RNA as an RNA polymerase: net elongation of an RNA primer catalyzed by the Tetrahymena ribozyme

A catalytic RNA (ribozyme) derived from an intervening sequence (IVS) RNA of Tetrahymena thermophila will catalyze an RNA polymerization reaction in which pentacytidylic acid (C5) is extended by the successive addition of mononucleotides derived from a guanylyl-(3',5')-nucleotide (GpN). Cytidines or uridines are added to C5 to generate chain lengths of 10 to 11 nucleotides, with longer products being generated at greatly reduced efficiency. The reaction is analogous to that catalyzed by a replicase with C5 acting as the primer, GpNs as the nucleoside triphosphates, and a sequence in the ribozyme providing a template. The demonstration that an RNA enzyme can catalyze net elongation of an RNA primer supports theories of prebiotic RNA self-replication.     

General acid-base catalysis in the mechanism of a hepatitis delta virus ribozyme

Many protein enzymes use general acid-base catalysis as a way to increase reaction rates. The amino acid histidine is optimized for this function because it has a pK(a) (where K(a) is the acid dissociation constant) near physiological pH. The RNA enzyme (ribozyme) from hepatitis delta virus catalyzes self-cleavage of a phosphodiester bond. Reactivity-pH profiles in monovalent or divalent cations, as well as distance to the leaving-group oxygen, implicate cytosine 75 (C75) of the ribozyme as the general acid and ribozyme-bound hydrated metal hydroxide as the general base in the self-cleavage reaction. Moreover, C75 has a pK(a) perturbed to neutrality, making it "histidine-like." Anticooperative interaction is observed between protonated C75 and a metal ion, which serves to modulate the pK(a) of C75. General acid-base catalysis expands the catalytic repertoire of RNA and may provide improved rate acceleration.     

A single-molecule study of RNA catalysis and folding

Using fluorescence microscopy, we studied the catalysis by and folding of individual Tetrahymena thermophila ribozyme molecules. The dye-labeled and surface-immobilized ribozymes used were shown to be functionally indistinguishable from the unmodified free ribozyme in solution. A reversible local folding step in which a duplex docks and undocks from the ribozyme core was observed directly in single-molecule time trajectories, allowing the determination of the rate constants and characterization of the transition state. A rarely populated docked state, not measurable by ensemble methods, was observed. In the overall folding process, intermediate folding states and multiple folding pathways were observed. In addition to observing previously established folding pathways, a pathway with an observed folding rate constant of 1 per second was discovered. These results establish single-molecule fluorescence as a powerful tool for examining RNA folding.     

Transition state stabilization by a catalytic RNA

The hairpin ribozyme catalyzes sequence-specific cleavage of RNA through transesterification of the scissile phosphate. Vanadate has previously been used as a transition state mimic of protein enzymes that catalyze the same reaction. Comparison of the 2.2 angstrom resolution structure of a vanadate-hairpin ribozyme complex with structures of precursor and product complexes reveals a rigid active site that makes more hydrogen bonds to the transition state than to the precursor or product. Because of the paucity of RNA functional groups capable of general acid-base or electrostatic catalysis, transition state stabilization is likely to be an important catalytic strategy for ribozymes.     

Reversible unfolding of single RNA molecules by mechanical force

Here we use mechanical force to induce the unfolding and refolding of single RNA molecules: a simple RNA hairpin, a molecule containing a three-helix junction, and the P5abc domain of the Tetrahymena thermophila ribozyme. All three molecules (P5abc only in the absence of Mg2+) can be mechanically unfolded at equilibrium, and when kept at constant force within a critical force range, are bi-stable and hop between folded and unfolded states. We determine the force-dependent equilibrium constants for folding/unfolding these single RNA molecules and the positions of their transition states along the reaction coordinate.     

One sequence, two ribozymes: implications for the emergence of new ribozyme folds

We describe a single RNA sequence that can assume either of two ribozyme folds and catalyze the two respective reactions. The two ribozyme folds share no evolutionary history and are completely different, with no base pairs (and probably no hydrogen bonds) in common. Minor variants of this sequence are highly active for one or the other reaction, and can be accessed from prototype ribozymes through a series of neutral mutations. Thus, in the course of evolution, new RNA folds could arise from preexisting folds, without the need to carry inactive intermediate sequences. This raises the possibility that biological RNAs having no structural or functional similarity might share a common ancestry. Furthermore, functional and structural divergence might, in some cases, precede rather than follow gene duplication.     

