scholarly journals A 5′ RNA Stem-Loop Participates in the Transcription Attenuation Mechanism That Controls Expression of theBacillus subtilis trpEDCFBA Operon

1999 ◽  
Vol 181 (18) ◽  
pp. 5742-5749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subita Sudershana ◽  
Hansen Du ◽  
Madhumita Mahalanabis ◽  
Paul Babitzke
Keyword(s):  
Rna Binding ◽  
Point Mutations ◽  
In Vitro Transcription ◽  
Regulatory Function ◽  
Structural Genes ◽  
Stem Loop ◽  
Stem Loop Structure ◽  
Attenuation Mechanism ◽  
Transcription Attenuation

ABSTRACT The trp RNA-binding attenuation protein (TRAP) regulates expression of the Bacillus subtilis trpEDCFBAoperon by transcription attenuation. Tryptophan-activated TRAP binds to the nascent trp leader transcript by interacting with 11 (G/U)AG repeats. TRAP binding prevents formation of an antiterminator structure, thereby promoting formation of an overlapping terminator, and hence transcription is terminated before RNA polymerase can reach the trp structural genes. In addition to the antiterminator and terminator, a stem-loop structure is predicted to form at the 5′ end of the trp leader transcript. Deletion of this structure resulted in a dramatic increase in expression of atrpE′-′lacZ translational fusion and a reduced ability to regulate expression in response to tryptophan. By introducing a series of point mutations in the 5′ stem-loop, we found that both the sequence and the structure of the hairpin are important for its regulatory function and that compensatory changes that restored base pairing partially restored wild-type-like expression levels. Our results indicate that the 5′ stem-loop functions primarily through the TRAP-dependent regulatory pathway. Gel shift results demonstrate that the 5′ stem-loop increases the affinity of TRAP for trpleader RNA four- to fivefold, suggesting that the 5′ structure interacts with TRAP. In vitro transcription results indicate that this 5′ structure functions in the attenuation mechanism, since deletion of the stem-loop caused an increase in transcription readthrough. An oligonucleotide complementary to a segment of the 5′ stem-loop was used to demonstrate that formation of the 5′ structure is required for proper attenuation control of this operon.

scholarly journals trp RNA-Binding Attenuation Protein-5′ Stem-Loop RNA Interaction Is Required for Proper Transcription Attenuation Control of the Bacillus subtilis trpEDCFBAOperon

2000 ◽  
Vol 182 (7) ◽  
pp. 1819-1827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hansen Du ◽  
Alexander V. Yakhnin ◽  
Subramanian Dharmaraj ◽  
Paul Babitzke
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Rna Structure ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Structure Mapping ◽  
Stem Loop ◽  
Stem Loop Structure ◽  
Expression Studies ◽  
Attenuation Mechanism ◽  
Transcription Attenuation ◽  
Rna Interaction

ABSTRACT The trp RNA-binding attenuation protein (TRAP) regulates expression of the Bacillus subtilis trpEDCFBAoperon by a novel transcription attenuation mechanism. Tryptophan-activated TRAP binds to the nascent trp leader transcript by interacting with 11 (G/U)AG repeats, 6 of which are present in an antiterminator structure. TRAP binding to these repeats prevents formation of the antiterminator, thereby promoting formation of an overlapping intrinsic terminator. A third stem-loop structure that forms at the extreme 5′ end of the trp leader transcript also plays a role in the transcription attenuation mechanism. The 5′ stem-loop increases the affinity of TRAP fortrp leader RNA. Results from RNA structure mapping experiments demonstrate that the 5′ stem-loop consists of a 3-bp lower stem, a 5-by-2 asymmetric internal loop, a 6-bp upper stem, and a hexaloop at the apex of the structure. Footprinting results indicate that TRAP interacts with the 5′ stem-loop and that this interaction differs depending on the number of downstream (G/U)AG repeats present in the transcript. Expression studies with trpE′-′lacZtranslational fusions demonstrate that TRAP-5′ stem-loop interaction is required for proper regulation of the trp operon. 3′ RNA boundary experiments indicate that the 5′ structure reduces the number of (G/U)AG repeats required for stable TRAP-trp leader RNA association. Thus, TRAP-5′ stem-loop interaction may increase the likelihood that TRAP will bind to the (G/U)AG repeats in time to block antiterminator formation.

scholarly journals Archaeal Pyrococcus furiosus thymidylate synthase 1 is an RNA-binding protein

2005 ◽  
Vol 393 (1) ◽  
pp. 373-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akio Kanai ◽  
Asako Sato ◽  
Jun Imoto ◽  
Masaru Tomita
Keyword(s):  
Thymidylate Synthase ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Pyrococcus Furiosus ◽  
In Vitro Translation ◽  
Luciferase Reporter ◽  
Amino Acid Sequence Similarity ◽  
Loop Structure ◽  
Stem Loop ◽  
Stem Loop Structure

