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Kirsebom LA, Liu F, McClain WH. The discovery of a catalytic RNA within RNase P and its legacy. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107318. [PMID: 38677513 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Sidney Altman's discovery of the processing of one RNA by another RNA that acts like an enzyme was revolutionary in biology and the basis for his sharing the 1989 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Thomas Cech. These breakthrough findings support the key role of RNA in molecular evolution, where replicating RNAs (and similar chemical derivatives) either with or without peptides functioned in protocells during the early stages of life on Earth, an era referred to as the RNA world. Here, we cover the historical background highlighting the work of Altman and his colleagues and the subsequent efforts of other researchers to understand the biological function of RNase P and its catalytic RNA subunit and to employ it as a tool to downregulate gene expression. We primarily discuss bacterial RNase P-related studies but acknowledge that many groups have significantly contributed to our understanding of archaeal and eukaryotic RNase P, as reviewed in this special issue and elsewhere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leif A Kirsebom
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Fenyong Liu
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA.
| | - William H McClain
- Department of Bacteriology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
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2
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Mao G, Srivastava AS, Wu S, Kosek D, Kirsebom LA. Importance of residue 248 in Escherichia coli RNase P RNA mediated cleavage. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14140. [PMID: 37644068 PMCID: PMC10465520 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41203-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
tRNA genes are transcribed as precursors and RNase P generates the matured 5' end of tRNAs. It has been suggested that residue - 1 (the residue immediately 5' of the scissile bond) in the pre-tRNA interacts with the well-conserved bacterial RNase P RNA (RPR) residue A248 (Escherichia coli numbering). The way A248 interacts with residue - 1 is not clear. To gain insight into the role of A248, we analyzed cleavage as a function of A248 substitutions and N-1 nucleobase identity by using pre-tRNA and three model substrates. Our findings are consistent with a model where the structural topology of the active site varies and depends on the identity of the nucleobases at, and in proximity to, the cleavage site and their potential to interact. This leads to positioning of Mg2+ that activates the water that acts as the nucleophile resulting in efficient and correct cleavage. We propose that in addition to be involved in anchoring the substrate the role of A248 is to exclude bulk water from access to the amino acid acceptor stem, thereby preventing non-specific hydrolysis of the pre-tRNA. Finally, base stacking is discussed as a way to protect functionally important base-pairing interactions from non-specific hydrolysis, thereby ensuring high fidelity during RNA processing and the decoding of mRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guanzhong Mao
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Biomedical Centre, Box 596, 751 24, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Abhishek S Srivastava
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Biomedical Centre, Box 596, 751 24, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Shiying Wu
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Biomedical Centre, Box 596, 751 24, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - David Kosek
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Biomedical Centre, Box 596, 751 24, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Leif A Kirsebom
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Biomedical Centre, Box 596, 751 24, Uppsala, Sweden.
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3
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Gößringer M, Wäber NB, Wiegard JC, Hartmann RK. Characterization of RNA-based and protein-only RNases P from bacteria encoding both enzyme types. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2023; 29:376-391. [PMID: 36604113 PMCID: PMC9945441 DOI: 10.1261/rna.079459.122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
A small group of bacteria encode two types of RNase P, the classical ribonucleoprotein (RNP) RNase P as well as the protein-only RNase P HARP (homolog of Aquifex RNase P). We characterized the dual RNase P activities of five bacteria that belong to three different phyla. All five bacterial species encode functional RNA (gene rnpB) and protein (gene rnpA) subunits of RNP RNase P, but only the HARP of the thermophile Thermodesulfatator indicus (phylum Thermodesulfobacteria) was found to have robust tRNA 5'-end maturation activity in vitro and in vivo in an Escherichia coli RNase P depletion strain. These findings suggest that both types of RNase P are able to contribute to the essential tRNA 5'-end maturation activity in T. indicus, thus resembling the predicted evolutionary transition state in the progenitor of the Aquificaceae before the loss of rnpA and rnpB genes in this family of bacteria. Remarkably, T. indicus RNase P RNA is transcribed with a P12 expansion segment that is posttranscriptionally excised in vivo, such that the major fraction of the RNA is fragmented and thereby truncated by ∼70 nt in the native T. indicus host as well as in the E. coli complementation strain. Replacing the native P12 element of T. indicus RNase P RNA with the short P12 helix of Thermotoga maritima RNase P RNA abolished fragmentation, but simultaneously impaired complementation efficiency in E. coli cells, suggesting that intracellular fragmentation and truncation of T. indicus RNase P RNA may be beneficial to RNA folding and/or enzymatic activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Gößringer
