Biotin and fluorescent labeling of RNA using T4 RNA ligase.

Biotin, fluorescein, and tetramethylrhodamine derivatives of P1-(6-aminohex-1-yl)-P2-(5'-adenosine) pyrophosphate were synthesized and used as substrates with T4 RNA ligase. In the absence of ATP, the non-adenylyl portion of these substrates is transferred to the 3'-hydroxyl of an RNA acceptor to form a phosphodiester bond and the AMP portion is released. E. coli and D. melanogaster 5S RNA, yeast tRNAPhe, (Ap)3C, and (Ap)3A serve as acceptors with yields of products varying from 50 to 100%. Biotin-labeled oligonucleotides are bound selectively and quantitatively to avidin-agarose and may be eluted with 6 M guanidine hydrochloride, pH 2.5. Fluorescein and tetramethylrhodamine-labeled oligonucleotides are highly fluorescent and show no quenching due to attachment to the acceptor. The diverse structures of the appended groups and of the chain lengths and compositions of the acceptor RNAs show that T4 RNA ligase will be a useful modification reagent for the addition of various functional groups to the 3'-terminus of RNA molecules.     

Recent developments in methods for RNA sequencing using in vitro 32P-labeling

A variety of approaches that utilize in vitro 32P-labeling of RNA and of oligonucleotides in the sequence analysis of RNAs are described. These include 1) methods for 5'- and 3'- end labeling of RNAs; 2) end labeling and sequencing of oligonucleotides present in complete T1 RNase or pancreatic RNase digests of RNA; 3) use of random endonucleases, such as nuclease P1, for terminal sequence analysis of end labeled RNAs; and 4) use of base specific enzymes or chemical reagents in the sequence analysis of end-labeled RNAs. Also described is an approach to RNA sequencing, applied so far to tRNAs, which is based on partial and random alkaline cleavage of an RNA to generate a series of overlapping oligonucleotide fragments, all containing the original 3'-end of the RNA. Analysis of the 5'- end group of each of these oligonucleotides (following 5'-end labeling with 32P) provides the sequence of most of the tRNA. The above methods have been used to derive the sequences of several tRNAs, the ribosomal 5S and 5 x 8S RNAs, a viroid RNA, and large segments of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic ribosomal and messenger RNAs.     

In vitro synthesis of full-length influenza virus complementary RNA.

Influenza virus-specific RNA has been synthesized in vitro, using cytoplasmic or microsomal fractions of influenza virus-infected MDCK cells. The RNA polymerase activity was stimulated 5-30 times by priming with ApG. About 20-30% of the product was polyadenylated. Most of the in vitro product was of positive polarity, as shown by hybridization to strand specific probes and by T1 fingerprinting of the poly(A)+ and poly(A)- RNA segments encoding haemagglutinin and nucleoprotein. The size of poly(A)- RNA segments, determined on sequencing gels, was indistinguishable from that of virion RNA, whereas poly(A)+ RNA segments contain poly(A) tails approximately 50 nucleotides long. The size of in vitro synthesized RNA segments was also determined by gel electrophoresis of S1-treated double-stranded RNAs, obtained by hybridization of poly(A)+ or poly(A)- RNA fractions with excess of unlabelled virion RNA. The results of these experiments indicate that poly(A)- RNA contains full-length complementary RNA. This conclusion is further substantiated by the presence of additional oligonucleotides in the T1 fingerprints of in vitro synthesized poly(A)- haemagglutinin or nucleoprotein RNA, selected by hybridization to cloned DNA probes corresponding to the 3' termini of the genes.     

Circular RNA oligonucleotides. Synthesis, nucleic acid binding properties, and a comparison with circular DNAs.

We report the synthesis and nucleic acid binding properties of two cyclic RNA oligonucleotides designed to bind single-stranded nucleic acids by pyr.pur.pyr-type triple helix formation. The circular RNAs are 34 nucleotides in size and were cyclized using a template-directed nonenzymatic ligation. To ensure isomeric 3'-5' purity in the ligation reaction, one nucleotide at the ligation site is a 2'-deoxyribose. One circle (1) is complementary to the sequence 5'-A12, and the second (2) is complementary to 5'-AAGAAAGAAAAG. Results of thermal denaturation experiments and mixing studies show that both circles bind complementary single-stranded DNA or RNA substrates by triple helix formation, in which two domains in a pyrimidine-rich circle sandwich a central purine-rich substrate. The affinities of these circles with their purine complements are much higher than the affinities of either the linear precursors or simple Watson-Crick DNA complements. For example, circle 1 binds rA12 (pH 7.0, 10 mM MgCl2, 100 mM NaCl) with a Tm of 48 degrees C and a Kd (37 degrees C) of 4.1 x 10(-9) M, while the linear precursor of the circle binds with a Tm of 34 degrees C and a Kd of 1.2 x 10(-6) M. The complexes of circle 2 are pH-dependent, as expected for triple helical complexes involving C(+)G.C triads, and mixing plots for both circles reveal one-to-one stoichiometry of binding either to RNA or DNA substrates. Comparison of circular RNAs with previously synthesized circular DNA oligonucleotides of the same sequence reveals similar behavior in the binding of DNA, but strikingly different behavior in the binding of RNA. The cyclic DNAs show high DNA-binding selectivity, giving relatively weaker duplex-type binding with complementary RNAs. The relative order of thermodynamic stability for the four types of triplex studied here is found to be DDD >> RRR > RDR >> DRD. The results are discussed in the context of recent reports of strong triplex dependence on RNA versus DNA backbones. Triplex-forming circular RNAs represent a novel and potentially useful strategy for high-affinity binding of RNA.     

