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S A Strobel

Publications and source records attributed to S A Strobel.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

A hydrogen-bonding triad stabilizes the chemical transition state of a group I ribozyme.

BACKGROUND: The group I intron is an RNA enzyme capable of efficiently catalyzing phosphoryl-transfer reactions. Functional groups that stabilize the chemical transition state of the cleavage reaction have been identified, but they are all located within either the 5'-exon (P1) helix or the guanosine cofactor, which are the substrates of the reaction. Functional groups within the ribozyme active site are also expected to assist in transition-state stabilization, and their role must be explored to understand the chemical basis of group I intron catalysis. RESULTS: Using nucleotide analog interference mapping and site-specific functional group substitution experiments, we demonstrate that the 2'-OH at A207, a highly conserved nucleotide in the ribozyme active site, specifically stabilizes the chemical transition state by approximately 2 kcal mol-1. The A207 2'-OH only makes its contribution when the U(-1) 2'-OH immediately adjacent to the scissile phosphate is present, suggesting that the 2'-OHs of A207 and U(-1) interact during the chemical step. CONCLUSIONS: These data support a model in which the 3'-oxyanion leaving group of the transesterification reaction is stabilized by a hydrogen-bonding triad consisting of the 2'-OH groups of U(-1) and A207 and the exocyclic amine of G22. Because all three nucleotides occur within highly conserved non-canonical base pairings, this stabilization mechanism is likely to occur throughout group I introns. Although this mechanism utilizes functional groups distinctive of RNA enzymes, it is analogous to the transition states of some protein enzymes that perform similar phosphoryl-transfer reactions.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Thiophilic metal ion rescue of phosphorothioate interference within the Tetrahymena ribozyme P4-P6 domain.

Divalent metal ions are essential for the folding and catalytic activities of many RNAs. A commonly employed biochemical technique to identify metal-binding sites in RNA is the rescue of Rp alpha-phosphorothioate (PS) interference by the addition of soft divalent metal ions. To access the ability of such experiments to accurately identify metal-ion coordinations within a complex RNA fold, we report metal-rescue results from the Tetrahymena group I intron P4-P6 domain, where the location and coordination of five divalent metal ions have been determined by X-ray crystallography [J.H. Cate et al., Nat Struct Biol, 1997, 4:553]. We used a native gel mobility-shift to assay for P4-P6 folding in the presence of various divalent metal ions, and found that even moderate concentrations of Mn2+ (> or =0.5 mM) can rescue PS interference at sites that do not coordinate metal ions within the P4-P6 crystal structure. To control for such effects, 2'-deoxynucleotide interference was used to titrate the Mn2+ concentration to a level that produces metal-ion-specific rescue (0.3 mM). This concentration of Mn2+ specifically rescued four of the six metal-dependent phosphorothioate effects within the RNA domain, including PS interference resulting from outer-sphere coordination to the metals. Both sites that were not specifically rescued make inner-sphere metal-ion coordinations. Cd2+ and Zn2+ afforded rescue at a smaller subset of the six metal-specific PS sites, though again phosphates making outer-sphere coordinations to metal ions were rescued preferentially. These data on P4-P6 domain folding reinforce the need for caution when interpreting metal-rescue experiments.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Identifying RNA minor groove tertiary contacts by nucleotide analogue interference mapping with N2-methylguanosine.

Nucleotide analogue interference mapping (NAIM) is a general biochemical method that rapidly identifies the chemical groups important for RNA function. In principle, NAIM can be extended to any nucleotide that can be incorporated into an in vitro transcript by an RNA polymerase. Here we report the synthesis of 5'-O-(1-thio)-N2-methylguanosine triphosphate (m2GalphaS) and its incorporation into two reverse splicing forms of the Tetrahymena group I intron using a mutant form of T7 RNA polymerase. This analogue replaces one proton of the N2 exocyclic amine with a methyl group, but is as stable as guanosine (G) for secondary structure formation. We have identified three sites of m2GalphaS interference within the Tetrahymena intron: G22, G212, and G303. All three of these guanosine residues are known to utilize their exocyclic amino groups to participate in tertiary hydrogen bonds within the ribozyme structure. Unlike the interference pattern with the phosphorothioate of inosine (IalphaS, an analogue that deletes the N2 amine of G), m2GalphaS substitution did not cause interference at positions attributable to secondary structural stability effects. Given that the RNA minor groove is likely to be widely used for helix packing, m2GalphaS provides an especially valuable reagent to identify RNA minor groove tertiary contacts in less well-characterized RNAs.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

N 2-methylguanosine is iso-energetic with guanosine in RNA duplexes and GNRA tetraloops.