- Philipps-Universität Marburg, Institut für Pharmazeutische Chemie, D-35037 Marburg, Germany
| | - Nadine B Wäber
- Philipps-Universität Marburg, Institut für Pharmazeutische Chemie, D-35037 Marburg, Germany
| | - Jana C Wiegard
- Philipps-Universität Marburg, Institut für Pharmazeutische Chemie, D-35037 Marburg, Germany
| | - Roland K Hartmann
- Philipps-Universität Marburg, Institut für Pharmazeutische Chemie, D-35037 Marburg, Germany
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Marszalkowski M, Werner A, Feltens R, Helmecke D, Gößringer M, Westhof E, Hartmann RK. Comparative study on tertiary contacts and folding of RNase P RNAs from a psychrophilic, a mesophilic/radiation-resistant, and a thermophilic bacterium. RNA (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2021; 27:1204-1219. [PMID: 34266994 PMCID: PMC8457005 DOI: 10.1261/rna.078735.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
In most bacterial type A RNase P RNAs (P RNAs), two major loop-helix tertiary contacts (L8-P4 and L18-P8) help to orient the two independently folding S- and C-domains for concerted recognition of precursor tRNA substrates. Here, we analyze the effects of mutations in these tertiary contacts in P RNAs from three different species: (i) the psychrophilic bacterium Pseudoalteromonas translucida (Ptr), (ii) the mesophilic radiation-resistant bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans (Dra), and (iii) the thermophilic bacterium Thermus thermophilus (Tth). We show by UV melting experiments that simultaneous disruption of these two interdomain contacts has a stabilizing effect on all three P RNAs. This can be inferred from reduced RNA unfolding at lower temperatures and a more concerted unfolding at higher temperatures. Thus, when the two domains tightly interact via the tertiary contacts, one domain facilitates structural transitions in the other. P RNA mutants with disrupted interdomain contacts showed severe kinetic defects that were most pronounced upon simultaneous disruption of the L8-P4 and L18-P8 contacts. At 37°C, the mildest effects were observed for the thermostable Tth RNA. A third interdomain contact, L9-P1, makes only a minor contribution to P RNA tertiary folding. Furthermore, D. radiodurans RNase P RNA forms an additional pseudoknot structure between the P9 and P12 of its S-domain. This interaction was found to be particularly crucial for RNase P holoenzyme activity at near-physiological Mg2+ concentrations (2 mM). We further analyzed an exceptionally stable folding trap of the G,C-rich Tth P RNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Marszalkowski
- Philipps-Universität Marburg, Institut für Pharmazeutische Chemie, D-35037 Marburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Werner
- Université de Strasbourg, Institut de biologie moléculaire et cellulaire du CNRS, Architecture et Réactivité de l'ARN, F-67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Ralph Feltens
- Philipps-Universität Marburg, Institut für Pharmazeutische Chemie, D-35037 Marburg, Germany
| | - Dominik Helmecke
- Philipps-Universität Marburg, Institut für Pharmazeutische Chemie, D-35037 Marburg, Germany
| | - Markus Gößringer
- Philipps-Universität Marburg, Institut für Pharmazeutische Chemie, D-35037 Marburg, Germany
| | - Eric Westhof
- Université de Strasbourg, Institut de biologie moléculaire et cellulaire du CNRS, Architecture et Réactivité de l'ARN, F-67084 Strasbourg, France
| | - Roland K Hartmann
- Philipps-Universität Marburg, Institut für Pharmazeutische Chemie, D-35037 Marburg, Germany
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Phan HD, Lai LB, Zahurancik WJ, Gopalan V. The many faces of RNA-based RNase P, an RNA-world relic. Trends Biochem Sci 2021; 46:976-991. [PMID: 34511335 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2021.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 07/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
RNase P is an essential enzyme that catalyzes removal of the 5' leader from precursor transfer RNAs. The ribonucleoprotein (RNP) form of RNase P is present in all domains of life and comprises a single catalytic RNA (ribozyme) and a variable number of protein cofactors. Recent cryo-electron microscopy structures of representative archaeal and eukaryotic (nuclear) RNase P holoenzymes bound to tRNA substrate/product provide high-resolution detail on subunit organization, topology, and substrate recognition in these large, multisubunit catalytic RNPs. These structures point to the challenges in understanding how proteins modulate the RNA functional repertoire and how the structure of an ancient RNA-based catalyst was reshaped during evolution by new macromolecular associations that were likely necessitated by functional/regulatory coupling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Duc Phan
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Lien B Lai
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
| | - Walter J Zahurancik
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Venkat Gopalan
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Ohio State Biochemistry Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
