Naturally occurring mutations in human mitochondrial pre-tRNASer(UCN) can affect the transfer ribonuclease Z cleavage site, processing kinetics, and substrate secondary structure

tRNAs are transcribed as precursors with a 5' end leader and a 3' end trailer. The 5' end leader is processed by RNase P, and in most organisms in all three kingdoms, transfer ribonuclease (tRNase) Z can endonucleolytically remove the 3' end trailer. Long ((L)) and short ((S)) forms of the tRNase Z gene are present in the human genome. tRNase Z(L) processes a nuclear-encoded pre-tRNA approximately 1600-fold more efficiently than tRNase Z(S) and is predicted to have a strong mitochondrial transport signal. tRNase Z(L) could, thus, process both nuclear- and mitochondrially encoded pre-tRNAs. More than 150 pathogenesis-associated mutations have been found in the mitochondrial genome, most of them in the 22 mitochondrially encoded tRNAs. All the mutations investigated in human mitochondrial tRNA(Ser(UCN)) affect processing efficiency, and some affect the cleavage site and secondary structure. These changes could affect tRNase Z processing of mutant pre-tRNAs, perhaps contributing to mitochondrial disease.     

A novel endonucleolytic mechanism to generate the CCA 3' termini of tRNA molecules in Thermotoga maritima

The tRNA 3'-terminal CCA sequence is essential for aminoacylation of the tRNAs and for translation on the ribosome. The tRNAs are transcribed as larger precursor molecules containing 5' and 3' extra sequences. In the tRNAs that do not have the encoded CCA, the 3' extra sequence after the discriminator nucleotide is usually cleaved off by the tRNA 3' processing endoribonuclease (3' tRNase, or RNase Z), and the 3'-terminal CCA residues are added thereto. Here we analyzed Thermotoga maritima 3' tRNase for enzymatic properties using various pre-tRNAs from T. maritima, in which all 46 tRNA genes encode CCA with only one exception. We found that the enzyme has the unprecedented activity that cleaves CCA-containing pre-tRNAs precisely after the CCA sequence, not after the discriminator. The assays for pre-tRNA variants suggest that the CA residues at nucleotides 75 and 76 are required for the enzyme to cleave pre-tRNAs after A at nucleotide 76 and that the cleavage occurs after nucleotide 75 if the sequence is not CA. Intriguingly, the pre-tRNA(Met) that is the only T. maritima pre-tRNA without the encoded CCA was cleaved after the discriminator. The kinetics data imply the existence of a CCA binding domain in T. maritima 3' tRNase. We also identified two amino acid residues critical for the cleavage site selection and several residues essential for the catalysis. Analysis of cleavage sites by 3' tRNases from another eubacteria Escherichia coli and two archaea Thermoplasma acidophilum and Pyrobaculum aerophilum corroborates the importance of the two amino acid residues for the cleavage site selection.     

Crystal structure of the tRNA 3' processing endoribonuclease tRNase Z from Thermotoga maritima

The maturation of the tRNA 3' end is catalyzed by a tRNA 3' processing endoribonuclease named tRNase Z (RNase Z or 3'-tRNase) in eukaryotes, Archaea, and some bacteria. The tRNase Z generally cuts the 3' extra sequence from the precursor tRNA after the discriminator nucleotide. In contrast, Thermotoga maritima tRNase Z cleaves the precursor tRNA precisely after the CCA sequence. In this study, we determined the crystal structure of T. maritima tRNase Z at 2.6-A resolution. The tRNase Z has a four-layer alphabeta/betaalpha sandwich fold, which is classified as a metallo-beta-lactamase fold, and forms a dimer. The active site is located at one edge of the beta-sandwich and is composed of conserved motifs. Based on the structure, we constructed a docking model with the tRNAs that suggests how tRNase Z may recognize the substrate tRNAs.     