Modified nucleotides are resource-intensive alternatives to the four nucleotides that constitute the bulk of natural RNAs. Yet, even in cases where modifications are highly conserved, their functions are difficult to identify. One possible function might be to modulate the stability of RNA structures. To investigate this possibility for N 2-methylguanosine (m2G), which is present in a wide variety of RNAs, we have determined the thermodynamic consequences of substituting m2G for G in G-C Watson-Crick pairs and G@U wobble pairs within RNA duplexes. The m2G substitution is iso-energetic with G in all cases, except for aninternal m2G@U pair, where it has a modest (0.3 kcal/mol) stabilizing effect. We have also examined theconsequences of replacing G by m2G, and A by N 6, N 6-dimethyladenosine (m26A) in the helix 45 tetraloop of 16S rRNA, which would otherwise be a standard GNRA tetraloop. This loop is a conserved, hypermethylated region of the ribosome where methylation appears to modulate activity. m26A substitution destabilizes the tetraloop, presumably because it prevents the formation of the G@A sheared pair it would otherwise contain. m2G substitution has no effect on tetraloop stability. Together, these results suggest that m2G is equally stable as either the s-cis or s-trans rotamer. The lack of a significant effect on secondary structural stability in these systems suggests that m2G is introduced into naturally occurring RNAs for reasons other than modulation of duplex stability.

Base Composition↗
PubMed1998

Ribozyme chemogenetics.

In this review I will outline several chemogenetic approaches used to determine the chemical basis of large ribozyme function and structure. The term chemogenetics was first used to describe site-specific functional group modification experiments in the analysis of DNA-protein interactions. Within the past few years equivalent experiments have been performed on large catalytic RNAs using both single-site substitution and interference mapping techniques with nucleotide analogues. While functional group mutagenesis is an important aspect of a chemogenetic approach, chemical correlates to genetic revertants and suppressors must also be realized for the genetic analogy to be intellectually valid and experimentally useful. Several examples of functional group revertants and suppressors have now been obtained within the Tetrahymena group I ribozyme. These experiments define an ensemble of tertiary hydrogen bonds that have made it possible to construct a detailed model of the ribozyme catalytic core. The model includes a functionally important monovalent metal ion binding site, a wobble-wobble receptor motif for helix-helix packing interactions, and a minor groove triple helix.

Models, Molecular↗
PubMed1998

The chemical basis of adenosine conservation throughout the Tetrahymena ribozyme.

Adenosines are present at a disproportionately high frequency within several RNA structural motifs. To explore the importance of individual adenosine functional groups for group I intron activity, we performed Nucleotide Analog Interference Mapping (NAIM) with a collection of adenosine analogues. This paper reports the synthesis, transcriptional incorporation, and the observed interference pattern throughout the Tetrahymena group I intron for eight adenosine derivatives tagged with an alpha-phosphorothioate linkage for use in NAIM. All of the analogues were accurately incorporated into the transcript as an A. The sites that interfere with the 3'-exon ligation reaction of the Tetrahymena intron are coincident with the sites of phylogenetic conservation, yet the interference patterns for each analogue are different. These interference data provide several biochemical constraints that improve our understanding of the Tetrahymena ribozyme structure. For example, the data support an essential A-platform within the J6/6a region, major groove packing of the P3 and P7 helices, minor groove packing of the P3 and J4/5 helices, and an axial model for binding of the guanosine cofactor. The data also identify several essential functional groups within a highly conserved single-stranded region in the core of the intron (J8/7). At four sites in the intron, interference was observed with 2'-fluoro A, but not with 2'-deoxy A. Based upon comparison with the P4-P6 crystal structure, this may provide a biochemical signature for nucleotide positions where the ribose sugar adopts an essential C2'-endo conformation. In other cases where there is interference with 2'-deoxy A, the presence or absence of 2'-fluoro A interference helps to establish whether the 2'-OH acts as a hydrogen bond donor or acceptor. Mapping of the Tetrahymena intron establishes a basis set of information that will allow these reagents to be used with confidence in systems that are less well understood.

