U6 snRNA is the only spliceosomal snRNA transcribed by RNA polymerase III in yeast. We have constructed a regulated U6 snRNA transcription unit by introducing the binding site for the Escherichia coli lacI repressor protein in the U6 snRNA promoter. GAL-induced expression of lacI protein led to a decrease in U6 snRNA levels and blocked cell growth. lacI dissociation from the promoter, and consequent U6 snRNA transcription, could be induced by addition of IPTG and repression of lacI transcription. To test the usefulness of this system in studying spliceosomal U6 snRNA function, we conditionally expressed U6 snRNAs with a single base substitution in position A51. We demonstrate that expression of the U6-A51 mutations confers a strong dominant negative phenotype as shown by severe reductions in growth rate. In these strains, splicing of endogenous pre-mRNAs was blocked before the second step.

Human RNase P recognizes a small model substrate consisting of only the 5′ leader sequence, aminoacyl acceptor stem, and T stem and loop of a tRNA precursor. It was demonstrated here that a bimolecular construct in which the T loop is opened between G57 and A58 (tRNA numbering system) is still processed by RNase P. The strand that is cleaved can be considered the target RNA, whereas the other strand serves as an external guide sequence (EGS). The nucleotides corresponding to nt 58–60 in the T loop could be deleted without affecting cleavage of the substrate. Thus, the complete T loop can be replaced by the single-stranded sequence UUCG or UUCA (nt 55–57 in the T loop). The four nucleotides UUCR possibly form a structure that resembles the uridine turn in the T loop of tRNA. Because recognition by RNase P is independent of the helical sequence, this motif can be used for targeting RNA molecules for EGS-directed cleavage by human RNase P. Chemically modified EGSs with 2′-O-methyl groups also showed activity in inducing RNase P cleavage. Several 13-mer EGSs targeted to the 2.1-kb surface antigen mRNA of hepatitis B virus (HBV) were designed and tested using a co-transcriptional cleavage assay with a 2.1-kb HBV transcript. Some of the new EGSs were capable of inducing cleavage of the HBV RNA by RNase P.

The protection patterns of 5S rRNA in solution, within the ribosomal 50S subunit, 70S ribosomes, and functional complexes, were assessed with the phosphorothioate method. About 20% of the analyzed positions (G9–G107) showed strong assembly defects: A phosphorothioate at one of these positions significantly impaired the incorporation of 5S rRNA into 50S particles. The reverse has also been observed: A phosphorothioate is preferred over a phosphate residue in the assembly process at a few positions. The results further demonstrate that 5S rRNA undergoes conformational changes during the assembly in the central protuberance of the 50S subunit and upon association with the small ribosomal subunit forming a 70S ribosome. In striking contrast, when the 70S ribosomes are once formed, the contact pattern of the 5S rRNA is the same in various functional states such as initiation-like complexes and pre- and posttranslocational states.

As pathogens continue to evade therapeutical drugs, a better understanding of the mode of action of antibiotics continues to have high importance. A growing body of evidence points to RNA as a crucial target for antibacterial and antiviral drugs. For example, the aminocyclitol antibiotic streptomycin interacts with the 16S ribosomal RNA and, in addition, inhibits group I intron splicing. To understand the mode of binding of streptomycin to RNA, we isolated small, streptomycin-binding RNA aptamers via in vitro selection. In addition, bluensomycin, a streptomycin analogue that does not inhibit splicing, was used in a counter-selection to obtain RNAs that bind streptomycin with high affinity and specificity. Although an RNA from the normal selection (motif 2) bound both antibiotics, an RNA from the counter-selection (motif 1) discriminated between streptomycin and bluensomycin by four orders of magnitude. The binding site of streptomycin on the RNAs was determined via chemical probing with dimethylsulfate and kethoxal. The minimal size required for drug binding was a 46- and a 41-mer RNA for motifs 1 and 2, respectively. Using Pb2+ cleavage in the presence and absence of streptomycin, a conformational change spanning the entire mapped sequence length of motif 1 was observed only when both streptomycin and Mg2+ were present. Both RNAs require Mg2+ for binding streptomycin.

