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Tants JN, Schlundt A. Advances, Applications, and Perspectives in Small-Angle X-ray Scattering of RNA. Chembiochem 2023; 24:e202300110. [PMID: 37466350 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.202300110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 04/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
RNAs exhibit a plethora of functions far beyond transmitting genetic information. Often, RNA functions are entailed in their structure, be it as a regulatory switch, protein binding site, or providing catalytic activity. Structural information is a prerequisite for a full understanding of RNA-regulatory mechanisms. Owing to the inherent dynamics, size, and instability of RNA, its structure determination remains challenging. Methods such as NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and cryo-electron microscopy can provide high-resolution structures; however, their limitations make structure determination, even for small RNAs, cumbersome, if at all possible. Although at a low resolution, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) has proven valuable in advancing structure determination of RNAs as a complementary method, which is also applicable to large-sized RNAs. Here, we review the technological and methodological advancements of RNA SAXS. We provide examples of the powerful inclusion of SAXS in structural biology and discuss possible future applications to large RNAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan-Niklas Tants
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute for Molecular Biosciences and Biomagnetic Resonance Centre (BMRZ), Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Andreas Schlundt
- Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute for Molecular Biosciences and Biomagnetic Resonance Centre (BMRZ), Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438, Frankfurt, Germany
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Marasco M, Kirkpatrick J, Carlomagno T, Hub JS, Anselmi M. Experiment-guided molecular simulations define a heterogeneous structural ensemble for the PTPN11 tandem SH2 domains. Chem Sci 2023; 14:5743-5755. [PMID: 37265738 PMCID: PMC10231330 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc00746d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023] Open
Abstract
SHP2 plays an important role in regulating cellular processes, and its pathogenic mutations cause developmental disorders and are linked to cancer. SHP2 is a multidomain protein, comprising two SH2 domains arranged in tandem, a catalytic PTP domain, and a disordered C-terminal tail. SHP2 is activated upon binding two linked phosphopeptides to its SH2 domains, and the peptide orientation and spacing between binding sites are critical for enzymatic activation. For decades, the tandem SH2 has been extensively studied to identify the relative orientation of the two SH2 domains that most effectively binds effectors. So far, neither crystallography nor experiments in solution have provided conclusive results. Using experiment-guided molecular simulations, we determine the heterogeneous structural ensemble of the tandem SH2 in solution in agreement with experimental data from small-angle X-ray scattering and NMR residual dipolar couplings. In the solution ensemble, N-SH2 adopts different orientations and positions relative to C-SH2. We suggest that the intrinsic structural plasticity of the tandem SH2 allows SHP2 to respond to external stimuli and is essential for its functional activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelangelo Marasco
- Molecular Pharmacology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York NY USA
| | - John Kirkpatrick
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham Edgbaston B15 2TT Birmingham UK
| | - Teresa Carlomagno
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham Edgbaston B15 2TT Birmingham UK
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham Edgbaston B15 2TT Birmingham UK
| | - Jochen S Hub
- Theoretical Physics and Center for Biophysics, Saarland University 66123 Saarbrücken Germany
| | - Massimiliano Anselmi
- Theoretical Physics and Center for Biophysics, Saarland University 66123 Saarbrücken Germany
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Mollica L, Cupaioli FA, Rossetti G, Chiappori F. An overview of structural approaches to study therapeutic RNAs. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:1044126. [PMID: 36387283 PMCID: PMC9649582 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.1044126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2023] Open
Abstract
RNAs provide considerable opportunities as therapeutic agent to expand the plethora of classical therapeutic targets, from extracellular and surface proteins to intracellular nucleic acids and its regulators, in a wide range of diseases. RNA versatility can be exploited to recognize cell types, perform cell therapy, and develop new vaccine classes. Therapeutic RNAs (aptamers, antisense nucleotides, siRNA, miRNA, mRNA and CRISPR-Cas9) can modulate or induce protein expression, inhibit molecular interactions, achieve genome editing as well as exon-skipping. A common RNA thread, which makes it very promising for therapeutic applications, is its structure, flexibility, and binding specificity. Moreover, RNA displays peculiar structural plasticity compared to proteins as well as to DNA. Here we summarize the recent advances and applications of therapeutic RNAs, and the experimental and computational methods to analyze their structure, by biophysical techniques (liquid-state NMR, scattering, reactivity, and computational simulations), with a focus on dynamic and flexibility aspects and to binding analysis. This will provide insights on the currently available RNA therapeutic applications and on the best techniques to evaluate its dynamics and reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Mollica
- Department of Medical Biotechnologies and Translational Medicine, L.I.T.A/University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | | | | | - Federica Chiappori
- National Research Council—Institute for Biomedical Technologies, Milan, Italy
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Salerno-Kochan A, Horn A, Ghosh P, Nithin C, Kościelniak A, Meindl A, Strauss D, Krutyhołowa R, Rossbach O, Bujnicki JM, Gaik M, Medenbach J, Glatt S. Molecular insights into RNA recognition and gene regulation by the TRIM-NHL protein Mei-P26. Life Sci Alliance 2022; 5:5/8/e202201418. [PMID: 35512835 PMCID: PMC9070667 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202201418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The TRIM-NHL protein Meiotic P26 (Mei-P26) acts as a regulator of cell fate in Drosophila Its activity is critical for ovarian germline stem cell maintenance, differentiation of oocytes, and spermatogenesis. Mei-P26 functions as a post-transcriptional regulator of gene expression; however, the molecular details of how its NHL domain selectively recognizes and regulates its mRNA targets have remained elusive. Here, we present the crystal structure of the Mei-P26 NHL domain at 1.6 Å resolution and identify key amino acids that confer substrate specificity and distinguish Mei-P26 from closely related TRIM-NHL proteins. Furthermore, we identify mRNA targets of Mei-P26 in cultured Drosophila cells and show that Mei-P26 can act as either a repressor or activator of gene expression on different RNA targets. Our work reveals the molecular basis of RNA recognition by Mei-P26 and the fundamental functional differences between otherwise very similar TRIM-NHL proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Salerno-Kochan
- Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.,Postgraduate School of Molecular Medicine, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Andreas Horn
- Biochemistry I, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Pritha Ghosh
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Protein Engineering, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Chandran Nithin
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Protein Engineering, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Anna Kościelniak
- Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Andreas Meindl
- Biochemistry I, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Daniela Strauss
- Biochemistry I, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | | | - Oliver Rossbach
- Institute of Biochemistry, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Janusz M Bujnicki
- Laboratory of Bioinformatics and Protein Engineering, International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Warsaw, Poland.,Bioinformatics Laboratory, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland
| | - Monika Gaik
- Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Jan Medenbach
- Biochemistry I, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Glatt
- Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
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