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Either bacteriophage T4 RNase H or Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I is essential for phage replication.

Bacteriophage T4 rnh encodes an RNase H that removes ribopentamer primers from nascent DNA chains during synthesis by the T4 multienzyme replication system in vitro (H. C. Hollingsworth and N. G. Nossal, J. Biol. Chem. 266:1888-1897, 1991). This paper demonstrates that either T4 RNase HI or Escherichia coli DNA polymerase I (Pol I) is essential for phage replication. Wild-type T4 phage production was not diminished by the polA12 mutation, which disrupts coordination between the polymerase and the 5'-to-3' nuclease activities of E. coli DNA Pol I, or by an interruption in the gene for E. coli RNase HI. Deleting the C-terminal amino acids 118 to 305 from T4 RNase H reduced phage production to 47% of that of wild-type T4 on a wild-type E. coli host, 10% on an isogenic host defective in RNase H, and less than 0.1% on a polA12 host. The T4 rnh(delta118-305) mutant synthesized DNA at about half the rate of wild-type T4 in the polA12 host. More than 50% of pulse-labelled mutant DNA was in short chains characteristic of Okazaki fragments. Phage production was restored in the nonpermissive host by providing the T4 rnh gene on a plasmid. Thus, T4 RNase H was sufficient to sustain the high rate of T4 DNA synthesis, but E. coli RNase HI and the 5'-to-3' exonuclease of Pol I could substitute to some extent for the T4 enzyme. However, replication was less accurate in the absence of the T4 RNase H, as judged by the increased frequency of acriflavine-resistant mutations after infection of a wild-type host with the T4 rnh (delta118-305) mutant.

Bacteriophage T4↗

RNases involved in ribozyme degradation in Escherichia coli.

Hammerhead ribozymes are small catalytic RNA molecules that can be designed to specifically cleave other RNAs. These ribozymes have exhibited low efficiency when examined inside cells, perhaps in part because of their sensitivity to intracellular RNases. In an effort to better understand intracellular degradation of small, foreign RNAs and to develop more stable ribozymes, the ability of Escherichia coli RNase mutants to digest ribozymes was examined. In soluble extracts, most (80 to 90%) of the endonucleolytic activity was due to RNases I and I*, since degradative activity was inhibited by Mg2+ and by the rna-2 mutation. Degradation by exonucleolytic activities was temperature sensitive in extracts from an rna pnp rnb(Ts) triple mutant but not in extracts from an rna rnb(Ts) double mutant. Thus, the products of rnb and pnp, RNase II and polynucleotide phosphorylase, respectively, appear to be the major exonucleases that degrade hammerhead ribozymes. Examination of intracellular degradation revealed that RNases I and I* contributed to about half of the degradative activity as judged by comparison of the rate of ribozyme decay in wild-type and rna-2 mutant cells. Little additional effect was observed in rne(RNase E) and rnc (RNaseIII) mutants. Taken together, these data indicate that hammerhead ribozymes are digested largely by the degradative class of RNase (RNases I, I* and II and polynucleotide phosphorylase).

Base Sequence↗

Purification and characterization of an active human immunodeficiency virus type 1 RNase H domain.

We have expressed and purified from Escherichia coli a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNase H domain consisting of amino acids 400 to 560 of reverse transcriptase with either an N- or C-terminal polyhistidine tag. The native protease cleavage site of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase is between amino acids 440 and 441. Purification on Ni(2+)-nitrilotriacetate agarose resulted in a highly active RNase H domain dependent on MnCl2 rather than MgCl2. Activity was unambiguously attributed to the purified proteins by an in situ RNase H gel assay. Residues 400 to 426, which include a stretch of tryptophans, did not contribute to RNase H activity, and the polyhistidine tag was essential for activity. Despite the requirement for a histidine tag, the recombinant RNase H proteins retained characteristics of the wild-type heterodimer, as determined by examining activity in the presence of several known inhibitors of HIV-1 RNase H, including ribonucleoside vanadyl complexes, dAMP, and a monoclonal antibody. Importantly, the isolated RNase H domain produced the same specific cleavage in tRNA(3Lys) removal as HIV-1 heterodimer, leaving the 3'-rA (adenosine 5' phosphate) residue of a model tRNA attached to the adjacent U5 sequence. This HIV-1 RNase H domain sedimented as a monomer in a glycerol gradient.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Selected mutations of the duck hepatitis B virus P gene RNase H domain affect both RNA packaging and priming of minus-strand DNA synthesis.