2′-Deoxynucleoside 5′-α-thiotriphosphates have been incorporated randomly, replacing any of the four nucleotides separately and at a low level in Escherichia coli tRNAAsp transcripts. After some tRNAs were charged with the cognate aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase and biotinylated, charged and uncharged tRNAs were separated by binding to Streptavidin. A comparison of the iodine cleavage pattern of charged and uncharged tRNAs indicated positions of 2′-deoxy-phosphorothioate interference with charging. To separate the 2′-deoxy from the phosphorothioate effect, the same sequence of reactions was performed with the corresponding NTPαS. Several positions were identified with a 2′-deoxy or a phosphorothioate effect. tRNAs with single deoxy substitutions at the identified positions were prepared by enzymatic ligation of chemically synthesized halves. The kinetics of charging these tRNAs were determined. The 2′-deoxy effects identified by the interference assay were confirmed, showing a reduction in charging efficiency of between 2.5–6-fold, except for the terminal A76 with a 25-fold reduction. Inspection of the X-ray structure of the tRNA-synthetase complex showed consistency of most of these findings. Critical 2′-deoxy groups are localized mainly on the proposed contact surface with the synthetase or at the interface of the two tRNA domains. The same overall picture emerged for critical phosphorothioates. With the exception of 2′-deoxy-adenosine-containing tRNAs, multiple 2′-deoxy-substituted tRNAs, prepared by ligation of halves, showed a much larger reduction in charging efficiency than the mono-substituted tRNAs, indicating an additive effect.

The fragmentation of group II introns without concomitant loss of splicing competence is illustrated by extraordinary gene arrangements in plant mitochondrial genomes. The mitochondrial genes nad1, nad2, and nad5, all encoding subunits of the NADH dehydrogenase, require trans-splicing for functional assembly of their mRNAs in flowering plants. Tracing the origins of trans-splicing group II introns shows that they have evolved from formerly cis-arranged homologs whose descendants can still be identified in lineages of early branching land plants. In this contribution we present the full set of ancestor introns for all five conserved mitochondrial trans-splicing positions. These introns are strikingly small in the quillwort Isoetes lacustris, the continuous nad2 gene intron in this species representing the smallest (389 nt) land plant group II intron yet identified. cDNA analysis shows correct splicing of the introns in vivo and also identifies frequent RNA editing events in the flanking nad gene exons. Other representatives of the ancestral cis-arranged introns are identified in the fern Osmunda regalis, the horsetail Equisetum telmateia, and the hornwort Anthoceros crispulus. Only the now identified intron in Osmunda carries significant traces of a former maturase reading frame. The identification of a continuous homolog in Anthoceros demonstrates that intron invasion into the affected genes in some cases predated the split of vascular and nonvascular plants more than 400 million years ago. As an alternative to disruption after size increase, the respective introns can get secondarily lost in certain lineages.

The PRP17 gene of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes a protein that participates in the second step of the splicing reaction. It was found recently that the yeast PRP17 gene is identical to the cell division cycle CDC40 gene. The PRP17/CDC40 gene codes for a protein with several copies of the WD repeat, a motif found in a large family of proteins that play important roles in signal transduction, cell cycle progression, splicing, transcription, and development.

In this report, we describe the identification of human, nematode, and fission yeast homologues of the PRP17/CDC40 gene of S. cerevisiae. The newly identified proteins share homology with the budding yeast protein throughout their entire sequence, with the similarity being greatest in the C-terminal two thirds that includes the conserved WD repeats.

We show that a yeast–human chimera, carrying the C-terminal two thirds of the hPRP17 protein, is able to complement the cell cycle and splicing defects of a yeast prp17 mutant. Moreover, the yeast and yeast–human chimeric proteins co-precipitate the intron–exon 2 lariat intermediate and the intron lariat product, providing evidence that these proteins are spliceosome-associated. These results show the functional conservation of the Prp17 proteins in evolution and suggest that the second step of splicing takes place by a similar mechanism throughout eukaryotes.

Four-way helical junctions are found widely in natural RNA species. In this study, we have studied the conformation of two junctions by fluorescence resonance energy transfer. We show that the junctions are folded by pairwise coaxial helical stacking, forming one predominant stacking conformer in both examples studied. At low magnesium ion concentrations, the helical axes of both junctions are approximately perpendicular. One junction undergoes a rotation into a distorted antiparallel structure induced by the binding of a single magnesium ion. By contrast, the axes of the four-way junction of the U1 snRNA remain approximately perpendicular under all conditions examined, and we have determined the stacking conformer adopted.

