scholarly journals RNA Helix Thermodynamics: The End Game

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Zuber ◽  
Susan J. Schroeder ◽  
Hongying Sun ◽  
Douglas H. Turner ◽  
David H. Mathews
Keyword(s):  
Free Energy ◽  
Base Pair ◽  
Nearest Neighbor ◽  
Absolute Difference ◽  
Base Pairs ◽  
Sequence Dependence ◽  
Sequence Identity ◽  
Separate Treatment ◽  
Additional Sequence ◽  
Melting Experiments

Nearest neighbor parameters for estimating the folding stability of RNA secondary structures are in widespread use. For helices, current parameters penalize terminal AU base pairs relative to terminal GC base pairs. We curated an expanded database of helix stabilities determined by optical melting experiments. Analysis of the updated database shows that terminal penalties depend on the sequence identity of the adjacent penultimate base pair. New nearest neighbor parameters that include this additional sequence dependence accurately predict the measured values of 271 helices in an updated database with a correlation coefficient of 0.982. This refined understanding of helix ends facilitates fitting terms for base pair stacks with GU pairs. Prior parameter sets treated 5'GGUC/3'CUGG separately from other 5'GU/3'UG stacks. The improved understanding of helix end stability, however, makes the separate treatment unnecessary. Introduction of the additional terms was tested with three optical melting experiments. The average absolute difference between measured and predicted free energy changes at 37° C for these three duplexes containing terminal adjacent AU and GU pairs improved from 1.38 to 0.27 kcal/mol. This confirms the need for the additional sequence dependence in the model.

scholarly journals Computational and NMR studies of RNA duplexes with an internal pseudouridine-adenosine base pair

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Indrajit Deb ◽  
Łukasz Popenda ◽  
Joanna Sarzyńska ◽  
Magdalena Małgowska ◽  
Ansuman Lahiri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermodynamic Stability ◽  
Base Pair ◽  
Nearest Neighbor ◽  
Md Simulations ◽  
Nmr Studies ◽  
Sequence Context ◽  
Sequence Dependence ◽  
Structural Context ◽  
Rna Duplexes ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract Pseudouridine (Ψ) is the most common chemical modification present in RNA. In general, Ψ increases the thermodynamic stability of RNA. However, the degree of stabilization depends on the sequence and structural context. To explain experimentally observed sequence dependence of the effect of Ψ on the thermodynamic stability of RNA duplexes, we investigated the structure, dynamics and hydration of RNA duplexes with an internal Ψ-A base pair in different nearest-neighbor sequence contexts. The structures of two RNA duplexes containing 5′-GΨC/3′-CAG and 5′-CΨG/3′-GAC motifs were determined using NMR spectroscopy. To gain insight into the effect of Ψ on duplex dynamics and hydration, we performed molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of RNA duplexes with 5′-GΨC/3′-CAG, 5′-CΨG/3′-GAC, 5′-AΨU/3′-UAA and 5′-UΨA/3′-AAU motifs and their unmodified counterparts. Our results showed a subtle impact from Ψ modification on the structure and dynamics of the RNA duplexes studied. The MD simulations confirmed the change in hydration pattern when U is replaced with Ψ. Quantum chemical calculations showed that the replacement of U with Ψ affected the intrinsic stacking energies at the base pair steps depending on the sequence context. The calculated intrinsic stacking energies help to explain the experimentally observed sequence dependent changes in the duplex stability from Ψ modification.

scholarly journals Predictions and analyses of RNA nearest neighbor parameters for modified nucleotides

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (16) ◽  
pp. 8901-8913
Author(s):  
Melissa C Hopfinger ◽  
Charles C Kirkpatrick ◽  
Brent M Znosko
Keyword(s):  
Structure Prediction ◽  
Rna Secondary Structure ◽  
Nearest Neighbor ◽  
Secondary Structure Prediction ◽  
Modified Nucleotides ◽  
Base Pairs ◽  
Rna Secondary Structure Prediction ◽  
Experimental Parameters ◽  
Melting Experiments ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract The most popular RNA secondary structure prediction programs utilize free energy (ΔG°37) minimization and rely upon thermodynamic parameters from the nearest neighbor (NN) model. Experimental parameters are derived from a series of optical melting experiments; however, acquiring enough melt data to derive accurate NN parameters with modified base pairs is expensive and time consuming. Given the multitude of known natural modifications and the continuing use and development of unnatural nucleotides, experimentally characterizing all modified NNs is impractical. This dilemma necessitates a computational model that can predict NN thermodynamics where experimental data is scarce or absent. Here, we present a combined molecular dynamics/quantum mechanics protocol that accurately predicts experimental NN ΔG°37 parameters for modified nucleotides with neighboring Watson–Crick base pairs. NN predictions for Watson-Crick and modified base pairs yielded an overall RMSD of 0.32 kcal/mol when compared with experimentally derived parameters. NN predictions involving modified bases without experimental parameters (N6-methyladenosine, 2-aminopurineriboside, and 5-methylcytidine) demonstrated promising agreement with available experimental melt data. This procedure not only yields accurate NN ΔG°37 predictions but also quantifies stacking and hydrogen bonding differences between modified NNs and their canonical counterparts, allowing investigators to identify energetic differences and providing insight into sources of (de)stabilization from nucleotide modifications.