Two archaeal tRNase Z enzymes: similar but different

The endoribonuclease tRNase Z plays an essential role in tRNA metabolism by removal of the 3' trailer element of precursor RNAs. To investigate tRNA processing in archaea, we identified and expressed the tRNase Z from Haloferax volcanii, a halophilic archaeon. The recombinant enzyme is a homodimer and efficiently processes precursor tRNAs. Although the protein is active in vivo at 2-4 M KCl, it is inhibited by high KCl concentrations in vitro, whereas 2-3 M (NH(4))(2)SO(4) do not inhibit tRNA processing. Analysis of the metal content of the metal depleted tRNase Z revealed that it still contains 0.4 Zn(2+) ions per dimer. In addition tRNase Z requires Mn(2+) ions for processing activity. We compared the halophilic tRNase Z to the homologous one from Pyrococcus furiosus, a thermophilic archaeon. Although both enzymes have 46% sequence similarity, they differ in their optimal reaction conditions. Both archaeal tRNase Z proteins process mitochondrial pre-tRNAs. Only the thermophilic tRNase Z shows in addition activity toward intron containing pre-tRNAs, 5' extended precursors, the phosphodiester bis(p-nitrophenyl)phosphate (bpNPP) and the glyoxalase II substrate S-D: -lactoylglutathion (SLG).     

Anomalous RNA substrates for mammalian tRNA 3' processing endoribonuclease

Mammalian tRNA 3' processing endoribonuclease (3' tRNase) is an enzyme responsible for the removal of a 3' trailer from pre-tRNA. The enzyme can also recognize and cleave any target RNA that forms a pre-tRNA-like complex with another RNA. To investigate the interaction between 3' tRNase and substrates, we tested various anomalous pre-tRNA-like complexes for cleavage by pig 3' tRNase. We examined how base mismatches in the acceptor stem affect 3' tRNase cleavage of RNA complexes, and found that even one base mismatch in the acceptor stem drastically reduces the cleavage efficiency. Mammalian 3' tRNase was able to recognize complexes between target RNAs and 5'-half tDNAs, and cleave the target RNAs, although inefficiently, whereas the enzyme had no activity to cleave phosphodiester bonds of DNA. A relatively long RNA target, the Escherichia coli chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) mRNA, was cleaved by 3' tRNase in the presence of appropriate 5'-half tRNAs. We also demonstrated that an RNA complex of lin-4 and lin-14 from Caenorhabditis elegans can be recognized and cleaved by pig 3' tRNase.     

Residues in two homology blocks on the amino side of the tRNase Z His domain contribute unexpectedly to pre-tRNA 3' end processing

tRNase Z, which can endonucleolytically remove pre-tRNA 3'-end trailers, possesses the signature His domain (HxHxDH; Motif II) of the beta-lactamase family of metal-dependent hydrolases. Motif II combines with Motifs III-V on its carboxy side to coordinate two divalent metal ions, constituting the catalytic core. The PxKxRN loop and Motif I on the amino side of Motif II have been suggested to modulate tRNase Z activity, including the anti-determinant effect of CCA in mature tRNA. Ala walks through these two homology blocks reveal residues in which the substitutions unexpectedly reduce catalytic efficiency. While substitutions in Motif II can drastically affect k(cat) without affecting k(M), five- to 15-fold increases in k(M) are observed with substitutions in several conserved residues in the PxKxRN loop and Motif I. These increases in k(M) suggest a model for substrate binding. Expressed tRNase Z processes mature tRNA with CCA at the 3' end approximately 80 times less efficiently than a pre-tRNA possessing natural sequence of the 3'-end trailer, due to reduced k(cat) with no effect on k(M), showing the CCA anti-determinant to be a characteristic of this enzyme.     

tRNA核酸内切酶的研究进展

tRNA在蛋白质合成过程中起着极其重要的作用。在所有的生物体内,tRNA首先以前体形式转录,然后必需经过一系列的加工后才能成为有功能的tRNA分子。tRNaseZ、RNaseP和tRNA剪接内切酶是参与tRNA前体加工的三种主要的核酸内切酶,分别参与tRNA前体3′末端、tRNA前体5′末端和内含子剪接的加工。这三种酶具有不同的结构特征,并且利用完全不同的催化机制水解磷酸二酯键。tRNaseZ和RNaseP都是金属酶,活性中心分别需要Zn^2＋和Mg^2＋的参与;而tRNA剪接内切酶活性中心不需要金属离子,是一个由不同催化亚基上的关键氨基酸残基构成的组合式活性中心。     

Long 5' leaders inhibit removal of a 3' trailer from a precursor tRNA by mammalian tRNA 3' processing endoribonuclease.