Using a stem–loop RNA oligonucleotide (19-mer) containing an AUG sequence in the loop region as a probe, we screened the protein library from a hyperthermophilic archaeon, Pyrococcus furiosus, and found that a flavin-dependent thymidylate synthase, Pf-Thy1 (Pyrococcus furiosus thymidylate synthase 1), possessed RNA-binding activity. Recombinant Pf-Thy1 was able to bind to the stem–loop structure at a high temperature (75 °C) with an apparent dissociation constant of 0.6 μM. A similar stem–loop RNA structure was located around the translation start AUG codon of Pf-Thy1 RNA, and gel-shift analysis revealed that Pf-Thy1 could also bind to this stem–loop structure. In vitro translation analysis using chimaeric constructs containing the stem–loop sequence in their Pf-Thy1 RNA and a luciferase reporter gene indicated that the stem–loop structure acted as an inhibitory regulator of translation by preventing the binding of its Shine–Dalgarno-like sequence by positioning it in the stem region. Addition of Pf-Thy1 into the in vitro translation system also inhibited translation. These results suggested that this class of thymidylate synthases may autoregulate their own translation in a manner analogous to that of the well characterized thymidylate synthase A proteins, although there is no significant amino acid sequence similarity between them.

RNA—protein interactions in the 5′ untranslated region of preproinsulin mRNA

1992 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. W. Knight ◽  
K. Docherty
Keyword(s):  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Untranslated Region ◽  
In Vitro Transcription ◽  
Specific Protein ◽  
Start Codon ◽  
Mobility Shift ◽  
Stem Loop ◽  
Stem Loop Structure ◽  
Rna Probes

ABSTRACT A comparison between species of the 5′ untranslated region of preproinsulin mRNA revealed conserved sequences associated with a potential stem—loop structure. The present study was undertaken to determine whether specific protein interactions exist with mRNA sequences involved in the formation or stabilization of this structure in the 5′ untranslated region. 32P-Labelled RNA probes corresponding to sequences from this region were synthesized by an in-vitro transcription reaction and used in electrophoretic mobility shift and u.v.-crosslinking studies with cytoplasmic protein extracts from a number of cell lines. Specific protein—RNA interactions were mapped to a sequence located between nucleotides –21 and –50 upstream of the AUG start codon. A number of proteins of molecular mass 25kDa, 40kDa, 46kDa, 58kDa, 69kDa, 97kDa, 110kDa and 160kDa were specifically crosslinked to this sequence. The observed specific protein—RNA interactions in the 5′ untranslated region may affect the activity of preproinsulin mRNA.

scholarly journals Specific Recognition of a Stem-Loop RNA Structure by the Alphavirus Capsid Protein

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1517
Author(s):  
Rebecca S. Brown ◽  
Lisa Kim ◽  
Margaret Kielian
Keyword(s):  
Capsid Protein ◽  
Rna Structure ◽  
Semliki Forest Virus ◽  
Virus Assembly ◽  
Specific Binding ◽  
Genomic Rna ◽  
Stem Loop ◽  
Stem Loop Structure ◽  
Labeled Rna

Alphaviruses are small enveloped viruses with positive-sense RNA genomes. During infection, the alphavirus capsid protein (Cp) selectively packages and assembles with the viral genomic RNA to form the nucleocapsid core, a process critical to the production of infectious virus. Prior studies of the alphavirus Semliki Forest virus (SFV) showed that packaging and assembly are promoted by Cp binding to multiple high affinity sites on the genomic RNA. Here, we developed an in vitro Cp binding assay based on fluorescently labeled RNA oligos. We used this assay to explore the RNA sequence and structure requirements for Cp binding to site #1, the top binding site identified on the genomic RNA during all stages of virus assembly. Our results identify a stem-loop structure that promotes specific binding of the SFV Cp to site #1 RNA. This structure is also recognized by the Cps of the related alphaviruses chikungunya virus and Ross River virus.

