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Interaction of RNase P from Escherichia coli with pseudoknotted structures in viral RNAs.

In a previous study it was shown that RNase P from E. coli cleaves the tRNA-like structure of turnip yellow mosaic virus (TYMV) RNA in vitro (Guerrier-Takada et al. (1988) Cell, 53, 267-272). Cleavage takes place at the 3' side of the loop that crosses the deep groove of the pseudoknot structure present in the aminoacyl acceptor domain. In the present study fragments of TYMV RNA with mutations in the pseudoknot, generated by transcription in vitro, were tested for susceptibility to cleavage by RNase P. Changes in the specificity with respect to the site of cleavage and decreases in the rate of cleavage were observed with most of these substrates. The behaviour of various mutants in the reaction catalyzed by RNase P is in agreement with the present model of the TYMV RNA pseudoknot (Dumas et al. (1987), J. Biomol. Struct. Dyn. 263, 652-657). Base substitutions in the loop that crosses the shallow groove of the pseudoknot structure resulted, however, in an unexpected decrease in the rate of cleavage, probably due to conformational changes in the substrates. Studies on other tRNA-like structures revealed an important role in the reaction with RNase P for both the nucleotide at the 3' side of the loop that spans the deep groove and the nucleotide at position 4, which correspond to positions--1 and 73, respectively, in tRNA precursors.

Base Sequence↗

U-3'-BCIP: a chromogenic substrate for the detection of RNase A in recombinant DNA expression systems.

The synthesis of the bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A (RNase A, EC 3.1.27.5) chromogenic substrate uridine-3'-(5-bromo-4-chloroindol-3-yl)-phosphate (U-3'-BCIP) is described. RNase A catalyzes the hydrolysis of U-3'-BCIP to release a halogenated indol-3-ol that undergoes rapid aerobic oxidation to the dark blue 5,5'-dibromo-4,4'-dichloroindigo. Preliminary kinetic studies indicate that this compound may have practical use for assaying RNase A activity both in vitro and in vivo, e.g. in screening bacterial colonies for RNase A produced by recombinant DNA methods.

Animals↗

HP 0.35, a cephalosporin degradation product is a specific inhibitor of lentiviral RNAses H.

Penicillins, cephalosporins and other betalactam antibiotics are widely used antibacterial drugs. Recently it was found that some of them also have effects on proliferating eukaryotic cells (Neftel, K.A. and Hübscher, U. (1987) Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 31, 1657-1661), and one such effect was shown to be the inhibition of DNA polymerase alpha (Huynh Do,U., Neftel, K.A., Spadari, S. and Hübscher, U. (1987) Nucl. Acids Res. 15, 10495-10506). The data suggested that degradation products of betalactam antibiotics were responsible for the inhibitory effect on DNA polymerase alpha. There is some confirmation at the structural level, since we found that penicillin binding proteins, the natural target of the cephalosporins, share amino-acid homologies to DNA polymerases and also to reverse transcriptase from HIV1 (Hafkemeyer, P., Neftel, K.A. and Hübscher, U. Meth. Find. Exp. Clin. Pharmacol. 12, 43-46, 1990). We have purified and determined the structure of one product from the cephalosporin Ceftazidim and found one molecule (HP 0.35) that did not interfere with eukaryotic cell proliferation but rather had a specific inhibitory effect on the RNase H activity of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV1) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) reverse transcriptases, while the DNA polymerising activity of these enzymes was not affected. RNases H from HeLa cells, calf thymus and Escherichia coli on the other hand were much less affected by HP 0.35. The inhibitory concentration of 50% (IC50) was more than 10 times lower compared to those of all cellular RNases H. We therefore tested the effect of HP 0.35 on in vitro lentivirus infection as exemplified by FIV-infection of CD(4+)-cat lymphocytes in cell culture. Under conditions where cell proliferation was absolutely unaffected, HP 0.35 was able to inhibit FIV-infection in CD(4+)-cat lymphocytes. Moreover, preincubation of these lymphocytes with HP 0.35 rendered the cells completely unsusceptible to FIV-infection. These data suggest that a degradation product of a clinically used betalactam antibiotic might represent an effective inhibitor class for lentiviral RNase H.

