. Future studies needed to resolve some of the outstanding issues related to group II intron RNP function and dynamics are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajendra Kumar Agrawal
- a Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Basis of Diseases, Division of Translational Medicine, Wadsworth Center , New York State Department of Health , Albany , NY , USA.,b Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health , University at Albany , Albany , NY , USA
| | - Hong-Wei Wang
- c Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Protein Sciences , Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University , Beijing , China.,d Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry , Yale University , New Haven , CT , USA
| | - Marlene Belfort
- b Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Public Health , University at Albany , Albany , NY , USA.,e Department of Biological Sciences and RNA Institute , University at Albany , Albany , NY , USA
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