The genome of all hepadnaviruses has an open reading frame called the P gene, which encodes a polypeptide of 90 to 97 kDa. The product or products of this P gene are involved in multiple functions of the viral life cycle. These functions include a priming activity which initiates minus-strand DNA synthesis, a polymerase activity which synthesizes DNA by using either RNA or DNA templates (reverse transcriptase), a nuclease activity which degrades the RNA strand of RNA-DNA hybrids (RNase H), and involvement in packaging the RNA pregenome into nucleocapsids. In a previous study, we found that a single point mutation at position 711 in the duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) P gene product RNase H domain prevented viral RNA packaging. In the present experiments, we have mutated additional conserved amino acids in the DHBV RNase H domain and examined the ability of viral genomes containing these mutations to package RNA and replicate viral DNA. Charged and sulfur group amino acids adjacent to Cys-711 were mutated. None of these mutants was defective in either RNA packaging or viral replication. We also tested a number of mutations on the basis of common elements in the crystal structures of Escherichia coli and human immunodeficiency virus reverse transcriptase RNase H enzymes and on the basis of the similarities of their amino acid sequences to those of the RNase H domains of DHBV and HBV. Our results revealed that the entire beta 4 strand and amino acids Leu-712, Leu-697, and Val-719 in the putative hydrophobic cores of the beta 4, alpha A, and alpha B regions, respectively, are involved in pregenomic RNA encapsidation. This suggests that the basic structure of the RNase H domain in the DHBV P gene product is required for viral RNA packaging. We used the in vitro DHBV minus-strand DNA priming system developed by Wang and Seeger (G.-H. Wang and C. Seeger, Cell 71:663-670, 1992) to test the effect of RNase H packaging mutations on P gene product enzymatic activity. While all packaging-defective mutants tested maintained DNA priming activity, levels were decreased 5- to 20-fold compared with that of the wild-type genome. This observation suggests that the hepadnavirus RNase H domain plays a role in optimizing priming of minus-strand DNA synthesis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Contributions of DNA polymerase subdomains to the RNase H activity of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 reverse transcriptase.

Previous studies showed that an isolated human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) RNase H domain expressed as a fusion protein is highly active in Mn2+, but activity was dependent on a hexahistidine tag located at either the carboxyl or amino terminus of the fusion protein (J. Smith and M. Roth, J. Virol. 67:4037-4049, 1993). It was postulated that a histidine tag can somehow provide a function normally associated with the DNA polymerase domain of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase. To determine the contributions of the DNA polymerase subdomains of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase to its RNase H activity, we have characterized the activity of isolated RNase H domains which include either portions of the connection, the entire connection, or both the thumb and connection as N-terminal extensions. Including increasing lengths of these domains at the N terminus of the RNase H resulted in a progressive increase in Mn(2+)-dependent RNase H activity that was independent of a histidine tag. Activity of the isolated RNase H domains was also stimulated by the addition of independently purified polymerase subdomains. Further, this stimulation was shown to be a result of direct physical interactions between the thumb, connection, and RNase H domains. The connection and thumb subdomains were shown to contribute to substrate binding. The fingers and palm subdomains were found to be essential for Mg(2+)-dependent RNase H activity.

Base Sequence↗

RNase H domain of Moloney murine leukemia virus reverse transcriptase retains activity but requires the polymerase domain for specificity.