Mammalian tRNA 3' processing endoribonuclease (3' tRNase) can remove a 3' trailer from various pre-tRNAs without 5' leader nucleotides. To examine how 5[prime] leader sequences affect 3' processing efficiency, we performed in vitro 3' processing reactions with purified pig 3' tRNase and pre-tRNAArgs containing a 13-nt 3' trailer and a 5[prime] leader of various lengths. The 3' processing was slightly stimulated by 5[prime] leaders containing up to 7 nt, whereas leaders of 9 nt or longer severely inhibited the reaction. Structure probing indicated that the 5' leader sequences had little effect on pre-tRNA folding. Similar results were obtained using pre-tRNA(Val)s containing a 5' leader of various lengths. We also investigated whether 3'tRNase can remove 3' trailers that are stably base-paired with 5' leaders to form an extended acceptor stem. Even such small 5' leaders as 3 and 6 nt, when base-paired with a 3' trailer, severely hindered removal of the 3' trailer by 3' tRNase.     

The crystal structure of the zinc phosphodiesterase from Escherichia coli provides insight into function and cooperativity of tRNase Z-family proteins

The elaC gene product from Escherichia coli, ZiPD, is a 3' tRNA-processing endonuclease belonging to the tRNase Z family of enzymes that have been identified in a wide variety of organisms. In contrast to the elaC homologue from Bacillus subtilis, E. coli elaC is not essential for viability, and although both enzymes process only precursor tRNA (pre-tRNA) lacking a CCA triplet at the 3' end in vitro, the physiological role of ZiPD remains enigmatic because all pre-tRNA species in E. coli are transcribed with the CCA triplet. We present the first crystal structure of ZiPD determined by multiple anomalous diffraction at a resolution of 2.9 A. This structure shares many features with the tRNase Z enzymes from B. subtilis and Thermotoga maritima, but there are distinct differences in metal binding and overall domain organization. Unlike the previously described homologous structures, ZiPD dimers display crystallographic symmetry and fully loaded metal sites. The ZiPD exosite is similar to that of the B. subtilis enzyme structurally, but its position with respect to the protein core differs substantially, illustrating its ability to act as a clamp in binding tRNA. Furthermore, the ZiPD crystal structure presented here provides insight into the enzyme's cooperativity and assists the ongoing attempt to elucidate the physiological function of this protein.     

Analysis of the functional modules of the tRNA 3' endonuclease (tRNase Z)

tRNA 3' processing is one of the essential steps during tRNA maturation. The tRNA 3'-processing endonuclease tRNase Z was only recently isolated, and its functional domains have not been identified so far. We performed an extensive mutational study to identify amino acids and regions involved in dimerization, tRNA binding, and catalytic activity. 29 deletion and point variants of the tRNase Z enzyme were generated. According to the results obtained, variants can be sorted into five different classes. The first class still had wild type activity in all three respects. Members of the second and third class still formed dimers and bound tRNAs but had reduced catalytic activity (class two) or no catalytic activity (class three). The fourth class still formed dimers but did not bind the tRNA and did not process precursors. Since this class still formed dimers, it seems that the amino acids mutated in these variants are important for RNA binding. The fifth class did not have any activity anymore. Several conserved amino acids could be mutated without or with little loss of activity.     

