An experimental procedure for increasing the structural resolution of chemical hydrogen-exchange measurements on proteins: application to ribonuclease S peptide.

A method is described which extends the structural resolution of the usual hydrogen-exchange experiment by quantifying the exchange kinetics from known regions of a protein. In the usual out-exchange experiment with tritium-labeled protein, all exchange events are simultaneously monitored by measuring total protein-bound radioactivity at various specified times. In the present procedure, the protein is adjusted from the out-exchange conditions to pH 2.8 at 8 °C, immediately digested with an acid protease and the digest run on a high pressure column at the same temperature and pH. The specific activities of the individual peptide peaks are then determined. The entire analytical process requires 20 to 30 minutes depending on the position of the peptide in the chromatogram. Since the peptides are fully exposed to solvent during the analysis, this time corresponds to several half-lives of exchange. However, with sufficient isotope in the starting material large amounts of radioactivity remain associated with each peptide fragment allowing accurate analyses. With care, the digestion and separation can be made very reproducible.The procedure was tested on the ribonuclease S system using labeled S-peptide (providing an extension of the observations of Schreier &; Baldwin, 1976). At pH 2.8 and pH 4.2 free S-peptide exchanges at rates which agree quite well with the values predicted by the data of Molday et al. (1972). In complex with S-protein, the S-peptide protons are not all protected to the same extent. For residues 7 through 13, 7 and 8 are more highly protected than 13, while 10 and 11 are essentially unaffected by complex formation. The model based on the X-ray structure determination indicates that all of these residues are part of an α-helical segment in the chain.     

Structural analysis of prokaryotic and eukaryotic 5S rRNAs by RNase H

The availabilities of single-stranded 5S rRNA regions c, d and d' for base pairing interactions were analyzed by using synthetic DNA oligomers. Hybrid formation was detected by the endonucleolytical mode of the RNA-DNA specific action of RNase H. Provided that the hybrid interaction involved 6 successive base pairs, 5S rRNA loop c nucleotides 42-47 displayed accessibility in Escherichia coli, Bacillus stearothermophilus and Thermus thermophilus 5S rRNAs as well as in eukaryotic 5S rRNAs from Saccharomyces carlsbergensis, Rattus rattus and Equisetum arvense. Investigating eubacterial 5S rRNA regions d and d' (nucleotides 71-76 and 99-105, respectively), susceptibility was observed in E. coli 5S rRNA which, however, decreases in B. stearothermophilus and even more so in T. thermophilus 5S rRNA. For additional evaluation of the data obtained by RNase H cleavage, association constants of the hexanucleotides were determined by equilibrium dialysis at 4 degrees C for B. stearothermophilus 5S rRNA. The results obtained reveal that nucleotides 36-41 of B. stearothermophilus 5S rRNA are inaccessible for Watson-Crick interaction, which suggests that this part of loop c is in a structurally constrained configuration, or buried in the tertiary structure or involved in tertiary interactions.     

Secondary structure and domain architecture of the 23S and 5S rRNAs

We present a de novo re-determination of the secondary (2°) structure and domain architecture of the 23S and 5S rRNAs, using 3D structures, determined by X-ray diffraction, as input. In the traditional 2° structure, the center of the 23S rRNA is an extended single strand, which in 3D is seen to be compact and double helical. Accurately assigning nucleotides to helices compels a revision of the 23S rRNA 2° structure. Unlike the traditional 2° structure, the revised 2° structure of the 23S rRNA shows architectural similarity with the 16S rRNA. The revised 2° structure also reveals a clear relationship with the 3D structure and is generalizable to rRNAs of other species from all three domains of life. The 2° structure revision required us to reconsider the domain architecture. We partitioned the 23S rRNA into domains through analysis of molecular interactions, calculations of 2D folding propensities and compactness. The best domain model for the 23S rRNA contains seven domains, not six as previously ascribed. Domain 0 forms the core of the 23S rRNA, to which the other six domains are rooted. Editable 2° structures mapped with various data are provided (http://apollo.chemistry.gatech.edu/RibosomeGallery).     