An RNA family that binds isoleucine with Kd = 200–500 μM was repetitively isolated from a ribonucleotide transcript pool containing 50 randomized positions. The RNA site is specific, discriminating against branched side chains of different size (valine—one methylene smaller than isoleucine) by at least 1.3 kcal/mol and against the shape (linear) of norleucine by 0.6 kcal/mol. The binding site was localized by sequence comparison, by synthesis of mutant and truncated active derivatives, and by chemical modification–interference. The binding site is small, no more than 10–12 nt, containing an asymmetric internal loop (6 over 2 nt) that includes the isoleucine codon AUU and a sequence of four G's, two of which are involved in G·U and G·C base pairs. Areas of U/G concentration like these may signal a hydrophobic RNA site.

The use of T7 RNA polymerase to prepare large quantities of RNA of a particular sequence has greatly facilitated the study of both the structure and function of RNA. Generally, it has been believed that the products of this technique are highly homogeneous in sequence, with only a few noted exceptions. We have carefully examined the transcriptional products of several tRNAs that vary in their 5′ end sequence and found that, for those molecules that begin with multiple, consecutive guanosines, the transcriptional products are far from homogenous. Although a template beginning with GCG showed no detectable 5′ end heterogeneity, two tRNA templates designed to have either four or five consecutive guanosines at their 5′ ends had more than 30% of their total transcriptional products extended by at least one untemplated nucleotide at their 5′ end. By simply reducing the number of consecutive guanosines, the heterogeneity was reduced significantly. The presence of this 5′ end heterogeneity in combination with the 3′ end heterogeneity common to T7 transcriptions results in a mixture of RNA molecules even after rigorous size purification.

Accurate and efficient processing of pre-rRNA is critical to the accumulation of mature functional ribosomal subunits for maintenance of cell growth. Processing requires numerous factors which act in trans as well as RNA sequence/structural elements which function in cis. To examine the latter, we have used directed mutagenesis and expression of mutated pre-rRNAs in yeast. Specifically, we tested requirements for formation of an ITS2-proximal stem on processing, a structure formed by an interaction between sequences corresponding to the 3′ end of 5.8S rRNA and the 5′ end of 25S. Pre-rRNA processing is inhibited in templates encoding mutations that prevent the formation of the ITS2-proximal stem. Compensatory, double mutations, which alter the sequence of this region but restore the structure of the stem, also restore processing, although at lower efficiency. This reduction in efficiency is reflected in decreased levels of mature 5.8S and 25S rRNA and increased levels of 35S pre-rRNA and certain processing intermediates. This phenotype is reminiscent of the biochemical depletion of U8 snoRNA in vertebrates for which the ITS2-proximal stem has been proposed as a potential site for interaction with U8 RNP. Thus, formation of the ITS2-proximal stem may be a requirement common to yeast and vertebrate pre-rRNA processing.

We have previously shown that the yeast gene PUS1 codes for a tRNA:pseudouridine synthase and that recombinant Pus1p catalyzes, in an intron-dependent way, the formation of Ψ34 and Ψ36 in the anticodon loop of the yeast minor tRNAIle in vitro (Simos G et al., 1996, EMBO J 15:2270–2284). Using a set of T7 transcripts of different tRNA genes, we now demonstrate that yeast pseudouridine synthase 1 catalyzes in vitro pseudouridine formation at positions 27 and/or 28 in several yeast cytoplasmic tRNAs and at position 35 in the intron-containing tRNATyr (anticodon GUA). Thus, Pus1p not only displays a broad specificity toward the RNA substrates, but is also capable of catalyzing the pseudouridine (Ψ) formation at distinct noncontiguous sites within the same tRNA molecule. The cell-free extract prepared from the yeast strain bearing disrupted gene PUS1 is unable to catalyze the formation of Ψ27, Ψ28, Ψ34, and Ψ36 in vitro, however, Ψ35 formation in the intron-containing tRNATyr(GUA) remains unaffected. Thus, in yeast, only one gene product accounts for tRNA pseudouridylation at positions 27, 28, 34, and 36, whereas for position 35 in tRNATyr, another site-specific tRNA:pseudouridine synthase with overlapping specificity exists. Mapping of pseudouridine residues present in various tRNAs extracted from the PUS1-disrupted strain confirms the in vitro data obtained with the recombinant Pus1p. In addition, they suggest that Pus1p is implicated in modification at positions U26, U65, and U67 in vivo.