Adenosine↗
PubMed1998

A specific monovalent metal ion integral to the AA platform of the RNA tetraloop receptor.

Metal ions are essential for the folding and activity of large catalytic RNAs. While divalent metal ions have been directly implicated in RNA tertiary structure formation, the role of monovalent ions has been largely unexplored. Here we report the first specific monovalent metal ion binding site within a catalytic RNA. As seen crystallographically, a potassium ion is coordinated immediately below AA platforms of the Tetrahymena ribozyme P4-P6 domain, including that within the tetraloop receptor. Interference and kinetic experiments demonstrate that potassium ion binding within the tetraloop receptor stabilizes the folding of the P4-P6 domain and enhances the activity of the Azoarcus group I intron. Since a monovalent ion binding site is integral to the tetraloop receptor, a tertiary structural motif that occurs frequently in RNA, monovalent metal ions are likely to participate in the folding and activity of a wide diversity of RNAs.

Adenine↗
PubMed1998

A minor groove RNA triple helix within the catalytic core of a group I intron.

Close packing of several double helical and single stranded RNA elements is required for the Tetrahymena group I ribozyme to achieve catalysis. The chemical basis of these packing interactions is largely unknown. Using nucleotide analog interference suppression (NAIS), we demonstrate that the P1 substrate helix and J8/7 single stranded segment form an extended minor groove triple helix within the catalytic core of the ribozyme. Because each triple in the complex is mediated by at least one 2'-OH group, this substrate recognition triplex is unique to RNA and is fundamentally different from major groove homopurine-homopyrimidine triplexes. We have incorporated these biochemical data into a structural model of the ribozyme core that explains how the J8/7 strand organizes several helices within this complex RNA tertiary structure.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Complementary sets of noncanonical base pairs mediate RNA helix packing in the group I intron active site.

Helix packing is critical for RNA tertiary structure formation, although the rules for helix-helix association within structured RNAs are largely unknown. Docking of the substrate helix into the active site of the Tetrahymena group I ribozyme provides a model system to study this question. Using a novel chemogenetic method to analyze RNA structure in atomic detail, we report that complementary sets of noncanonical base pairs (a G.U wobble pair and two consecutively stacked sheared A.A pairs) create an RNA helix packing motif that is essential for 5'-splice site selection in the group I intron. This is likely to be a general motif for helix-helix interaction within the tertiary structures of many large RNAs.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Defining the chemical groups essential for Tetrahymena group I intron function by nucleotide analog interference mapping.

Improved atomic resolution biochemical methods are needed to identify the chemical groups within an RNA that are essential to its activity. As a step toward this goal, we report the use of 5'-O-(1-thio)inosine monophosphate (IMP alphaS) in a nucleotide analog interference mapping (NAIM) assay that makes it possible to simultaneously, yet individually, determine the contribution of almost every N2 exocyclic amine of G within a large RNA. Using IMP alphaS, we identified the exocyclic amines that are essential for 5' or 3' exon ligation by the Tetrahymena group I intron. We report that the amino groups of three phylogenetically conserved guanosines (G111, G112, and G303) are important for 3' exon ligation. The amine of G22, as well as the amines of the other four guanosines within the P1 helix, are essential for ligation of the 5' exon. Previous work has shown that point mutation of either G22 or G303 to an adenosine (A) substantially reduces activity. Like inosine, adenosine lacks an N2 amino group. Interference rescue of the G22A and G303A point mutations was detected at the site of mutation by NAIM using 5'-O-(1-thio)diaminopurine riboside monophosphate (DMP alphaS), an adenosine analog that has an N2 exocyclic amine. The G22A point mutant could also be rescued by incorporation of DMP alphaS at A24. By analogy to genetics, there are interference phenotypes comparable to loss of function, reversion, and suppression. This method can be readily extended to other nucleotide analogs for the analysis of chemical groups essential to a variety of RNA and DNA activities.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Biological variation of prostate specific antigen levels in serum: an evaluation of day-to-day physiological fluctuations in a well-defined cohort of 24 patients.