Different mechanisms for pseudouridine formation in yeast 5S and 5.8S rRNAs

The selection of sites for pseudouridylation in eukaryotic cytoplasmic rRNA occurs by the base pairing of the rRNA with specific guide sequences within the RNA components of box H/ACA small nucleolar ribonucleoproteins (snoRNPs). Forty-four of the 46 pseudouridines (Psis) in the cytoplasmic rRNA of Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been assigned to guide snoRNAs. Here, we examine the mechanism of Psi formation in 5S and 5.8S rRNA in which the unassigned Psis occur. We show that while the formation of the Psi in 5.8S rRNA is associated with snoRNP activity, the pseudouridylation of 5S rRNA is not. The position of the Psi in 5.8S rRNA is guided by snoRNA snR43 by using conserved sequence elements that also function to guide pseudouridylation elsewhere in the large-subunit rRNA; an internal stem-loop that is not part of typical yeast snoRNAs also is conserved in snR43. The multisubstrate synthase Pus7 catalyzes the formation of the Psi in 5S rRNA at a site that conforms to the 7-nucleotide consensus sequence present in other substrates of Pus7. The different mechanisms involved in 5S and 5.8S rRNA pseudouridylation, as well as the multiple specificities of the individual trans factors concerned, suggest possible roles in linking ribosome production to other processes, such as splicing and tRNA synthesis.     

Improved procedure for the anion-exchange isolation of urinary organic acids

DEAE-Sephadex equilibrated in 0.5 M triethylammonium acetate is suitable for the quantitative isolation of lactonisable organic acids. Mono-, di- and tricarboxylic acids can be eluted sequentially from DEAE-Sephadex by the use of 0.5 M triethylamine, 0.5 M triethylamine—0.1 M acetic acid, and 1.5 M pyridinium acetate.     

Secondary structure and phylogeny of Staphylococcus and Micrococcus 5S rRNAs

Nucleotide sequences of 5S rRNAs from four bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus Smith (diffuse), Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 14990, Micrococcus luteus ATCC 9341 and Micrococcus luteus ATCC 4698, were determined. The secondary structural models of S. aureus and S. epidermidis sequences showed characteristics of the gram-positive bacterial 5S rRNA (116-N type [H. Hori and S. Osawa, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 76:381-385, 1979]). Those of M. luteus ATCC 9341 and M. luteus ATCC 4698 together with that of Streptomyces griseus (A. Simoncsits, Nucleic Acids Res. 8:4111-4124, 1980) showed intermediary characteristics between the gram-positive and gram-negative (120-N type [H. Hori and S. Osawa, 1979]) 5S rRNAs. This and previous studies revealed that there exist at least three major groups of eubacteria having distinct 5S rRNA and belonging to different stems in the 5S rRNA phylogenic tree.     

The nucleotide sequences of 5S rRNAs from a sea-cucumber, a starfish and a sea-urchin

The nucleotide sequences of 5S rRNA from three echinoderms, a sea-cucumber Stichopus oshimae, a starfish Asterina pectinifera and a sea-urchin Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus have been determined. These 5S rRNAs are all 120 nucleotides long. The echinoderm sequences are more related to the sequences of proterostomes animals such as mollusc, annelids and some others (87% identity on average) than to those of vertebrates (82% identity on average).     

A Fourier transform infrared investigation of the structural differences between ribonuclease A and ribonuclease S

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to investigate the small conformational differences which exist between ribonuclease A and ribonuclease S in aqueous systems. Deconvolution and derivative methods were used to observe the overlapping components of the amide I and II bands. These proteins give identical spectra in H2O and after complete exchange in 2H2O. However structural differences are revealed by monitoring the rate of 1H-2H exchange by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. At equivalent times of exposure in 2H2O buffer ribonuclease S undergoes greater isotopic exchange than ribonuclease A. Thus complete exchange takes place for ribonuclease S but not ribonuclease A after incubation at room temperature for 8 days. Complete 1H-2H exchange of ribonuclease A was achieved by incubation at 62 degrees C for 30 min. The available X-ray data and comparison with the infrared spectra of other soluble proteins was used to assign the components of the amide I and II bands to various secondary structures. In particular, band shifts observed during the later stages of exchange are associated with slowly exchanging residues in beta-strand and alpha-helical regions. The higher rate of exchange for ribonuclease S is associated with a greater conformational flexibility and a more open structure. The results show that it is necessary to be cautious in making band assignments based on exchange methods unless the extent of exchange is known. Furthermore, it is seen that the combination of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and hydrogen-deuterium exchange is a powerful technique for revealing small differences in protein secondary structure.     