Structural basis of glmS ribozyme activation by glucosamine-6-phosphate

The glmS ribozyme is the only natural catalytic RNA known to require a small-molecule activator for catalysis. This catalytic RNA functions as a riboswitch, with activator-dependent RNA cleavage regulating glmS messenger RNA expression. We report crystal structures of the glmS ribozyme in precleavage states that are unliganded or bound to the competitive inhibitor glucose-6-phosphate and in the postcleavage state. All structures superimpose closely, revealing a remarkably rigid RNA that contains a preformed active and coenzyme-binding site. Unlike other riboswitches, the glmS ribozyme binds its activator in an open, solvent-accessible pocket. Our structures suggest that the amine group of the glmS ribozyme-bound coenzyme performs general acid-base and electrostatic catalysis.     

The structural basis of ribosome activity in peptide bond synthesis

Using the atomic structures of the large ribosomal subunit from Haloarcula marismortui and its complexes with two substrate analogs, we establish that the ribosome is a ribozyme and address the catalytic properties of its all-RNA active site. Both substrate analogs are contacted exclusively by conserved ribosomal RNA (rRNA) residues from domain V of 23S rRNA; there are no protein side-chain atoms closer than about 18 angstroms to the peptide bond being synthesized. The mechanism of peptide bond synthesis appears to resemble the reverse of the acylation step in serine proteases, with the base of A2486 (A2451 in Escherichia coli) playing the same general base role as histidine-57 in chymotrypsin. The unusual pK(a) (where K(a) is the acid dissociation constant) required for A2486 to perform this function may derive in part from its hydrogen bonding to G2482 (G2447 in E. coli), which also interacts with a buried phosphate that could stabilize unusual tautomers of these two bases. The polypeptide exit tunnel is largely formed by RNA but has significant contributions from proteins L4, L22, and L39e, and its exit is encircled by proteins L19, L22, L23, L24, L29, and L31e.     

The structural basis of ribozyme-catalyzed RNA assembly

Life originated, according to the RNA World hypothesis, from self-replicating ribozymes that catalyzed ligation of RNA fragments. We have solved the 2.6 angstrom crystal structure of a ligase ribozyme that catalyzes regiospecific formation of a 5' to 3' phosphodiester bond between the 5'-triphosphate and the 3'-hydroxyl termini of two RNA fragments. Invariant residues form tertiary contacts that stabilize a flexible stem of the ribozyme at the ligation site, where an essential magnesium ion coordinates three phosphates. The structure of the active site permits us to suggest how transition-state stabilization and a general base may catalyze the ligation reaction required for prebiotic RNA assembly.     

Kinetic characterization of ribonuclease-resistant 2'-modified hammerhead ribozymes

The incorporation of 2'-fluoro- and 2'-aminonucleotides into a hammerhead ribozyme was accomplished by automated chemical synthesis. The presence of 2'-fluorouridines, 2'-fluorocytidines, or 2'-aminouridines did not appreciably decrease catalytic efficiency. Incorporation of 2'-aminocytidines decreased ribozyme activity approximately by a factor of 20. The replacement of all adenosines with 2'-fluoroadenosines abolished catalysis in the presence of MgCl2 within the limits of detection, but some activity was retained in the presence of MnCl2. This effect on catalysis was localized to a specific group of adenines within the conserved single-stranded region of the ribozyme. The decrease in catalytic efficiency was caused by a decrease in the rate constant; the Michaelis constant was unaltered. The 2'-fluoro and 2'-amino modifications conferred resistance toward ribonuclease degradation. Ribozymes containing 2'-fluoro- or 2'-aminonucleotides at all uridine and cytidine positions were stabilized against degradation in rabbit serum by a factor of at least 10(3) compared to unmodified ribozyme.     

Defining the inside and outside of a catalytic RNA molecule

Ribozymes are RNA molecules that catalyze biochemical reactions. Fe(II)-EDTA, a solvent-based reagent which cleaves both double- and single-stranded RNA, was used to investigate the structure of the Tetrahymena ribozyme. Regions of cleavage alternate with regions of substantial protection along the entire RNA molecule. In particular, most of the catalytic core shows greatly reduced cleavage. These data constitute experimental evidence that an RNA enzyme, like a protein enzyme, has an interior and an exterior. Determination of positions where the phosphodiester backbone of the RNA is on the inside or on the outside of the molecule provides major constraints for modeling the three-dimensional structure of the Tetrahymena ribozyme. This approach should be generally informative for structured RNA molecules.     