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Marathe IA, Lai SM, Zahurancik WJ, Poirier MG, Wysocki VH, Gopalan V. Protein cofactors and substrate influence Mg2+-dependent structural changes in the catalytic RNA of archaeal RNase P. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:9444-9458. [PMID: 34387688 PMCID: PMC8450104 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The ribonucleoprotein (RNP) form of archaeal RNase P comprises one catalytic RNA and five protein cofactors. To catalyze Mg2+-dependent cleavage of the 5′ leader from pre-tRNAs, the catalytic (C) and specificity (S) domains of the RNase P RNA (RPR) cooperate to recognize different parts of the pre-tRNA. While ∼250–500 mM Mg2+ renders the archaeal RPR active without RNase P proteins (RPPs), addition of all RPPs lowers the Mg2+ requirement to ∼10–20 mM and improves the rate and fidelity of cleavage. To understand the Mg2+- and RPP-dependent structural changes that increase activity, we used pre-tRNA cleavage and ensemble FRET assays to characterize inter-domain interactions in Pyrococcus furiosus (Pfu) RPR, either alone or with RPPs ± pre-tRNA. Following splint ligation to doubly label the RPR (Cy3-RPRC domain and Cy5-RPRS domain), we used native mass spectrometry to verify the final product. We found that FRET correlates closely with activity, the Pfu RPR and RNase P holoenzyme (RPR + 5 RPPs) traverse different Mg2+-dependent paths to converge on similar functional states, and binding of the pre-tRNA by the holoenzyme influences Mg2+ cooperativity. Our findings highlight how Mg2+ and proteins in multi-subunit RNPs together favor RNA conformations in a dynamic ensemble for functional gains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ila A Marathe
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Stella M Lai
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Resource for Native Mass Spectrometry-Guided Structural Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Walter J Zahurancik
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Michael G Poirier
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Department of Physics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Vicki H Wysocki
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Resource for Native Mass Spectrometry-Guided Structural Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Venkat Gopalan
- Department of Microbiology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Center for RNA Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
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Wan F, Wang Q, Tan J, Tan M, Chen J, Shi S, Lan P, Wu J, Lei M. Cryo-electron microscopy structure of an archaeal ribonuclease P holoenzyme. Nat Commun 2019; 10:2617. [PMID: 31197137 PMCID: PMC6565675 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10496-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2018] [Accepted: 05/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ribonuclease P (RNase P) is an essential ribozyme responsible for tRNA 5′ maturation. Here we report the cryo-EM structures of Methanocaldococcus jannaschii (Mja) RNase P holoenzyme alone and in complex with a tRNA substrate at resolutions of 4.6 Å and 4.3 Å, respectively. The structures reveal that the subunits of MjaRNase P are strung together to organize the holoenzyme in a dimeric conformation required for efficient catalysis. The structures also show that archaeal RNase P is a functional chimera of bacterial and eukaryal RNase Ps that possesses bacterial-like two RNA-based anchors and a eukaryal-like protein-aided stabilization mechanism. The 3′-RCCA sequence of tRNA, which is a key recognition element for bacterial RNase P, is dispensable for tRNA recognition by MjaRNase P. The overall organization of MjaRNase P, particularly within the active site, is similar to those of bacterial and eukaryal RNase Ps, suggesting a universal catalytic mechanism for all RNase Ps. Ribonulease P is a conserved ribozyme present in all kingdoms of life that is involved in the 5′ maturation step of tRNAs. Here the authors determine the structure of an archaeal RNase P holoenzyme that reveals how archaeal RNase P recognizes its tRNA substrate and suggest a conserved catalytic mechanism amongst RNase Ps despite structural variability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Futang Wan
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China.,School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, 201210, China
| | - Qianmin Wang
- Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, China.,Shanghai Institute of Precision Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, China
| | - Jing Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Ming Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200031, China
| | - Juan Chen
- Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, China.,Shanghai Institute of Precision Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, China
| | - Shaohua Shi
- Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, China.,Shanghai Institute of Precision Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, China
| | - Pengfei Lan
- Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, China. .,Shanghai Institute of Precision Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, China.
| | - Jian Wu
- Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, China. .,Shanghai Institute of Precision Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, China. .,Shanghai Key Laboratory of Translational Medicine on Ear and Nose diseases, Shanghai, 200125, China.
| | - Ming Lei
- Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, China. .,Shanghai Institute of Precision Medicine, Shanghai, 200125, China. .,Key laboratory of Cell Differentiation and Apoptosis of Chinese Ministry of Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200025, China.
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