Identification and Sequence Analysis of Metazoan tRNA 3'-End Processing Enzymes tRNase Zs

tRNase Z is the endonuclease responsible for removing the 3'-trailer sequences from precursor tRNAs, a prerequisite for the addition of the CCA sequence. It occurs in the short (tRNase Z(S)) and long (tRNase Z(L)) forms. Here we report the identification and sequence analysis of candidate tRNase Zs from 81 metazoan species. We found that the vast majority of deuterostomes, lophotrochozoans and lower metazoans have one tRNase Z(S) and one tRNase Z(L) genes, whereas ecdysozoans possess only a single tRNase Z(L) gene. Sequence analysis revealed that in metazoans, a single nuclear tRNase Z(L) gene is likely to encode both the nuclear and mitochondrial forms of tRNA 3'-end processing enzyme through mechanisms that include alternative translation initiation from two in-frame start codons and alternative splicing. Sequence conservation analysis revealed a variant PxKxRN motif, PxPxRG, which is located in the N-terminal region of tRNase Z(S)s. We also identified a previously unappreciated motif, AxDx, present in the C-terminal region of both tRNase Z(S)s and tRNase Z(L)s. The AxDx motif consisting mainly of a very short loop is potentially close enough to form hydrogen bonds with the loop containing the PxKxRN or PxPxRG motif. Through complementation analysis, we demonstrated the likely functional importance of the AxDx motif. In conclusion, our analysis supports the notion that in metazoans a single tRNase Z(L) has evolved to participate in both nuclear and mitochondrial tRNA 3'-end processing, whereas tRNase Z(S) may have evolved new functions. Our analysis also unveils new evolutionarily conserved motifs in tRNase Zs, including the C-terminal AxDx motif, which may have functional significance.     

Endonucleolytic processing of CCA-less tRNA precursors by RNase Z in Bacillus subtilis

In contrast to Escherichia coli, where the 3' ends of tRNAs are primarily generated by exoribonucleases, maturation of the 3' end of tRNAs is catalysed by an endoribonuclease, known as RNase Z (or 3' tRNase), in many eukaryotic and archaeal systems. RNase Z cleaves tRNA precursors 3' to the discriminator base. Here we show that this activity, previously unsuspected in bacteria, is encoded by the yqjK gene of Bacillus subtilis. Decreased yqjK expression leads to an accumulation of a population of B.subtilis tRNAs in vivo, none of which have a CCA motif encoded in their genes, and YqjK cleaves tRNA precursors with the same specificity as plant RNase Z in vitro. We have thus renamed the gene rnz. A CCA motif downstream of the discriminator base inhibits RNase Z activity in vitro, with most of the inhibition due to the first C residue. Lastly, tRNAs with long 5' extensions are poor substrates for cleavage, suggesting that for some tRNAs, processing of the 5' end by RNase P may have to precede RNase Z cleavage.     

Conversion of mammalian tRNA 3' processing endoribonuclease to four-base-recognizing RNA cutters.

The spermidine-dependent, sequence-specific endoribonuclease (RNase 65) activities in mammalian cell extracts require both protein and 3' truncated tRNA, species of which direct their substrate sequence specificity. Computer analysis for searching possible base pairing between substrate RNAs and their corresponding 3' truncated tRNA, suggested a unified model for substrate recognition mechanism, in which a four-nucleotide (nt) sequence in the target tRNAs 1 nt upstream of their cleavage site, base pairs with the 5' terminal 4 nt sequence of their corresponding 3' truncated tRNA. This model was supported by experiments with several RNA substrates containing a substituted nucleotide in the target 4 nt sequence. In this model, the tRNA substrates and their corresponding 3' truncated tRNA form a complex resembling a 5' processed tRNA precursor containing a 3' trailer, suggesting that the protein component of RNase 65 is identical to tRNA 3' processing endoribonuclease (3' tRNase). Actually, 3' tRNase purified from pig liver cleaved the target RNAs at the expected sites only in the presence of their corresponding 3' truncated tRNA. These results show that the 3' tRNase can be converted to 4 nt specific RNA cutters using the 3' truncated tRNAs.     

Minimum requirements for substrates of mammalian tRNA 3' processing endoribonuclease.