Detection of the Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia Mutations in Arab and Iraqi-Jewish Patients by Polymerase Chain Reaction and Restriction Analysis of Blood or Urine Samples

1991 ◽  
Vol 66 (04) ◽  
pp. 500-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Peretz ◽  
U Seligsohn ◽  
E Zwang ◽  
B S Coller ◽  
P J Newman
Keyword(s):  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Base Pair ◽  
Restriction Analysis ◽  
Urine Samples ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Base Pairs ◽  
Glanzmann’S Thrombasthenia ◽  
Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia ◽  
Base Pair Deletion ◽  
Polymerase Chain

SummarySevere Glanzmann's thrombasthenia is relatively frequent in Iraqi-Jews and Arabs residing in Israel. We have recently described the mutations responsible for the disease in Iraqi-Jews – an 11 base pair deletion in exon 12 of the glycoprotein IIIa gene, and in Arabs – a 13 base pair deletion at the AG acceptor splice site of exon 4 on the glycoprotein IIb gene. In this communication we show that the Iraqi-Jewish mutation can be identified directly by polymerase chain reaction and gel electrophoresis. With specially designed oligonucleotide primers encompassing the mutation site, an 80 base pair segment amplified in healthy controls was clearly distinguished from the 69 base pair segment produced in patients. Patients from 11 unrelated Iraqi-Jewish families had the same mutation. The Arab mutation was identified by first amplifying a DNA segment consisting of 312 base pairs in controls and of 299 base pairs in patients, and then digestion by a restriction enzyme Stu-1, which recognizes a site that is absent in the mutant gene. In controls the 312 bp segment was digested into 235 and 77 bp fragments, while in patients there was no change in the size of the amplified 299 bp segment. The mutation was found in patients from 3 out of 5 unrelated Arab families. Both Iraqi-Jewish and Arab mutations were detectable in DNA extracted from blood and urine samples. The described simple methods of identifying the mutations should be useful for detection of the numerous potential carriers among the affected kindreds and for prenatal diagnosis using DNA extracted from chorionic villi samples.

Repair of heteroduplex plasmid DNA after transformation into Saccharomyces cerevisiae

1986 ◽  
Vol 6 (10) ◽  
pp. 3401-3409
Author(s):  
D K Bishop ◽  
R D Kolodner
Keyword(s):  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Plasmid Dna ◽  
Base Pair ◽  
Base Pairs ◽  
Plasmid Dnas ◽  
Repair Efficiency ◽  
Single Insertion ◽  
Base Pair Insertion

Purified heteroduplex plasmid DNAs containing 8- or 12-base-pair insertion mismatches or AC or CT substitution mismatches were used to transform Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Two insertion mismatches, separated by 943 base pairs, were repaired independently of each other at least 55% of the time. This suggested that repair tracts were frequently shorter than 1 kilobase. The two insertion mismatches were repaired with different efficiencies. Comparison of the repair efficiency of one mismatched site with or without an adjacent mismatch suggests that mismatches promote their own repair and can influence the repair of neighboring mismatches. When two different plasmids containing single-insertion mismatches were transformed into S. cerevisiae cells, a slight preference towards insertion was detected among repair products of one of the two plasmids, while no repair preference was detected among transformants with the second plasmid.

scholarly journals Spo0A-Dependent Activation of an Extended −10 Region Promoter in Bacillus subtilis

2006 ◽  
Vol 188 (4) ◽  
pp. 1411-1418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangnan Chen ◽  
Amrita Kumar ◽  
Travis H. Wyman ◽  
Charles P. Moran
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Base Pair ◽  
Promoter Activity ◽  
Mutational Analysis ◽  
Dna Binding Protein ◽  
Base Pairs ◽  
Dnase I Footprinting ◽  
Level Of Activity ◽  
High Level ◽  
Activity Dependent

ABSTRACT At the onset of endospore formation in Bacillus subtilis the DNA-binding protein Spo0A directly activates transcription from promoters of about 40 genes. One of these promoters, Pskf, controls expression of an operon encoding a killing factor that acts on sibling cells. AbrB-mediated repression of Pskf provides one level of security ensuring that this promoter is not activated prematurely. However, Spo0A also appears to activate the promoter directly, since Spo0A is required for Pskf activity in a ΔabrB strain. Here we investigate the mechanism of Pskf activation. DNase I footprinting was used to determine the locations at which Spo0A bound to the promoter, and mutations in these sites were found to significantly reduce promoter activity. The sequence near the −10 region of the promoter was found to be similar to those of extended −10 region promoters, which contain a TRTGn motif. Mutational analysis showed that this extended −10 region, as well as other base pairs in the −10 region, is required for Spo0A-dependent activation of the promoter. We found that a substitution of the consensus base pair for the nonconsensus base pair at position −9 of Pskf produced a promoter that was active constitutively in both ΔabrB and Δspo0A ΔabrB strains. Therefore, the base pair at position −9 of Pskf makes its activity dependent on Spo0A binding, and the extended −10 region motif of the promoter contributes to its high level of activity.

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