Pretransitional structural changes in the thermal denaturation of ribonuclease S and S protein

Two mechanisms have been proposed for the thermal unfolding of ribonuclease S (RNase S). The first is a sequential partial unfolding of the S peptide/S protein complex followed by dissociation, whereas the second is a concerted denaturation/dissociation. The thermal denaturation of ribonuclease S and its fragment, the S protein, were followed with circular dichroism and infrared spectra. These spectra were analyzed by the principal component method of factor analysis. The use of multiple spectral techniques and of factor analysis monitored different aspects of the denaturation simultaneously. The unfolding pathway was compared with that of the parent enzyme ribonuclease A (RNase A), and a model was devised to assess the importance of the dissociation in the unfolding. The unfolding patterns obtained from the melting curves of each protein imply the existence of multiple intermediate states and/or processes. Our data provide evidence that the pretransition in the unfolding of ribonuclease S is due to partial unfolding of the S protein/S peptide complex and that the dissociation occurs at higher temperature. Our observations are consistent with a sequential denaturation mechanism in which at least one partial unfolding step comes before the main conformational transition, which is instead a concerted, final unfolding/dissociation step.     

Improved mean estimation and its application to diagonal discriminant analysis

MOTIVATION: High-dimensional data such as microarrays have created new challenges to traditional statistical methods. One such example is on class prediction with high-dimension, low-sample size data. Due to the small sample size, the sample mean estimates are usually unreliable. As a consequence, the performance of the class prediction methods using the sample mean may also be unsatisfactory. To obtain more accurate estimation of parameters some statistical methods, such as regularizations through shrinkage, are often desired. RESULTS: In this article, we investigate the family of shrinkage estimators for the mean value under the quadratic loss function. The optimal shrinkage parameter is proposed under the scenario when the sample size is fixed and the dimension is large. We then construct a shrinkage-based diagonal discriminant rule by replacing the sample mean by the proposed shrinkage mean. Finally, we demonstrate via simulation studies and real data analysis that the proposed shrinkage-based rule outperforms its original competitor in a wide range of settings.     

The nucleotide sequences of 5S rRNAs from a fern Dryopteris acuminata and a horsetail Equisetum arvense

The nucleotide sequences from two Pteridophyta species, a fern Dryopteris acuminata and a horsetail Equisetum arvense have been determined. These two sequences are more related to those of the Bryophyta species (88% identity on average) than to those of seed plants (84% identity on average).     

Refinement of the crystal structure of ribonuclease S. Comparison with and between the various ribonuclease A structures.

Ribonuclease S (RNase-S) is a complex that consists of two proteolytic fragments of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease A (RNase-A): the S-peptide (residues 1-20) and S-protein (residues 21-124). We have refined the crystal structures of three RNase-S complexes. The first two contain the full-length 20-residue S-peptide and were studied at pHs of 4.75 and 5.5. The third one consists of a truncated form of S-peptide (residues 1-15) and was studied at pH 4.75 as the reference structure for a series of mutant peptide complexes to be reported separately. Excluding residues 16-23 which are either missing (in the S15 complex) or disordered (in both S20 complexes), all three structures refined at 1.6-A resolution are identical within the estimated errors in the coordinates (0.048 A for the backbone atoms). The R-values, residual error, range from 17.4% to 18.6%. The final model of S20, pH 4.75, includes 1 sulfate and 84 water molecules. The side chains of 11 residues were modeled in two discrete conformations. The final structures were independent of the particular RNase-A or RNase-S used as a starting model. An extensive comparison with refined crystal structures of RNase-A reveals that the core of the molecule which is held together with extensive hydrogen bonds is in identical pattern in all cases. However, the loop regions vary from one structure to another and are often characterized by high B-factors. The pattern of thermal parameters appears to be dependent on crystal packing and correlates well with the accessibility calculated in the crystal. Gln60 is a conserved residue in all sequences known to date for this class of ribonucleases. However, it is the only residue that is clearly defined in an unfavorable position (phi = -100 degrees, psi = -130 degrees) on the Ramachandran plot. The origin of the substantial differences between RNase-A and RNase-S in stability to both acid and temperature denaturation and in susceptibility to proteolysis at neutral pH is not obvious in our visual comparison of these two structures.     

Development of a purification procedure for the isolation of nucleosides from urine prior to mass spectrometric analysis

A chromatographic separation of nucleosides from urine has been developed in order to facilitate their mass spectrometric analysis for clinical diagnosis. A number of chromatographic resins were studied in order to develop an effective and efficient purification procedure. The optimized sequential protocol comprises a centrifugation, acidification and neutralization step, followed by application of an affinity chromatographic column and finally further separation on an acidic cation exchange column and a basic anion exchanger. This scheme shows effective clean-up of a standard radiolabelled nucleoside with a recovery of 92.5%, and recovery of nucleosides added to urine samples before extraction showed recoveries of 72-82%.