The reverse transcriptase-associated RNase H activity of Moloney murine leukemia virus specifically cleaves within the polypurine tract region of the viral genome to generate the primer for plus-strand DNA synthesis and removes the tRNA primer after minus-strand initiation by preferentially cleaving the RNA one nucleotide before the RNA-DNA junction. Moreover, the enzyme is unable to cleave the extended tRNA substrate at the RNA-DNA junction even at high enzyme concentrations. The RNase H domain of the reverse transcriptase was expressed as a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein and purified from Escherichia coli extracts. Following removal of the glutathione S-transferase portion of the protein, the specificity of the isolated RNase H domain was determined in the plus-strand primer reaction and in the tRNA primer removal reaction. Although the isolated domain lacked specificity in both cases, it was still unable to cleave the tRNA substrate precisely at the RNA-DNA junction. Specificity in both cases could be restored by adding back a truncated form of Moloney murine leukemia virus reverse transcriptase lacking the RNase H domain. These results implicate the polymerase domain as a specificity determinant for the RNase H activity of reverse transcriptase. The isolated RNase H domain had higher activity in the presence of Mn2+ than in the presence of Mg2+, but neither the RNase H domain alone nor the RNase H domain coupled to the polymerase domain in wild-type protein exhibited the normal cleavage specificities in the presence of the nonphysiological divalent cation.

DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase↗

RNase H activity is required for high-frequency repeat deletion during Moloney murine leukemia virus replication.

It has been postulated that retroviral recombination, like strong stop template switching, requires the RNase H activity of reverse transcriptase. To address this hypothesis, Moloney murine leukemia virus-based vectors, which were designed to test the recombination-related property of direct repeat deletion, were encapsidated in virions engineered to contain phenotypic mixtures of wild-type and RNase H catalytic site point mutant reverse transcriptase. Integrated provirus titers per milliliter were determined for these phenotypically mixed virions, and vector proviruses were screened to determine what percentage contained repeat deletions. The results revealed a steady decline in direct repeat deletion frequency that correlated with decreases in functional RNase H, with greater than fourfold decreases in repeat deletion frequency observed when 95% of virion reverse transcriptase was RNase H defective. Parallel experiments were performed to address effects of molar excesses of RNase H relative to functional DNA polymerase. These experiments demonstrated that increasing the stoichiometry of RNase H relative to the amount of functional DNA polymerase had minimal effects on direct repeat deletion frequency. DNA synthesis was error prone when directed principally by RNase H mutant reverse transcriptase, suggesting a role for RNase H catalytic integrity in the fidelity of intracellular reverse transcription.

3T3 Cells↗

Mutations of the RNase H C helix of the Moloney murine leukemia virus reverse transcriptase reveal defects in polypurine tract recognition.

Both the RNase H domain of Moloney murine leukemia virus (Mo-MLV) reverse transcriptase (RT) and Escherichia coli RNase H possess a positively charged alpha-helix (C helix) and a loop that are not present in the RNase H domains of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RT or avian sarcoma virus RT. Although a mutant Mo-MLV RT lacking the C helix (DeltaC RT) retains DNA polymerase activity on homopolymeric substrates and partial RNase H activity, reverse transcription of the viral RNA genome in vivo is defective. To identify the essential features of the C helix, a panel of Mo-MLV RT mutants was generated. Analyses of these mutant viruses revealed the importance of residues H594, I597, R601, and G602. The mutants were tested for their ability to synthesize viral DNA after acute infections and to form proper 5' and 3' viral DNA ends. The mutant RTs were tested in vitro for exogenous RT activity, minus-strand strong-stop DNA synthesis in endogenous RT reactions, nonspecific RNase H activity, and finally, proper cleavage at the polypurine tract-U3 junction. The R601A mutant was the most defective mutant both in vivo and in vitro and possessed very little RNase H activity. The H594A, I597A, and G602A mutants had significant reductions in RNase H activity and in their rates of viral replication. Many of the mutants formed improper viral DNA ends and were less efficient in PPT-U3 recognition and cleavage in vitro. The data show that the C helix plays a crucial role for overall RNase H cleavage activity. The data also suggest that the C helix may play an important role in polypurine tract recognition and proper formation of the plus-strand DNA's 5' end.

3T3 Cells↗

Mutations in the RNase H primer grip domain of murine leukemia virus reverse transcriptase decrease efficiency and accuracy of plus-strand DNA transfer.