Animals↗

Peptidyl - tRNA hydrolase and RNase activities in cell fractions of rat liver used in in vitro reconstitution of rough membrane.

Peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase and RNase activities have been studied in those fractions of rat liver, which are used in in vitro reconstitution of rough membrane, because these enzymes may interfere with the in vitro reconstitution. It was found that smooth membrane has an active peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase, while the other fractions tested, polyribosomes, rough membrane, stripped rough membrane and the post-microsomal supernatant had no, or very low, peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase activity. Polyribosomes, rough and stripped rough membrane have RNase activity; this activity could be completely inhibited by rat liver RNase inhibitor. It is shown that RNase inhibitor is an obligatory component in in vitro experiments, in which rough membrane is reconstituted from stripped rough membrane, ribosomes and mRNA.

Animals↗

RNase H is responsible for the non-specific inhibition of in vitro translation by 2'-O-alkyl chimeric oligonucleotides: high affinity or selectivity, a dilemma to design antisense oligomers.

Ribonuclease H (RNase H) which recognizes and cleaves the RNA strand of mismatched RNA-DNA heteroduplexes can induce non-specific effects of antisense oligonucleotides. In a previous paper [Larrouy et al. (1992), Gene, 121, 189-194], we demonstrated that ODN1, a phosphodiester 15mer targeted to the AUG initiation region of alpha-globin mRNA, inhibited non-specifically beta-globin synthesis in wheat germ extract due to RNase H-mediated cleavage of beta-globin mRNA. Specificity was restored by using MP-ODN2, a methylphosphonate-phosphodiester sandwich analogue of ODN1, which limited RNase H activity on non-perfect hybrids. We report here that 2'-O-alkyl RNA-phosphodiester DNA sandwich analogues of ODN1, with the same phosphodiester window as MP-ODN2, are non-specific inhibitors of globin synthesis in wheat germ extract, whatever the substituent (methyl, allyl or butyl) on the 2'-OH. These sandwich oligomers induced the cleavage of non-target beta-globin RNA sites, similarly to the unmodified parent oligomer ODN1. This is likely due to the increased affinity of 2'-O-alkyl-ODN2 chimeric oligomers for both fully and partly complementary RNA, compared to MP-ODN2. In contrast, the fully modified 2'-O-methyl analogue of ODN1 was a very effective and highly specific antisense sequence. This was ascribed to its inability (i) to induce RNA cleavage by RNase H and (ii) to physically prevent the elongation of the polypeptide chain.

Alkylation↗

Successful transformation of yeast mitochondria with RPM1: an approach for in vivo studies of mitochondrial RNase P RNA structure, function and biosynthesis.

Mitochondrial RNase P RNA (Rpm1r) is coded by the RPM1 gene of mitochondrial DNA in many yeasts. As an initial step to developing a genetic approach to the structure and biogenesis of yeast mitochondrial RNase P, biolistic transformation has been used to introduce wild type and altered RPM1 genes into strains containing no mitochondrial DNA. The introduced wild type gene does support RNase P activity demonstrating that pre-existing RNase P activity is not necessary for the biosynthesis of the enzyme. Mutations introduced into RPM1 in vitro result in reduced accumulation of mature tRNA and in an alteration of the processing of Rpm1r in vivo.

Base Sequence↗

Cleavage by RNase P of gene N mRNA reduces bacteriophage lambda burst size.

RNase P, an enzyme essential for tRNA biosynthesis, can be directed to cleave any RNA when the target RNA is in a complex with a short, complementary oligonucleotide called an external guide sequence (EGS). RNase P from Escherichia coli can cleave phage lambda N mRNA in vitro or in vivo when the mRNA is in a complex with an EGS. The EGS can either be separate from or covalently linked to M1 RNA, the catalytic RNA subunit of RNase P. The requirement for Mg2+ in the reaction in vitro is lower when the EGS is covalently linked to M1 RNA. Substrates made of DNA can also be cleaved by RNase P in vitro in complexes with RNA EGSs. When either kind of EGS construct is used in vivo, burst size of phage lambda is reduced by > or = 40%. Reduction in burst size depends on efficient expression of the EGS constructs. The product of phage lambda gene N appears to function in a stoichiometric fashion.

