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Alpha- and betacoronavirus cis-acting RNA elements.

Coronaviruses have exceptionally large RNA genomes and employ multiprotein replication/transcription complexes to orchestrate specific steps of viral RNA genome replication and expression. Most of these processes involve viral cis-acting RNA elements that are engaged in vital RNA-RNA and/or RNA-protein interactions. Over the past years, a large number of studies provided interesting new insight into the structures and, to a lesser extent, functions of specific RNA elements for representative coronaviruses, and there is evidence to suggest that (a majority of) these RNA elements are conserved across genetically divergent coronavirus genera. It is becoming increasingly clear that at least some of these elements do not function in isolation but operate through complex and highly dynamic RNA-RNA interactions. This article reviews structural and functional aspects of cis-acting RNA elements conserved in alpha- and betacoronavirus 5'- and 3'-terminal genome regions, focusing on their critical roles in viral RNA synthesis and gene expression.

RNA, Viral

hnRNPK condensates facilitate enhancer-promoter looping and RNA polymerase II recruitment.

Enhancer RNAs interact with promoter-derived RNAs to dictate enhancer-promoter looping, but the RNA-binding protein that mediates this process has remained unidentified. Here we identify hnRNPK as a general structural regulator that preferentially binds to nascent RNAs transcribed from enhancer and promoter regions, promoting enhancer-promoter looping and transcriptional activation. We further show that hnRNPK forms phase-separated, cavity-containing condensates that encapsulate RNA polymerase II (Pol II) via its RPB3 subunit, facilitating chromatin looping and potentially enabling recruitment of Pol II from enhancers to promoters through protein dimerization. Notably, a mutation associated with Au-Kline syndrome in hnRNPK (c.953+1dupG) alters its condensates from a liquid-like to a gel-like state, leading to developmental defects in knock-in mice. Fibroblasts derived from these mutants display reduced enhancer-promoter looping and decreased Pol II recruitment at promoters of key developmental genes. These findings suggest that hnRNPK is a structural regulator of enhancer-promoter communication and highlight the importance of RNA-RNA interactions mediated by RNA-binding proteins in transcriptional regulation.

RNA Polymerase II

Evidence for tertiary structural RNA-RNA interactions within the protein S4 binding site at the 5'-end of 16S ribosomal RNA of Escherichia coli.+.

Evidence is presented for tertiary structural interaction(s) (interactions(s) between two regions of an RNA molecule that are widely separated in the RNA sequence) within the 5'-one third of the 16S ribosomal RNA of Escherichia coli that constitutes the binding site of protein S4. The two main interacting RNA regions were separated by about 120 nucleotides (sections Q to M) of the 16S RNA sequence. A second, smaller gap, of 13 nucleotides, occurred within section C". The two main interacting regions contain about 150 nucleotides (sections H" to Q) and 160 nucleotides (sections M to C"). They are folded back on one another and, especially in the presence of protein S4, are strongly protected against ribonuclease digestion. The intermediate region (sections Q to M), however, is relatively accessible to ribonucleases in the S4-RNP. By partial removal of subfragments from the RNA complex it was possible to localise the two main interacting sites within sections H" - H and sections I" - C". Three main criteria for the specificity of the RNA-RNA interactions were invoked and satisfied. The possibility of other tertiary structural RNA-RNA interactions occurring in other regions of the 16S RNA is discussed. Finally, all the structural information on the S4-RNP is summarised and a tentative model is proposed.

Base Sequence

Studies on the ability of partially iodinated 16S RNA to participate in 30S ribosome assembly.