The RNase H primer grip of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) reverse transcriptase (RT) contacts the DNA primer strand and positions the template strand near the RNase H active site, influencing RNase H cleavage efficiency and specificity. Sequence alignments show that 6 of the 11 residues that constitute the RNase H primer grip have functional equivalents in murine leukemia virus (MLV) RT. We previously showed that a Y586F substitution in the MLV RNase H primer grip resulted in a 17-fold increase in substitutions within 18 nucleotides of adenine-thymine tracts, which are associated with a bent DNA conformation. To further determine the effects of the MLV RNase H primer grip on replication fidelity and viral replication, we performed additional mutational analysis. Using either beta-galactosidase (lacZ) or green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter genes, we found that S557A, A558V, and Q559L substitutions resulted in statistically significant increases in viral mutation rates, ranging from 2.1- to 3.8-fold. DNA sequencing analysis of nonfluorescent GFP clones indicated that the mutations in RNase H primer grip significantly increased the frequency of deletions between the primer-binding site (PBS) and sequences downstream of the PBS. In addition, quantitative real-time PCR analysis of reverse transcription products revealed that the mutant RTs were substantially inefficient in plus-strand DNA transfer relative to the wild-type control. These results indicate that the MLV RNase H primer grip is an important determinant of in vivo fidelity of DNA synthesis and suggest that the mutant RT was unable to copy through the DNA-RNA junction of the minus-strand DNA and the tRNA because of its bent conformation resulting in error-prone plus-strand DNA transfer.

Animals↗

S16, a novel S-RNase allele in the diploid species Solanum chacoense.

Wild potato species have a gametophytic self-incompatibility system controlled by a single multiallelic S locus. In the style, the S-RNase gene codes for an allele-specific ribonuclease that is involved in the rejection of pollen that carries the same S haplotype. This gene has 5 conserved regions (C1-C5) and highly variable regions outside of these areas that play a role in S-RNase allele specificity. In this work, PCR-mediated amplification of genomic DNA from 2 Solanum chacoense accessions was performed using primers designed on the basis of the C1 and C4 conserved regions. By sequencing the PCR products, a new S-RNase allele (S16) was identified in 1 plant of the QBCM argentinian accession. Comparison of the partial sequence (from C2 to C3) of S16 RNase with those of 11 S-RNase genes of other Solanaceae species showed the highest and the lowest similarity scores within the same plant species (respectively, 71% with the S11 and S13 RNase and 35% with the S2 RNase). Differences at the nucleotide level between S16 and S11 RNase alleles are discussed.

Alleles↗

A protease sensitive region of plant and animal ribonucleases belonging to the RNase T2 family.

Recombinant RNase LE from tomato and squid liver RNase Tp, typical plant/animal type RNases belonging to the RNase T2 family, were subjected to limited digestion with several proteases, and the cleavage sites were analyzed by Edman degradation. Recombinant RNase LE was cleaved specifically at the 24th Lys by lysylendopeptidase and trypsin, and RNase Tp was cleaved at the 21st Glu by V8 protease. These cleavage sites are located very close to those where the cleavage during preparation of several animal RNase T2 family enzymes was observed. From this finding, it was concluded that the short segment around the 20th amino acid residue in plant/animal RNases is located on the surface of the molecules and forms loops, and is thus very sensitive to proteases.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Presence of RNase A causes aberrant DNA band shifts.

RNase A, which is routinely added during DNA purification to reduce contaminating RNA, causes shifting of DNA bands in agarose gels. DNA band sizes on agarose gels increase as much as 10%-20% when RNase A is present. The low concentrations of RNase A typically used to purify DNA cause shifting of select DNA bands, in contrast to higher concentrations of RNase A where all band are shifted and smeared. The binding of RNase A to the DNA is specific and the degree of the shift varies; not all DNA bands are retarded, and the deviation is more pronounced in certain buffers. Other proteins, such as bovine serum albumin or proteinase K, do not induce DNA band shift, suggesting the interaction is specific. The binding of RNase A to DNA is reversible. The formation of RNase:DNA complexes may affect experiments involving DNA:protein interactions such as gel shift, footprinting and filter binding assays. Researchers performing DNA characterization from miniprep protocols should be aware that RNase may cause the apparent sizes of DNA fragments to be altered and obscure the presence of very small cloned fragments.