Bacteriophage lambda↗

Identification and analysis of the rnc gene for RNase III in Rhodobacter capsulatus.

The large subunit ribosomal RNA of the purple bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus shows fragmentation into pieces of 14 and 16S, both fragments forming the functional equivalent of intact 23S rRNA. An RNA-processing step removes an extra stem-loop structure from the 23S rRNA [Kordes, E., Jock, S., Fritsch, J., Bosch, F. and Klug, G. (1994) J. Bacteriol., 176, 1121-1127]. Taking advantage of the fragmentation deficient mutant strain Fm65, we used genetic complementation to find the mutated gene responsible for this aberration. It was identified as the Rhodobacter homologue to mc from Escherichia coli encoding endoribonuclease III (RNase III). The predicted protein has 226 amino acids with a molecular weight of 25.5 kDa. It shares high homology with other known RNase III enzymes over the full length. In particular it shows the double-stranded RNA-binding domain (dsRBD) motif essential for binding of dsRNA substrates. The Fm65 mutant has a frame shift mutation resulting in complete loss of the dsRBD rendering the enzyme inactive. The cloned Rhodobacter enzyme can substitute RNase III activity in an RNase III deficient E. coli strain. Contrary to E. coli, the Rhodobacter mc is in one operon together with the lep gene encoding the leader peptidase.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The catalytic core of RNase P.

A deletion mutant of the catalytic RNA component of Escherichia coli RNase P missing residues 87-241 retains the ability to interact with the protein component to form a functional catalyst. The deletion of this phylogenetically conserved region significantly increases the Km, indicating that the deleted structures may be important for binding to the precursor tRNA substrate but not for the cleavage reaction. Under some reaction conditions, this RNase P deletion mutant can become a relatively non-specific nuclease, indicating that this RNA's catalytic center may be more exposed. The catalytic core of the RNase P is formed by less than one third of the 377 residues of the RNase P RNA.

Bacillus subtilis↗

RNase YI* and RNA structure studies.

The enzymology of RNase YI*, a recently discovered endoribonuclease from yeast, was studied and compared to other endonucleases for detection of single-strand regions and base pair mismatches in RNA. Its value for RNA structure analyses was assessed with Escherichia coli 5S rRNA as a model substrate. The generally accepted structure of the 5S rRNA is based on thermodynamic energy considerations as well as structures conserved in regions of the molecule during evolution. S1 and mung bean nucleases gave similar results with very marked preference only for the longest single-stranded region in the model. RNase YI* was much more discriminating for detecting unpaired nucleotides as well as short single-strand regions and predicted the generally accepted 5S rRNA structure. Preliminary experiments also indicated that RNase YI* was more sensitive than RNase I for detecting single or multiple base pair mismatches in an RNA-DNA hybrid.

Base Sequence↗

Design and isolation of ribozyme-substrate pairs using RNase P-based ribozymes containing altered substrate binding sites.

Substrate recognition and cleavage by the bacterial RNase P RNA requires two domains, a specificity domain, or S-domain, and a catalytic domain, or C-domain. The S-domain binds the T stem-loop region in a pre-tRNA substrate to confer specificity for tRNA substrates. In this work, the entire S-domain of the Bacillus subtilis RNase P RNA is replaced with an artificial substrate binding module. New RNA substrates are isolated by in vitro selection using two libraries containing random regions of 60 nt. At the end of the selection, the cleavage rates of the substrate library are approximately 0.7 min(-1)in 10 mM MgCl(2)at 37 degrees C, approximately 4-fold better than the cleavage of a pre-tRNA substrate by the wild-type RNase P RNA under the same conditions. The contribution of the S-domain replacement to the catalytic efficiency is from 6- to 22 000-fold. Chemical and nuclease mapping of two ribozyme-product complexes shows that this contribution correlates with direct interactions between the S-domain replacement and the selected substrate. These results demonstrate the feasibility of design and isolation of RNase P-based, matching ribozyme-substrate pairs without prior knowledge of the sequence or structure of the interactive modules in the ribozyme or substrate.