Ribozyme-catalyzed transcription of an active ribozyme

A critical event in the origin of life is thought to have been the emergence of an RNA molecule capable of replicating a primordial RNA "genome." Here we describe the evolution and engineering of an RNA polymerase ribozyme capable of synthesizing RNAs of up to 95 nucleotides in length. To overcome its sequence dependence, we recombined traits evolved separately in different ribozyme lineages. This yielded a more general polymerase ribozyme that was able to synthesize a wider spectrum of RNA sequences, as we demonstrate by the accurate synthesis of an enzymatically active RNA, a hammerhead endonuclease ribozyme. This recapitulates a central aspect of an RNA-based genetic system: the RNA-catalyzed synthesis of an active ribozyme from an RNA template.     

Visualizing the higher order folding of a catalytic RNA molecule

The higher order folding process of the catalytic RNA derived from the self-splicing intron of Tetrahymena thermophila was monitored with the use of Fe(II)-EDTA-induced free radical chemistry. The overall tertiary structure of the RNA molecule forms cooperatively with the uptake of at least three magnesium ions. Local folding transitions display different metal ion dependencies, suggesting that the RNA tertiary structure assembles through a specific folding intermediate before the catalytic core is formed. Enzymatic activity, assayed with an RNA substrate that is complementary to the catalytic RNA active site, coincides with the cooperative structural transition. The higher order RNA foldings produced by Mg(II), Ca(II), and Sr(II) are similar; however, only the Mg(II)-stabilized RNA is catalytically active. Thus, these results directly demonstrate that divalent metal ions participate in general folding of the ribozyme tertiary structure, and further indicate a more specific involvement of Mg(II) in catalysis.     

Elastic coupling between RNA degradation and unwinding by an exoribonuclease

Rrp44 (Dis3) is a key catalytic subunit of the yeast exosome complex and can processively digest structured RNA one nucleotide at a time in the 3' to 5' direction. Its motor function is powered by the energy released from the hydrolytic nuclease reaction instead of adenosine triphosphate hydrolysis as in conventional helicases. Single-molecule fluorescence analysis revealed that instead of unwinding RNA in single base pair steps, Rrp44 accumulates the energy released by multiple single nucleotide step hydrolysis reactions until about four base pairs are unwound in a burst. Kinetic analyses showed that RNA unwinding, not cleavage or strand release, determines the overall RNA degradation rate and that the unwinding step size is determined by the nonlinear elasticity of the Rrp44/RNA complex, but not by duplex stability.     

核酶及其分子药物设计与应用

酶是８０年代初期发现的具有自催化活性的ＲＮＡ片从核酸水平来破坏对人体不利的基因在人细胞内的表达,这是一种比较专一,且对人体危害相对较小的一种方式,经过改诉核酶不仅能起顺式作用,更重要的是也能以反式作用,这样就使得人们能够设计出针对ＲＮＡ的各种具有治疗作用的核酶,该文着重介绍具锤头型结构域和发夹型结构域的２类核酶的设计,及核酶作为治疗药物所要考虑的一些问题。     

兔出血症病毒感染性克隆的优化

为避免细胞外转录步骤,使RHDV感染性克隆的转录和病毒拯救过程一步化,试验通过PCR反应在RHDV cDNA序列的5′端添加T7启动子核心序列,3′端添加具有自身切割功能的核酶核心序列.然后,将RHDV基因组的不同cDNA片段装配到pTVT转录载体中,构建了含有RHDV全长cDNA序列的重组质粒pTVT-RHDV.在转染能稳定表达T7RNA聚合酶的BHK细胞后,将收获的细胞培养物感染MA104细胞.分别用逆转录PCR、间接免疫荧光检测以及一步生长曲线等方法对拯救病毒进行了鉴定.结果表明,试验成功拯救出了RHDV,优化了RHDV感染性克隆的构建过程.     

Capping by branching: a new ribozyme makes tiny lariats

The number of naturally occurring RNA enzymes has just been expanded by the discovery of a new branching ribozyme. But this ribozyme has unexpected relatives: group I introns.