Domains of the rat rDNA promoter must be aligned stereospecifically

1992 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 1266-1275
Author(s):  
W Q Xie ◽  
L I Rothblum
Keyword(s):  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Point Mutations ◽  
In Vitro Transcription ◽  
Promoter Elements ◽  
Repeat Distance ◽  
Deletion Mutations ◽  
The Core ◽  
In Vivo Experiments

Efficient transcription from the rat rDNA promoter results from an undefined interaction between the core (CPE) and upstream (UPE) promoter elements or the protein complexes which form on them. These interactions were demonstrated by the behavior of promoters that contained either linker-scanning or deletion mutations of the UPE in combination with point mutations of the CPE (bidomain mutants). In vivo transcription experiments using point mutations within the CPE (G----A mutation at either -16 or -7) demonstrated that the CPE may in fact consist of two domains. Whereas both of these mutants were rescued by the addition of UBF to in vitro transcription reactions, the CPE mutant -7A/G was inactive in vivo. Experiments with these bidomain mutants demonstrated that the UPE was required for the rescue of the CPE mutants. We also examined the hypothesis that this interaction might require a stereospecific alignment of the promoter elements. Our results indicate that the promoter consists of several domains with differing responses to mutations that alter the distance between, or within, the promoter elements. For example, the insertion or deletion of half-multiples of the helical repeat distance between -167 and -147 had no significant effect on transcription. On the other hand, some sites were sensitive to deletions of any size but not to insertions of up to 20 bp. The analyses of two sites yielded results suggesting that they lay between domains of the promoter that must be on the same side of the DNA helix for promoter activity. The first of these sites mapped between -106 and -95.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

scholarly journals Distinct Poly(rC) Binding Protein KH Domain Determinants for Poliovirus Translation Initiation and Viral RNA Replication

2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (23) ◽  
pp. 12008-12022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brandon L. Walter ◽  
Todd B. Parsley ◽  
Ellie Ehrenfeld ◽  
Bert L. Semler
Keyword(s):  
Translation Initiation ◽  
Rna Synthesis ◽  
Rna Binding ◽  
Binding Protein ◽  
Rna Replication ◽  
Viral Rna ◽  
Host Protein ◽  
Loop Structure ◽  
Stem Loop ◽  
Stem Loop Structure

ABSTRACT The limited coding capacity of picornavirus genomic RNAs necessitates utilization of host cell factors in the completion of an infectious cycle. One host protein that plays a role in both translation initiation and viral RNA synthesis is poly(rC) binding protein 2 (PCBP2). For picornavirus RNAs containing type I internal ribosome entry site (IRES) elements, PCBP2 binds the major stem-loop structure (stem-loop IV) in the IRES and is essential for translation initiation. Additionally, the binding of PCBP2 to the 5′-terminal stem-loop structure (stem-loop I or cloverleaf) in concert with viral protein 3CD is required for initiation of RNA synthesis directed by poliovirus replication complexes. PCBP1, a highly homologous isoform of PCBP2, binds to poliovirus stem-loop I with an affinity similar to that of PCBP2; however, PCBP1 has reduced affinity for stem-loop IV. Using a dicistronic poliovirus RNA, we were able to functionally uncouple translation and RNA replication in PCBP-depleted extracts. Our results demonstrate that PCBP1 rescues RNA replication but is not able to rescue translation initiation. We have also generated mutated versions of PCBP2 containing site-directed lesions in each of the three RNA-binding domains. Specific defects in RNA binding to either stem-loop I and/or stem-loop IV suggest that these domains may have differential functions in translation and RNA replication. These predictions were confirmed in functional assays that allow separation of RNA replication activities from translation. Our data have implications for differential picornavirus template utilization during viral translation and RNA replication and suggest that specific PCBP2 domains may have distinct roles in these activities.

Architecture of the maize mitochondrial atp1 promoter as determined by linker-scanning and point mutagenesis

1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 7232-7238
Author(s):  
W D Rapp ◽  
D S Lupold ◽  
S Mack ◽  
D B Stern
Keyword(s):  
Promoter Region ◽  
Consensus Sequence ◽  
Point Mutations ◽  
In Vitro Transcription ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Transcription Start ◽  
Transcription System ◽  
Mitochondrial Promoters ◽  
Point Mutagenesis

Plant mitochondrial promoters are poorly conserved but generally share a loose consensus sequence spanning approximately 17 nucleotides. Using a homologous in vitro transcription system, we have previously shown that an 11-nucleotide sequence within this region comprises at least part of the maize mitochondrial atp1 promoter (W. Rapp and D. Stern, EMBO J. 11:1065-1073, 1992). We have extended this finding by using a series of linker-scanning and point mutations to define the atp1 promoter in detail. Our results show that mutations at positions -12 to +5, relative to the major transcription start site, can decrease initiation rates to between < 10 and 40% of wild-type levels. Some mutations, scattered throughout this region, have lesser effects or no effect. Taken together, our data suggest a model in which the atp1 promoter consists of a central domain extending from -7 to +5 and an upstream domain of 1 to 3 bp that is centered around -11 to -12. Because many mutations within this promoter region are tolerated in vitro, the maize atp1 promoter is distinct from the highly conserved yeast mitochondrial promoters.

scholarly journals Capping of mammalian U6 small nuclear RNA in vitro is directed by a conserved stem-loop and AUAUAC sequence: conversion of a noncapped RNA into a capped RNA.