Deproteinated 16S RNA was iodinated at pH 5.0 in an aqueous solution containing TlCl3 plus KI for 1-5 hours at 42 degrees C. Under these conditions 33 moles of iodine are incorporated per mole of RNA. As judged by sucrose gradient sedimentation, the iodinated RNA does not exhibit any large alteration in conformation as compared to unmodified 16S. The iodinated RNA was examined for its ability to reconstitute with total 30S proteins. Sedimentation velocity analysis reveals that the reconstituted subunit has a sedimentation constant of approximately 20S. In addition, protein analysis of particles reconstituted with 16S RNA iodinated for 5 hours indicates that proteins S2, S10, S13, S14, S15, S17, S18, S19, and S21 are no longer able to participate in the 30S assembly process and that proteins S6, S16 and S20 are present in reduced amounts. The ramifications of these results concerning protein-RNA and RNA-RNA interactions occurring in ribosome assembly are discussed.

Centrifugation, Density Gradient

RNA-RNA interactions in the binding site of protein L24 on 23S ribosomal RNA of Escherichia coli: 1. Evidence for their occurrence between widely separated sequence regions.

Protein L24, from the Escherichia coli ribosome, protects a large region of 23S RNA against ribonuclease digestion. This protected RNA consists of a series of non-contiguous subfragments encompassing about 480 nucleotides at the 5' -end of 23S RNA (1). The present work demonstrates that this RNA moiety remains intact, after removal of protein L24, indicating that the subfragments are maintained together by RNA-RNA interactions. Using a urea washing procedure, the weakly bound RNA subfragments were selectively removed leaving more strongly interacting subfragments that were identified, by gel electrophoresis and oligonucleotide fingerprinting, and shown to derive from widely separated sequence regions.

Base Sequence

RNA-RNA interactions in the binding site of protein L24 on 23S ribosomal RNA of E. coli. II. Sequence analysis of the interacting fragments.

A ribonucleoprotein complex containing several RNA subfragments from the 5' part of 23S RNA was recovered after digestion of the reconstituted complex between 23S RNA and protein L24. It was suggested in the preceding paper that the RNA subfragments 4B, 10A and 9, which are widely separated in the sequence, strongly interact. These subfragments were previously partially sequenced by the classical fingerprinting methods. Their sequences have now been completed with rapid new RNA sequencing methods. We propose here a base-pairing model showing how these subfragments may interact with one another.

Base Sequence

Intermolecular base-paired interaction between complementary sequences present near the 3' ends of 5S rRNA and 18S (16S) rRNA might be involved in the reversible association of ribosomal subunits.

Highly conserved sequences present at an identical position near the 3' ends of eukaryotic and prokaryotic 5S rRNAs are complementary to the 5' strand of the m2(6)A hairpin structure near the 3' ends of 18S rRNA and 16S rRNA, respectively. The extent of base-pairing and the calculated stabilities of the hybrids that can be constructed between 5S rRNAs and the small ribosomal subunit RNAs are greater than most, if not all, RNA-RNA interactions that have been implicated in protein synthesis. The existence of complementary sequences in 5S rRNA and small ribosomal subunit RNA, along with the previous observation that there is very efficient and selective hybridization in vitro between 5S and 18S rRNA, suggests that base-pairing between 5S rRNA in the large ribosomal subunit and 18S (16S) rRNA in the small ribosomal subunit might be involved in the reversible association of ribosomal subunits. Structural and functional evidence supporting this hypothesis is discussed.

Base Sequence

RNA-RNA interactions coordinate GABA metabolism and signaling.

Production, signaling, and degradation of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA requires tight regulation for proper nervous system function, yet the gene regulatory mechanisms underlying this control remain poorly understood. Here, we identify a post-transcriptional mechanism that coordinates expression of the GABA synthetase Gad1 with its vesicular transporter VGAT in Drosophila. While Gad1 is transcribed specifically in GABAergic neurons, VGAT mRNA is transcribed broadly across the nervous system, but is selectively translated in GABAergic neurons. We show that this specificity depends on CG14989, a putative long non-coding RNA located adjacent to the Gad1 gene locus that shares its GABAergic expression pattern. CG14989 RNA contains sequences complementary to three predicted miR-7 sites in the VGAT 3'UTR, and ectopic expression experiments revealed that it is sufficient for VGAT translation in non-GABAergic neurons, consistent with antagonism of miR-7-mediated repression. Furthermore, complementary regions to CG14989 are present in multiple other genes related to metabolism and signaling of GABA, suggesting a broader role for this mechanism. Together, our findings suggest that CG14989 functions as a regulatory hub that coordinates the molecular identity of GABAergic neurons.