Mammalian tRNA 3' processing endoribonuclease (3' tRNase) removes a 3' trailer after the discriminator nucleotide from precursor tRNA (pre-tRNA). To elucidate the minimum requirements for 3' tRNase substrates, we tested small pre-tRNA(Arg) substrates lacking the D and anticodon stem-loop domain for cleavage by purified pig 3' tRNase. A small pre-tRNA (R-ATW) composed of an acceptor stem, an extra loop, a T stem-loop domain, a discriminator nucleotide, and a 3' trailer was cleaved more efficiently than the full-length wild type. The catalytic efficiencies of three R-ATW derivatives, which were constructed to destroy the original T stem base pairs, were also higher than that of the full-length wild type. Pig 3' tRNase efficiently processed a "minihelix" (R-ATM5) that consists of a T stem-loop domain, an acceptor stem, a discriminator nucleotide, and a 3' trailer, while the enzyme never cleaved a "microhelix" that is composed of a T loop, an acceptor stem, a discriminator nucleotide, and a 3' trailer. Five R-ATM5 derivatives that have one to seven base substitutions in the T loop were all cleaved slightly more efficiently than the full-length wild type and slightly less efficiently than R-ATM5. A helix ("minihelixDelta1") one base pair smaller than minihelices was a good substrate, while small helices containing a continuous 10-base pair stem were poor substrates. The cleavage of these three small substrates occurred after the discriminator and one to three nucleotides downstream of the discriminator. From these results, we conclude that minimum substrates for efficient cleavage by mammalian 3' tRNase are minihelices or minihelicesDelta1, in which there seem to be no essential bases.     

tRNA 3' processing in plants: nuclear and mitochondrial activities differ

The nuclear tRNA 3' processing activity from wheat has been characterized and partially purified. Several characteristics of the wheat nuclear 3' processing enzyme now allow this activity to be distinguished from its mitochondrial counterpart. The nuclear enzyme is an endonuclease, which we termed nuclear RNase Z. The enzyme cleaves at the discriminator base and seems to consist only of protein subunits, since essential RNA subunits could not be detected. RNase Z leaves 5' terminal phosphoryl and 3' terminal hydroxyl groups at the processing products. It is a stable enzyme being active over broad temperature and pH ranges, with the highest activity at 35 degrees C and pH 8.4. The apparent molecular mass according to gel filtration chromatography is 122 kDa. The nuclear RNase Z does process 5' extended pretRNAs but with a much lower efficiency than 5' matured pretRNAs. Nuclear intron-containing precursor tRNAs as well as mitochondrial precursor tRNAs are efficiently cleaved by the nuclear RNase Z. Mitochondrial pretRNA(His) is processed by the nuclear RNase Z, generating a mature tRNA(His) containing an 8 base pair acceptor stem. The edited mitochondrial pretRNA(Phe) is cleaved easily, while the unedited version having a mismatch in the acceptor stem is not cleaved. Thus, an intact acceptor stem seems to be required for processing. Experiments with precursors containing mutated tRNAs showed that a completely intact anticodon arm is not necessary for processing by RNase Z. Comparison of the plant nuclear tRNA 3' processing enzyme with the plant mitochondrial one suggests that both activities are different enzymes.     

Arabidopsis Encodes Four tRNase Z Enzymes

Functional transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules are a prerequisite for protein biosynthesis. Several processing steps are required to generate the mature functional tRNA from precursor molecules. Two of the early processing steps involve cleavage at the tRNA 5′ end and the tRNA 3′ end. While processing at the tRNA 5′ end is performed by RNase P, cleavage at the 3′ end is catalyzed by the endonuclease tRNase Z. In eukaryotes, tRNase Z enzymes are found in two versions: a short form of about 250 to 300 amino acids and a long form of about 700 to 900 amino acids. All eukaryotic genomes analyzed to date encode at least one long tRNase Z protein. Of those, Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) is the only organism that encodes four tRNase Z proteins, two short forms and two long forms. We show here that the four proteins are distributed to different subcellular compartments in the plant cell: the nucleus, the cytoplasm, the mitochondrion, and the chloroplast. One tRNase Z is present only in the cytoplasm, one protein is found exclusively in mitochondria, while the third one has dual locations: nucleus and mitochondria. None of these three tRNase Z proteins is essential. The fourth tRNase Z protein is present in chloroplasts, and deletion of its gene results in an embryo-lethal phenotype. In vitro analysis with the recombinant proteins showed that all four tRNase Z enzymes have tRNA 3′ processing activity. In addition, the mitochondrial tRNase Z proteins cleave tRNA-like elements that serve as processing signals in mitochondrial mRNA maturation.