PURPOSE: We evaluated the daily biological variation of serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) concentrations to determine the critical difference required between 2 consecutive PSA measurements that would indicate a significant elevation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 24 men, grouped according to clinical diagnosis and PSA, underwent phlebotomy for 10 consecutive weekdays. Duplicate serum samples were measured using 3 separate lots of Tandem-E and IMx PSA assays. The biological variation was calculated and the 2 PSA assay systems were compared. The critical difference was examined to determine the percent elevation necessary to indicate (with 95% confidence) that PSA had increased beyond what would be expected from biological and analytical variation. RESULTS: The biological variation, defined in terms of percent coefficient of variation, had a log-normal distribution with a geometric mean of 7.3% coefficient of variation and a 95th percentile value of 19.2% coefficient of variation using the Tandem-E PSA assay. Assuming an analytical variation of 5% coefficient of variation, the median critical difference was 20.5% and the 95th percentile critical difference was 45.8%. There was no significant difference between the 2 PSA assay systems in biological variation. However, PSA concentrations measured by the IMx assay were consistently lower compared to values measured by the Tandem-E assay. CONCLUSIONS: Characterizing the biological variation of serum PSA assists in evaluating the significance of changes in serial PSA measurements. The degree of biological variation differs among patients, such that an increase between 2 consecutive PSA levels that is less than 20 to 46% may be due to biological and analytical variation. These data influence interpretation of repeated measurements of serum PSA with time.

Aged↗
PubMed1997

RNA seeing double: close-packing of helices in RNA tertiary structure.

Structured RNA molecules play essential roles in RNA processing, chromosome maintenance and protein biosynthesis. RNA necessarily uses different strategies than proteins for folding and assembly of complex architectures. The RNA-folding problem is largely an issue of helical packing: how does RNA organize and pack short, double-helical segments to produce active sites and recognition motifs for proteins? Noncanonical base pairs, metal ions and 2'-hydroxyl groups are key elements in RNA higher-order structure formation.

Base Composition↗
PubMed1996

Three recognition events at the branch-site adenine.

An adenosine at the branch site, the nucleophile for the first transesterification step of splicing, is nearly invariant in mammalian pre-mRNA introns. The chemical groups on the adenine base were varied systematically and assayed for formation of early spliceosome complexes and execution of the first and second steps of splicing. Recognition of constituents of the adenine is critical in formation of a U2 snRNP-containing complex on a minimal branch-site oligonucleotide. Furthermore, the efficiencies of the first and second chemical steps have different dependencies on the functional groups of the adenine. In total, the chemical groups on the adenine base at the branch site are differentially recognized during at least three different processes in the splicing of pre-mRNA. Moreover, a protein, p14, interacts with the adenine in a base-specific fashion and may mediate early recognition of this base.

Adenine↗
PubMed1996

Exocyclic amine of the conserved G.U pair at the cleavage site of the Tetrahymena ribozyme contributes to 5'-splice site selection and transition state stabilization.

A phylogenetically conserved guanine.uracil (G.U) pair defines the 5'-exon/intron boundary of precursor RNAs containing group I introns. In this wobble base pair, the G forms two hydrogen bonds with U in a base pairing geometry shifted from that of a canonical Watson-Crick pair. On the basis of thermodynamic measurements of synthetic base pair analogs (inosine, diaminopurine riboside, guanosine, or adenosine paired with U, C, or isocytidine) in place of the G.U pair, we have previously reported that the N2 exocyclic amine of the G is important for docking the 5'-exon into the active site of the Tetrahymena ribozyme [Strobel, S. A., & Cech, T. R. (1995) Science 267, 675-679]. Here we describe kinetic characterization of ribozyme-substrate combinations containing the same series of analogs. By measuring the rate constants of 5'-exon miscleavage (cleavage at incorrect phosphates), we demonstrate that the 5'-exon/intron boundary is primarily defined by the exocyclic amine of the G. The amine makes its contribution (2.5 kcal.mol-1) in the context of all three wobble pairs tested but fails to make a significant contribution (< 0.8 kcal.mol-1) when presented in a Watson-Crick base pairing geometry. We also demonstrate that the exocyclic amine makes a modest contribution to chemical transition state stabilization (1.0 kcal.mol-1 relative to an inosine-U pair). The majority of this transition state contribution (0.7 kcal.mol-1) is independent of that contributed by the 2'-hydroxyl of the neighboring U. This argues against the model in which substantial transition state stabilization is derived from a water molecule bridging between the exocyclic amine of G and the 2'-hydroxyl of U. Instead it suggests that the tertiary interaction between the exocyclic amine and its hydrogen bonding partner in the active site is slightly improved during the chemical transition. We conclude that the exocyclic amine of G is the primary contributor to many characteristics of reactivity that have been ascribed to the conserved G.U pair, including stabilization of the chemical transition state and definition of the 5'-exon/intron boundary.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Minor groove recognition of the conserved G.U pair at the Tetrahymena ribozyme reaction site.