1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 939-946 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Singh ◽  
S Gupta ◽  
R Reddy
Keyword(s):  
Cell Extract ◽  
Small Nuclear Rna ◽  
Stem Loop ◽  
Rna Sequence ◽  
U6 Snrna ◽  
Stem Loop Structure ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Nuclear Rna ◽  
Tightly Coupled

The cap structure of U6 small nuclear RNA (snRNA) is gamma-monomethyl phosphate and is distinct from other known RNA cap structures (R. Singh and R. Reddy, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86:8280-8283, 1989). Here we show that the information for capping the U6 snRNA in vitro is within the initial 25 nucleotides of the U6 RNA. The capping determinant in mammalian U6 snRNA is a bipartite element--a phylogenetically conserved stem-loop structure and an AUAUAC sequence, or a part thereof, following this stem-loop. Wild-type capping efficiency was obtained when the AUAUAC motif immediately followed the stem-loop and when the gamma-phosphate of the initiation nucleotide was in close proximity to the capping determinant. Incorporation of a synthetic stem-loop followed by an AUAUAC sequence is sufficient to covert a noncapped heterologous transcript into a capped transcript. Transcripts with the initial 32 nucleotides of Saccharomyces cerevisiae U6 snRNA are accurately capped in HeLa cell extract, indicating that capping machinery from HeLa cells can cap U6 snRNA from an evolutionarily distant eucaryote. The U6-snRNA-specific capping is unusual in that it is RNA sequence dependent, while the capping of mRNAs and other U snRNAs is tightly coupled to transcription and is independent of the RNA sequence.

scholarly journals The protein bcl-2 alpha does not require membrane attachment, but two conserved domains to suppress apoptosis.

1994 ◽  
Vol 126 (4) ◽  
pp. 1059-1068 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Borner ◽  
I Martinou ◽  
C Mattmann ◽  
M Irmler ◽  
E Schaerer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sympathetic Neurons ◽  
Point Mutations ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
In Vitro Transcription ◽  
Site Directed Mutagenesis ◽  
Full Activity ◽  
Membrane Attachment ◽  
Hydrophobic Tail ◽  
Critical Regions

Bcl-2 is a mitochondrial- and perinuclear-associated protein that prolongs the lifespan of a variety of cell types by interfering with programmed cell death (apoptosis). Bcl-2 seems to function in an antioxidant pathway, and it is believed that membrane attachment mediated by a COOH-terminal hydrophobic tail is required for its full activity. To identify critical regions in bcl-2 alpha for subcellular localization, activity, and/or interaction with other proteins, we created, by site-directed mutagenesis, various deletion, truncation, and point mutations. We show here that membrane attachment is not required for the survival activity of bcl-2 alpha. A truncation mutant of bcl-2 alpha lacking the last 33 amino acids (T3.1) including the hydrophobic COOH terminus shows full activity in blocking apoptosis of nerve growth factor-deprived sympathetic neurons or TNF-alpha-treated L929 fibroblasts. Confocal microscopy reveals that the T3 mutant departs into the extremities of neurites in neurons and filopodias in fibroblasts. Consistently, T3 is predominantly detected in the soluble fraction by Western blotting, and is not inserted into microsomes after in vitro transcription/translation. We further provide evidence for motifs (S-N and S-II) at the NH2 and COOH terminus of bcl-2, which are crucial for its activity.

scholarly journals Dissecting the Fine Details of Assembly of aT = 3 Phage Capsid

2005 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. G. Stockley ◽  
A. E. Ashcroft ◽  
S. Francese ◽  
G. S. Thompson ◽  
N. A. Ranson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rna Binding ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Replicase Gene ◽  
Nmr Studies ◽  
Partial Explanation ◽  
Stem Loop ◽  
Assembly Pathway

The RNA bacteriophages represent ideal model systems in which to probe the detailed assembly pathway for the formation of aT = 3 quasi-equivalent capsid. For MS2, the assembly reaction can be probedin vitrousing acid disassembled coat protein subunits and a short (19 nt) RNA stem-loop that acts as the translational operator of the replicase gene and leads to sequence-specific sequestration and packaging of the cognate phage RNAin vivo. Reassembly reactions can be initiated by mixing these components at neutral pH. The molecular basis of the sequence-specific RNA–protein interaction is now well understood. Recent NMR studies on the protein demonstrate extensive mobility in the loops of the polypeptide that alter their conformations to form the quasi-equivalent conformers of the final capsid. It seems reasonable to assume that RNA binding results in reduction of this flexibility. However, mass spectrometry suggests that these RNA–protein complexes may only provide one type of quasi-equivalent capsid building block competent to form five-fold axes but not the full shell. Work with longer RNAs suggests that the RNA may actively template the assembly pathway providing a partial explanation of how conformers are selected in the growing shell.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document