A new reporter system has been developed for measuring translation coupling efficiency of recoding mechanisms such as frameshifting or readthrough. A recoding test sequence is cloned in between the renilla and firefly luciferase reporter genes and the two luciferase activities are subsequently measured in the same tube. The normalized ratio of the two activities is proportional to the efficiency with which the ribosome “reads” the recoding signal making the transition from one open reading frame to the next. The internal control from measuring both activities provides a convenient and reliable assay of efficiency. This is the first enzymatic dual reporter assay suitable for in vitro translation. Translation signals can be tested in vivo and in vitro from a single construct, which allows an intimate comparison between the two systems. The assay is applicable for high throughput screening procedures. The dual-luciferase reporter system has been applied to in vivo and in vitro recoding of HIV-1 gag-pol, MMTV gag-pro, MuLV gag-pol, and human antizyme.

The 3′ major domain of Escherichia coli 16S rRNA, which occupies the head of the small ribosomal subunit, is involved in several functions of the ribosome. We have used a site-specific crosslinking procedure to gain further insights into the higher-order structure of this domain. Circularly permuted RNAs were used to introduce an azidophenacyl group at specific positions within the 3′ major domain. Crosslinks were generated in a high-ionic strength buffer that has been used for ribosome reconstitution studies and so enables the RNA to adopt a structure recognized by ribosomal proteins. The crosslinking sites were identified by primer extension and confirmed by assessing the mobility of the crosslinked RNA lariats in denaturing polyacrylamide gels. Eight crosslinks were characterized. Among them, one crosslink demonstrates that helix 28 is proximal to the top of helix 34, and two others show that the 1337 region, located in an internal loop at the junction of helices 29, 30, 41, and 42, is proximal to the center of helix 30 and to a segment connecting helix 28 to helix 29. These relationships of vicinity have previously been observed in native 30S subunits, which suggests that the free domain adopts a conformation similar to that within the 30S subunit. Furthermore, crosslinks were obtained in helix 34, which suggest that the upper and lower portions of this helix are in close proximity.

Exchange of RNA structural domains through recombination can be used to engineer RNAs with novel functions and may have played an important role in the early evolution of life. The degree of function an RNA element retains upon recombination into a new sequence context is a measure of how deleterious or beneficial recombination will be. When we fused pairs of aptamers previously selected to bind coenzyme A, chloramphenicol, or adenosine, the chimerae retained some ability to bind both targets, but with reduced binding activity both in solution and on affinity resins, probably due to misfolding. Complex populations of recombined RNAs gave similar results. Applying dual selection pressure to recombined populations yielded the combinations that were best suited to binding both targets. Most reselected RNAs folded into the active conformation more readily than chimerae built from arbitrarily chosen aptamers, as indicated both by solution Kd measurements and affinity resin binding activity. Deletion/selection experiments confirmed that the sequences required for binding are fully contained within the respective domains and not derived from interaction between the domains, consistent with the modular architecture of their original design. The combinatorial nature of the recombination methods presented here takes advantage of the full sequence diversity of the starting populations and yields large numbers of bifunctional molecules (106 to more than 1012). The method can be easily generalized and should be applicable to engineering dual-function RNAs for a wide variety of applications, including catalysis, novel therapeutics, and studies of long-range RNA structure.