Bacillus subtilis↗

The antiviral enzymes PKR and RNase L suppress gene expression from viral and non-viral based vectors.

Expression of transfected genes is shown to be suppressed by two intracellular enzymes, RNase L and protein kinase PKR, which function in interferon-treated cells to restrict viral replication. RNase L(-/-) or PKR(-/-) murine embryonic fibroblasts produced enhanced levels of protein from transfected genes compared with wild-type cells. Increased expression of exogenous genes in RNase L(-/-) cells correlated with elevated levels of mRNA and thus appeared to be due to enhanced mRNA stability. Plasmid encoding adenovirus VA RNAs was able to further enhance accumulation of the exogenous gene transcript and protein, even in cells lacking PKR. In contrast to the increased expression of transfected genes in cells lacking RNase L or PKR, expression of endogenous host genes was unaffected by the absence of these enzymes. In addition, a dominant-negative PKR mutant improved expression from a conventional plasmid vector and from a Semliki Forest virus derived, self-replicating vector. These results indicate that viral infections and transfections produce similar stress responses in mammalian cells and suggest strategies for selectively increasing expression of exogenous genes.

Adenoviridae↗

Active site constraints in the hydrolysis reaction catalyzed by bacterial RNase P: analysis of precursor tRNAs with a single 3'-S-phosphorothiolate internucleotide linkage.

Endonucleolytic processing of precursor tRNAs (ptRNAs) by RNase P yields 3'-OH and 5'-phosphate termini, and at least two metal ions are thought to be essential for catalysis. To determine if the hydrolysis reaction catalyzed by bacterial RNase P (RNAs) involves stabilization of the 3'-oxyanion leaving group by direct coordination to one of the catalytic metal ions, ptRNA substrates with single 3'- S -phosphorothiolate linkages at the RNase P cleavage site were synthesized. With a 3'- S -phosphorothiolate-modified ptRNA carrying a 7 nt 5'-flank, a complete shift of the cleavage site to the next unmodified phosphodiester in the 5'-direction was observed. Cleavage at the modified linkage was not restored in the presence of thiophilic metal ions, such as Mn(2+)or Cd(2+). To suppress aberrant cleavage, we also constructed a 3'- S -phosphorothiolate-modified ptRNA with a 1 nt 5'-flank. No detectable cleavage of this substrate was seen in reactions catalyzed by RNase P RNAs from Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, independent of the presence of thiophilic metal ions. Ground state binding of modified ptRNAs was not impaired, suggesting that the 3'- S -phosphorothiolate modification specifically prevents formation of the transition state, possibly by excluding catalytic metal ions from the active site.

Bacillus subtilis↗

Effective inhibition of herpes simplex virus 1 gene expression and growth by engineered RNase P ribozyme.

Using an in vitro selection procedure, we have previously isolated ribonuclease P (RNase P) ribozyme variants that efficiently cleave an mRNA sequence in vitro. In this study, an M1GS RNA variant was used to target the mRNA encoding human herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) major transcription activator ICP4. The variant is about 15 times more efficient in cleaving the ICP4 mRNA sequence in vitro than the ribozyme derived from the wild type RNase P ribozyme. Moreover, the variant is also more effective in inhibiting viral ICP4 expression and growth in HSV-1-infected cells than the wild type ribozyme. A reduction of approximately 90% in the expression level of ICP4 and a reduction of 4000-fold in viral growth were observed in cells that expressed the variant. In contrast, a reduction of <10% in the ICP4 expression and viral growth was observed in cells that either did not express the ribozyme or produced a catalytically inactive ribozyme mutant. These results provide direct evidence that RNase P ribozyme variants can be highly effective in inhibiting HSV-1 gene expression and growth and furthermore, demonstrate the feasibility of developing highly effective RNase P ribozyme variants for anti-HSV applications by using in vitro selection procedures.