Journal Article

Transcriptome-wide analysis reveals sequence selection to avoid mRNA aggregation in E. coli.

The stability of RNA base pairing and its limited four-letter code create an intrinsic potential for promiscuous RNA-RNA interactions. In vitro, such interactions drive RNA to self-assemble into aggregates. This raises a fundamental unanswered question: within a confined cellular volume at physiological mRNA abundances, how much aggregation would arise from sequence-encoded chemistry alone? Here, we establish this baseline with large-scale kinetic simulations of the E. coli transcriptome. Our simulations reveal that sequence-encoded base-pairing energetics is sufficient to generate a dynamic network of large aggregates, organized by long, multivalent mRNA hubs. Strikingly, evolutionary analysis shows that native E. coli sequences exhibit clear signatures of selection to counteract this propensity: they fold more stably, minimize unstructured regions, and form weaker intermolecular contacts than dinucleotide-preserving controls. These findings demonstrate that maintaining transcriptome solubility has been a significant, previously unrecognized constraint shaping genome evolution, and provide a new lens to interpret cellular RNA management.

Biological Sciences (Biophysics and Computational

The binding site of protein L1 on 23-S ribosomal RNA of Escherichia coli. 1. Isolation and characterization.

Ribonucleoproteins were prepared by ribonuclease digestion of a reconstitued complex of ribosomal protein L 1 and 23-S RNA from Escherichia coli. Three main ribonucleoproteins were identified. The largest was only obtained in an impure state at low ribonuclease concentration, whereas the two smaller ones, which were difficult to separate from one another electrophoretically, were stable over a range of enzyme concentrations. The two smaller ribonucleoproteins yielded a total of 13 RNA subfragments that were judged to be homogeneous electrophoretically. The latter were characterized for molecular weight and the subfragment composition of each of these ribonucleoproteins was established. Furthermore, the subfragments were shown to be maintained together in each ribonucleoprotein by RNA-RNA interactions. The primary and specific binding site of protein L1 was localized on one continuous RNA subfragment of about 110 nucleotides in length by two newly developed binding methods.

Binding Sites

[Role of ribonucleic acids in organizing the structure of Escherichia coli ribosomes].

The paper summarizes recent data on the secondary and tertiary structure of RNA in ribosomes. The participation of RNA in intraribosomal interactions and the role of these interactions in organization of ribosomal subunits are discussed. The following conclusions are made: 1) the structure of ribosomal subunits is predominantly created with their RNA components; 2) RNA molecules in ribosomal subunits have a very compact structure; the formation of this structure is followed by the rearrangement of the secondary structure of RNA; 3) the small group of ribosomal proteins plays an important role in the folding of RNA in the compact conformation: they not only stabilize intraribosomal RNA conformation but probably induce new RNA-RNA contacts.

Bacterial Proteins

[Compact structure of the small E. coli ribosomal subunit and its RNA studied by fluorescence spectroscopy and sedimentation analysis].

Analysis of the temperature dependence of fluorescence polarization of ethidium bromide adsorbed on the double helical fragments of 16S RNA's hairpin loops was used to characterize the intramolecular flexibility of RNA in the free state and within 30S subunit. We show that the local mobility of RNA segments is strongly limited by the tertiary structure of 16S RNA and ribosomal proteins reinforce these limitations. It was suggested that the mechanism of the temperature dependent RI particle activation involved the temporary increase of the local mobility of RNA segments in RNP which favored the formation of the new intraribosomal contacts. A comparison of sw 20 dependences of RNA and 30S subunit on Mg+ and K+ concentrations leads to the proposal that RNA in the small subunit in the physiological conditions has the stressed conformation. This conformation is maintained by the Mg2+-dependent RNA-RNA interactions induced by ribosomal proteins and specific only for the subunit.

Escherichia coli