Buffers↗

[A preliminary analysis on a group of low molecular weight RNases in wheat and related species].

By employing RNase activity gel analysis, we detected a novel group of RNases in wheat and related species. The molecular weight of the RNases varied from 8-14 kDa, which was lower than that of most plant RNases characterized previously. The small RNases expressed abundantly in seedlings and differed in their optimal pH and ionic requirement in digesting RNA substrate. Several members of the small RNases were detected in dormant and germinating wheat seeds. During germination, the activity of two RNases did not change significantly whereas that of the other two RNases showed a gradual pattern of decrease and increase, respectively.

Molecular Weight↗

Selective activity of BS-RNase against anaplastic thyroid cancer.

BACKGROUND: Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is an aggressive solid tumor that fails to adequately respond to any known chemotherapeutic regimen. The development of effective chemotherapy agents would provide the best chance for long-term survival of patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cytotoxic effects of bovine seminal ribonuclease (BS-RNase) against thyroid carcinoma cell lines with different degrees of differentiation in comparison to non-malignant cells, including human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF) and retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE), were tested using the MTT dye reduction assay. Induction of apoptosis was demonstrated by annexin V assay and expression of proteins related to apoptosis was investigated by flow cytometry. The antitumoral in vivo effects of BS-RNase were assessed on established xenografts of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma cell line 8505C in nude mice using subcutaneous injections of BS-RNase (12.5 mg/kg once a day, on 20 consecutive days). RESULTS: All the tumor cell lines exhibited marked sensitivity against BS-RNase in comparison to HFF and RPE cells. The greatest growth inhibition was seen in the 8505C line, while IC50 values for papillary (B-CPAP) and poorly-differentiated thyroid carcinoma cells were about 6-fold higher. The cytotoxic action of BS-RNase was associated with induction of apoptosis. Expressions of Fas and Fas-ligand were not influenced by BS-RNase completely, while the down-regulation of Bcl-2 in treated cells was observed. In vivo treatment induced significant tumor regression after the course of 20 consecutive days. No apparent toxic effects of BS-RNase toward non-malignant cells were observed during the in vivo treatment. After cessation of therapy (day 20) tumor volume continued to decrease and the tumor was no longer detectable after 30 days of treatment induction in all animals. CONCLUSION: BS-RNase may have beneficial effects for treatment of aggressive anaplastic thyroid cancer.

Animals↗

An ESR Study on the Effect of Hydration on the Dynamic Property of RNase A.

A method is described for the measurement of dynamic property of RNase A by ESR under xeric conditions. The relationship between relative humidity and hydration degree of RNase A was determined by hydration isotherm. A solution of RNase A was allowed to react with a solution containing maleimide nitroxide label at 25 degrees, then was dialysed and lyophilized. The stable powder of RNase A - maleimide nitroxide label compound was put into the tubules, then was hydrated under different relative humidity for 11 days. After hydration, the tubules were closed and measured by ESR. The relationship between hydration value and A(max) was detected. The results showed that the lowest water content that could induce motion of RNase A by water is about 0.20 g of water per g of RNase A. That means the motion of RNase A molecule becomes detectable when there are 152 water molecules around one RNase A molecule.

Journal Article↗

Determination of S-genotypes of pear (Pyrus pyrifolia) cultivars by S-RNase sequencing and PCR-RFLP analyses.