Animals↗

Partial purification of a double-stranded RNA specific ribonuclease (RNAse D) from Krebs II ascites cells.

In a search for eucaryotic enzymes which might process the heterogenous nuclear RNA (HnRNA) from animal cells into messenger RNA, a ribonuclease called RNAse D analogous to E. coli RNAse III in its ability to cleave specifically synthetic or viral double-stranded polyribonucleotides has been detected and extensively purified from the cytosol of Krebs II mouse ascites cells. The purification procedure involved cellular fractionation followed by DEAE-and CM-cellulose chromatography and resulted in an RNAas D preparation contaminated with trace amounts of single-strand specific RNAse (equivalent to less than 0.3 ng per ml) as assayed against poly (rC). Significant levels of RNAse H activity against poly (rA)-poly (dT) were still present in these preparations.

Animals↗

Elucidation of structure-function relationships in the protein subunit of bacterial RNase P using a genetic complementation approach.

RNase P is a ribonucleoprotein involved in tRNA biosynthesis in all living organisms. Bacterial RNase P is comprised of a catalytic RNA subunit and a lone protein cofactor which plays a supporting, albeit essential, role in the tRNA processing reaction in vivo. In this study, we have searched various databases to identify homologs of the protein subunit of RNase P from diverse bacteria and used an alignment of their primary sequences to determine the most highly conserved residues, and thereby extend earlier predictions of which residues might play an important role in RNA recognition. By employing a genetic complementation assay, we have also gained insights into structure- function relationships in the protein subunit of bacterial RNase P.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Cc RNase: the Ceratitis capitata ortholog of a novel highly conserved protein family in metazoans.

Complementary DNA encoding a protein, designated Cc RNase, was isolated from the insect Ceratitis capitata. Deduced amino acid sequence analysis demonstrates that the Cc RNase has strong sequence homology with other uncharacterized proteins predicted from EST sequences belonging to different animal species, therefore defining a new protein family, which is conserved from Caenorhabditis elegans to humans. Phylogenetic analysis data in addition to extensive homolog searches in all available complete genomes suggested that all family members are true orthologs. Proteins belonging to this family are composed of 95-101 amino acids. The C.capitata orthologous protein was expressed in Escherichia coli. Despite the fact that the amino acid sequence of Cc RNase does not share any significant similarities with other known ribonucleases, our data give strong evidence in support of the assignment of enzymatic activity to the recombinant protein. The expressed molecule exhibits ribonucleolytic activity against poly(C) and poly(U) synthetic substrates, as well as rRNA. It is also demonstrated that expression of Cc RNase in E.coli inhibits growth of the host cells.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Alterations in the intracellular level of a protein subunit of human RNase P affect processing of tRNA precursors.

The human ribonucleoprotein ribonuclease P (RNase P), processing tRNA, has at least 10 distinct protein subunits. Many of these subunits, including the autoimmune antigen Rpp38, are shared by RNase MRP, a ribonucleoprotein enzyme required for processing of rRNA. We here show that constitutive expression of exogenous, tagged Rpp38 protein in HeLa cells affects processing of tRNA precursors. Alterations in the site-specific cleavage and in the steady-state level of 3' sequences of the internal transcribed spacer 1 of rRNA are also observed. These processing defects are accompanied by selective shut-off of expression of Rpp38 and by low expression of the tagged protein. RNase P purified from these cells exhibits impaired activity in vitro. Moreover, inhibition of Rpp38 by the use of small interfering RNA causes accumulation of the initiator methionine tRNA precursor. Expression of other protein components, but not of the H1 RNA subunit, is coordinately inhibited. Our results reveal that normal expression of Rpp38 is required for the biosynthesis of intact RNase P and for the normal processing of stable RNA in human cells.

Autoantigens↗