Prp2p, Prp16p, Prp22p, and Prp43p are members of the DEAH-box family of ATP-dependent putative RNA helicases required for pre-mRNA splicing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Recently, mammalian homologues of Prp43p and Prp22p have been described, supporting the idea that splicing in yeast and man is phylogenetically conserved. In this study, we show that a murine cell line resistant to the novel immunoregulatory drug Leflunomide (AravaTM) overexpresses a 135-kDa protein that is a putative DEAH-box RNA helicase. We have cloned the human counterpart of this protein and show that it shares pronounced sequence homology with Prp16p. Apart from its N-terminal domain, which is rich in RS, RD, and RE dipeptides, this human homologue of Prp16p (designated hPrp16p) is 41% identical to Prp16p. Significantly, homology is not only observed within the phylogenetically conserved helicase domain, but also in Prp16p-specific sequences. Immunofluorescence microscopy studies demonstrated that hPrp16p co-localizes with snRNPs in subnuclear structures referred to as speckles. Antibodies specific for hPrp16p inhibited pre-mRNA splicing in vitro prior to the second step. Thus, like its yeast counterpart, hPrp16p also appears to be required for the second catalytic step of splicing. Taken together, our data indicate that the human 135-kDa protein identified here is the structural and functional homologue of the yeast putative RNA helicase, Prp16p.

Insulin-like growth factor-II (IGF-II) mRNAs are subject to site-specific endonucleolytic cleavage in the 3′ untranslated region (UTR), rendering an unstable 5′ cleavage product containing the coding region and a very stable 3′ cleavage product of 1.8 kb consisting of the 3′-UTR sequence and the poly(A) tail. Previously, it was established that two widely separated elements in the 3′-UTR (elements I and II), that can form a duplex structure, are necessary and sufficient for cleavage. To further investigate the sequence and secondary structure requirements for cleavage, we have introduced a number of mutations around the cleavage site and assayed their effects on cleavage. Several recognition determinants involved in the endonucleolytic cleavage of IGF-II mRNAs were identified. Mutational analysis around the cleavage site revealed that cleavage is sequence specific and that the cleavage site must be in a single-stranded conformation to allow efficient cleavage. In addition, we have identified an accessory protein that specifically interacts with a stem-loop structure located 133 to 73 nt upstream of the cleavage site.

An improved quantitative assay for tRNA aminoacylation is presented based on charging of a nicked tRNA followed by separation of an aminoacylated 3′-fragment on an acidic denaturing polyacrylamide gel. Kinetic parameters of tRNA aminoacylation by Escherichia coli AlaRS obtained by the new method are in excellent agreement with those measured by the conventional method. This assay provides several advantages over the traditional methods of measuring tRNA aminoacylation: (1) the fraction of aminoacyl-tRNA is measured directly; (2) data can be obtained at saturating amino acid concentrations; and (3) the assay is significantly more sensitive.

The article by Agustín Aranda, José E. Pérez-Ortin, Claire Moore, and Marcel.lí del Olmo, “Transcription termination downstream of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae FPB1 poly(A) site does not depend on efficient 3′ end processing,” that appeared in the March issue of RNA (Vol. 4, No. 3) on pages 303–318 contained a mistake in the title: FPB1 should be FBP1.

The genetic depletion of yeast Rrp5p results in a synthesis defect of both 18S and 5.8S ribosomal RNAs (Venema J, Tollervey D. 1996. EMBO J 15:5701–5714). We have isolated the RRP5 gene in a genetic approach aimed to select for yeast factors interfering with protein import into mitochondria. We describe here a striking feature of Rrp5p amino acid sequence, namely the presence of twelve putative S1 RNA-binding motifs and seven tetratricopeptide repeats (TPR) motifs. We have constructed two conditional temperature-sensitive alleles of RRP5 gene and analyzed them for associated rRNA-processing defects. First, a functional “bipartite gene” was generated revealing that the S1 and TPR parts of the protein can act independently of each other. We also generated a two amino acid deletion in TPR unit 1 (rrp5Δ6 allele). The two mutant forms of Rrp5p were shown to cause a defect in 18S rRNA synthesis with no detectable effects on 5.8S rRNA production. However, the rRNA processing pathway was differently affected in each case. Interestingly, the ROK1 gene which, like RRP5, was previously isolated in a screen for synthetic lethal mutations with snR10 deletion, was here identified as a high copy suppressor of the rrp5Δ6 temperature-sensitive allele. ROK1 also acts as a low copy suppressor but cannot bypass the cellular requirement for RRP5. Furthermore, we show that suppression by the Rok1p putative RNA helicase rescues the 18S rRNA synthesis defect caused by the rrp5Δ6 mutation.