The guanine-uracil (G.U) base pair that helps to define the 5'-splice site of group I introns is phylogenetically highly conserved. In such a wobble base pair, G makes two hydrogen bonds with U in a geometry shifted from that of a canonical Watson-Crick pair. The contribution made by individual functional groups of the G.U pair in the context of the Tetrahymena ribozyme was examined by replacement of the G.U pair with synthetic base pairs that maintain a wobble configuration, but that systematically alter functional groups in the major and minor grooves of the duplex. The substitutions demonstrate that the exocyclic amine of G, when presented on the minor groove surface by the wobble base pair conformation, contributes substantially (2 kilocalories.mole-1) to binding by making a tertiary interaction with the ribozyme active site. It contributes additionally to transition state stabilization. The ribozyme active site also makes tertiary contacts with a tripod of 2'-hydroxyls on the minor groove surface of the splice site helix. This suggests that the ribozyme binds the duplex primarily in the minor groove. The alanyl aminoacyl transfer RNA (tRNA) synthetase recognizes the exocyclic amine of an invariant G.U pair and contacts a similar array of 2'-hydroxyls when binding the tRNA(Ala) acceptor stem, providing an unanticipated parallel between protein-RNA and RNA-RNA interactions.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

The branch site adenosine is recognized differently for the two steps of pre-mRNA splicing.

The functional groups responsible for branch site identity in the two steps of pre-mRNA splicing as well as for spliceosome assembly were tested by incorporation of site-specific modifications at the branch site of a pre-mRNA. These results show that recognition of the adenosine occurs early in complex formation and that the branch site adenosine is recognized differently before the first step and for the second step. Further, direct UV cross-linking with these modified RNAs was used to identify a factor whose interaction was dependent upon the identity of the branch site nucleotide.

Adenosine↗
PubMed1994

The 2,6-diaminopurine riboside.5-methylisocytidine wobble base pair: an isoenergetic substitution for the study of G.U pairs in RNA.

Phylogenetically invariant G.U wobble pairs are present in a wide variety of RNA's. As a means to study the contribution of individual chemical groups within a G.U pair, we have synthesized and thermodynamically characterized oligoribonucleotides containing the unnatural nucleosides 2,6-diaminopurine riboside (DAP) and 5-methylisocytidine (MeiC). The DAP.MeiC pair at the end of an RNA duplex is as stable as a G.U pair, consistent with formation of a wobble base pair with two hydrogen bonds. DAP.MeiC is a valuable substitution for the study of G.U wobble pairs because it is conformationally similar to the G.U pair, but has a different array of functional groups in the major and minor grooves of the duplex and a reversed hydrogen bonding polarity between the bases. We also report the stability of several other terminal pairs proposed to be in a wobble configuration including inosine.U (I.U), A.MeiC, DAP.C, A.C, G.5-methyl-U,2'-deoxyguanosine.U, and 2'-deoxy-7-deazaguanosine.U. These pairs present a diversity of functional group substitutions in the context of a wobble conformation. Comparison of wobble pairs with and without the N2 exocyclic amine, i.e., G.U vs I.U, DAP.MeiC vs A.MeiC, and DAP.C vs A.C, demonstrates that the amine does not contribute to base pairing stability when the pair is located at the terminal position of the RNA duplex. However, at a position internal to the duplex, the exocyclic amine does improve helix stability. An internal I.U pair is less stable (approximately 1 kcal.mol-1) than an internal G.U pair, and substantially less stable (approximately 2 kcal.mol-1) than an internal A-U pair. These data provide quantitation for the reduced duplex stability observed upon conversion of A-U to I.U pairs by double-stranded RNA adenosine deaminase (dsRAD). This collection of wobble pairs will help identify the contribution made by individual functional groups in RNA/protein interactions and in the tertiary folding of RNA.

2-Aminopurine↗