Biomedical subjects

Paul Gollnick

Publications and source records attributed to Paul Gollnick.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2002

Specificity of TRAP-RNA interactions: crystal structures of two complexes with different RNA sequences.

The trp RNA-binding attenuation protein (TRAP) regulates expression of the tryptophan biosynthetic genes in bacilli by binding to the leader region of the nascent trp operon mRNA. When activated by binding tryptophan, the 11-subunit circular TRAP molecule binds to a target sequence consisting of 11 (G/U)AG repeats, separated by two or three variable 'spacer' nucleotides. Reported here are two crystal structures of TRAP bound to RNAs containing 11 GAG repeats separated by UU and CC spacer nucleotides, determined at 1.75 and 2.50 A resolution, respectively. These show the spacer regions of the RNA molecules to be highly flexible, making no direct hydrogen-bonding contacts with the protein. Comparison of these structures with the previous structure of TRAP bound to (GAGAU)(10)GAG RNA, in which the spacer nucleotides stack with each other close to the protein surface, shows that the RNA can adopt different conformations depending on the sequence of the spacer regions. This gives insight into the structural basis of the specificity of TRAP and into the mechanism of binding.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed2002

Creating hetero-11-mers composed of wild-type and mutant subunits to study RNA binding to TRAP.

TRAP (trp RNA-binding attenuation protein) is an RNA-binding protein that regulates expression of the tryptophan biosynthetic genes in Bacillus subtilis by binding to RNA targets that contain multiple GAG and UAG repeats. TRAP is composed of 11 identical subunits arranged symmetrically in a ring. The secondary structure of the protein consists entirely of antiparallel beta-sheets, beta-turns, and loops. We show here that the TRAP 11-mer can be reversibly denatured into unfolded monomers by guanidine hydrochloride. Removing the denaturant allows the protein to spontaneously renature into fully functional 11-mers. Based on this finding, we developed a subunit mixing method to hybridize wild-type and mutant subunits into heteromeric 11-mers by denaturation followed by subunit mixing renaturation. This method allows the study of subunit cooperativity in protein-ligand interaction such as RNA binding. Our data further support and extend the previously proposed two-step model for RNA binding to TRAP by showing that the initiation of binding requires at least one fully active subunit in the protein combined with one fully functional repeat in the RNA. The initiation complex tethers the RNA on the protein, thus allowing cooperative interaction with the remainder of the repeats.

Bacillus subtilis↗

PubMed2002

The anti-trp RNA-binding attenuation protein (Anti-TRAP), AT, recognizes the tryptophan-activated RNA binding domain of the TRAP regulatory protein.

In Bacillus subtilis, the trp RNA-binding attenuation protein (TRAP) regulates expression of genes involved in tryptophan metabolism in response to the accumulation of l-tryptophan. Tryptophan-activated TRAP negatively regulates expression by binding to specific mRNA sequences and either promoting transcription termination or blocking translation initiation. Conversely, the accumulation of uncharged tRNA(Trp) induces synthesis of an anti-TRAP protein (AT), which forms a complex with TRAP and inhibits its activity. In this report, we investigate the structural features of TRAP required for AT recognition. A collection of TRAP mutant proteins was examined that were known to be partially or completely defective in tryptophan binding and/or RNA binding. Analyses of AT interactions with these proteins were performed using in vitro transcription termination assays and cross-linking experiments. We observed that TRAP mutant proteins that had lost the ability to bind RNA were no longer recognized by AT. Our findings suggest that AT acts by competing with messenger RNA for the RNA binding domain of TRAP. B. subtilis AT was also shown to interact with TRAP proteins from Bacillus halodurans and Bacillus stearothermophilus, implying that the structural elements required for AT recognition are conserved in the TRAP proteins of these species. Analyses of AT interaction with B. stearothermophilus TRAP at 60 degrees C demonstrated that AT is active at this elevated temperature.

Amino Acid Sequence↗