The pear (Pyrus pyrifolia) has gametophytic self-incompatibility (GSI). To elucidate the S-genotypes of Korean-bred pear cultivars, whose parents are heterozygotes, the PCR amplification using S-RNase primers that are specific for each S-genotype was carried out in 15 Korean-bred pear cultivars and 5 Japanese-bred pear cultivars. The difference of the fragment length was shown in the following order: S6 (355 bp) < S7 (360 bp) < S1 (375 bp) < S4 (376 bp) < S3 and S5 (384 bp) < S8 (442 bp) < S9 (1,323 bp) < S2 (1,355 bp). We analyzed the sequence of the S-RNase gene, which had introns of various sizes in the hypervariable (HV) region between the adjacent exons with a fairly high homology. The sizes of the introns were as follows: S1 = 167 bp, S2 = 1,153 bp, S3 = 179 bp, S4 = 168 bp, S5 = 179 bp, S6 = 147 bp, S7 = 152 bp, S8 = 234 bp, S9 = 1,115 bp. There were five conservative and five hypervariable regions in the introns of S1, S3, S4, S5, S6 and S-RNases. A pairwise comparison of these introns of S-RNases revealed homologies as follows: 93.7% between S1- and S4-RNases, 93.3% between S3- and S5-RNases and 78.9% between S6- and S7-RNases. PCR-RFLP and S-RNases sequencing determined the S-genotypes of the pear cultivars. The S-genotypes were S4S9 for Shinkou, S3S9 for Niitaka, S3S5 for Housui, S1S5 for Kimizukawase, S1S8 for Ichiharawase, S3S5 for Mansoo, S3S4 for Shinil, S3S4 for Whangkeumbae, S3S5 for Sunhwang, S3S5 for Whasan, S3S5 for Mihwang, S5S? for Chengsilri, S3S5 for Gamro, S3S4 for Yeongsanbae, S3S4 for Wonhwang, S3S5 for Gamcheonbae, S3S5 for Danbae, S3S4 for Manpoong, S3S4 for Soowhangbae and S4S6 for Chuwhangbae. The information on the S-genotypes of pear cultivars will be used for the pollinizer selection and breeding program.

Alleles↗

RraA. a protein inhibitor of RNase E activity that globally modulates RNA abundance in E. coli.

Ribonuclease E (RNase E) has a key role in mRNA degradation and the processing of catalytic and structural RNAs in E. coli. We report the discovery of an evolutionarily conserved 17.4 kDa protein, here named RraA (regulator of ribonuclease activity A) that binds to RNase E and inhibits RNase E endonucleolytic cleavages without altering cleavage site specificity or interacting detectably with substrate RNAs. Overexpression of RraA circumvents the effects of an autoregulatory mechanism that normally maintains the RNase E cellular level within a narrow range, resulting in the genome-wide accumulation of RNase E-targeted transcripts. While not required for RraA action, the C-terminal RNase E region that serves as a scaffold for formation of a multiprotein degradosome complex modulates the inhibition of RNase E catalytic activity by RraA. Our results reveal a possible mechanism for the dynamic regulation of RNA decay and processing by inhibitory RNase binding proteins.

Blotting, Western↗

Characterization of Escherichia coli RNase PH.

We have previously shown that the orfE gene of Escherichia coli encodes RNase PH. Here we show that the OrfE protein (purified as described in the accompanying paper) (Jensen, K. F., Andersen, J. T., and Poulsen, P. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 17147-17152) has both the degradative and synthetic activities of RNase PH. This highly purified protein was used to characterize the enzymatic and structural properties of RNase PH. The enzyme requires a divalent cation and phosphate for activity, the latter property indicating that RNase PH is exclusively a phosphorolytic enzyme. Among tRNA-type substrates, the enzyme is most active against synthetic tRNA precursors containing extra residues following the -CCA sequence, and it can act on these molecules to generate mature tRNA with amino acid acceptor activity; 3'-phosphoryl-terminated molecules are not active as substrates. The equilibrium constant for RNase PH is near unity, suggesting that at the phosphate concentration present in vivo, the enzyme would participate in RNA degradation. The synthetic reaction of RNase PH displays a nonlinear response to increasing enzyme concentrations, and this may be due to self-aggregation of the protein. Higher order multimers of RNase PH could be detected by gel filtration at higher protein concentrations and by protein cross-linking. The possible role of RNase PH in tRNA processing is discussed.

Base Sequence↗