A hybridization procedure for the isolation of specific RNA segments applied to the analysis of bacteriophage Qbeta RNA.

A method for the isolation of RNA fragments originating from defined regions of bacteriophage Qbeta RNA minus strands is described. Large RNase T1 oligonucleotides were isolated on a preparative scale from Qbeta RNA. The nucleotide sequences (13 to 26 nucleotides) and map positions of these oligonucleotides were known from previous work (Billeter, M. A. (1978) J. Biol. Chem. 253, 8381-8389). After addition of AMP residues (50 in the average) using terminal adenylate transferase, these pure oligonucleotides were hybridized to 32P-labeled Qbeta RNA minus strands synthesized in vitro. Fragments in the size range of 100 to 500 nucleotides were then generated by partial digestion with RNase T1. Fragments hybridized to such oligonucleotides were recovered by chromatography on poly(U)-Sephadex and then resolved according to their size by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The specificity and reproducibility of the method as well as its suitability for the sequence analysis of Qbeta RNA was verified by using in particular a linker oligonucleotide derived from a Qbeta RNA region near the 3' end. The sequence catalogues of the RNase T1 and RNase A oligonucleotides of two fragments isolated in this way, 202 and 310 nucleotides in length, were established and all fragments isolated were shown to contain a sequence complementary to the linker oligonucleotide.     

Fingerprinting studies of the maturation of ribosomal RNA in mammalian cells.

32P-labelled ribosomal RNA of L 5178 Y cells (a mouse cell line) was digested with T1 ribonuclease and fingerprinted by electrophoresis at pH 3.5 on cellulose acetate and homochromatography on DEAE-cellulose thin-layer plate. From this, it can be concluded that 18-S and 28-S RNA have different and characteristic fingerprints and that the number, the size and the frequency of the large T1 oligonucleotides demonstrate that the guanylic residues are randomly interspaced along the molecule. Using a double-labelling technique with 32P-labelled 45-S RNA and 14C-labelled 18-S RNA or 28-S RNA, long T1 oligonucleotides of the 45-S RNA can be divided into three classes: (a) those which are lost during the transition, (b) those which are present in the 18-S RNA and (c) those which are present in the 28-S RNA. These results provide direct evidence for the existence of one common precursor for the two mature ribosomal RNAs. The comparison of the fingerprints of T1-ribonuclease-digested 47-S, 45-S and 41-S RNA shows that the 47-S and 41-S RNA have a characteristic ribosomal pattern. Finally the size, the number and the mobility of the oligonucleotides present in the different RNA precursors but absent from the mature RNA demonstrate that the non-conversed RNA pieces do not have a monotonous and repetitive sequence.     

Thermal stability of turnip yellow mosaic virus RNA: effect of pH and multivalent cations on RNA deaggregation and degradation.

Light scattering studies of RNA isolated from turnip yellow mosaic virus (TYMV) revealed a molar mass of 1.9.10(6) g mol-1, which is close to the value of 2.0.10(6) g mol-1 published for intact genomic TYMV RNA (2M RNA). However, gel electrophoresis under denaturing conditions demonstrated that only 30-40% of this native RNA was 2M RNA. Sucrose gradient centrifugation revealed the occurrence of a series of smaller RNA size classes, the mass ratios of which were greatly influenced by the pH of the solution and the presence of EDTA. These results suggest that native TYMV RNA preparations originally contain a mixture of intact RNA particles and of aggregates of RNA fragments with the same molar mass of about 2.10(6) g mol-1, and that the size classes are intermediates in the deaggregation process of the degraded genomic TYMV RNA. The native RNA displayed pH-dependent deaggregation and degradation. The degradation process of 2M RNA followed (pseudo) first-order kinetics. Lower degradation rates were observed for RNA depleted of divalent cations and polyamines. For depleted 2M RNA an enthalpy of activation of about 100 kJ mol-1 and an almost zero entropy of activation was calculated. Similar values were also found for depleted E. coli ribosomal RNAs and depleted MS2 RNA, demonstrating that all RNAs are equally vulnerable to degradation. In the presence of multivalent cations the activation enthalpy for 2M TYMV RNA degradation increased to 150 kJ mol-1 and the entropy of activation to 150 J K-1 mol-1, indicative for a different degradation mechanism.     

Recognition of duplex DNA by RNA polynucleotides.

We are interested in creating artificial gene repressors based on duplex DNA recognition by nucleic acids. Homopyrimidine RNA oligonucleotides bind to duplex DNA at homopurine/homopyrimidine sequences under slightly acidic conditions. Recognition is sequence-specific, involving rU.dA.dT and rC+.dG.dC base triplets. Affinities were determined for folded polymeric RNAs (ca. 100-200 nt) containing 0, 1 or 3 copies of a 21 nt RNA sequence that binds duplex DNA by triple helix formation. When this recognition sequence was inserted into the larger folded RNAs, micromolar concentrations of the resulting RNA ligands bound a duplex DNA target at pH 5. However, these binding affinities were at least 20-fold lower than the affinity of an RNA oligonucleotide containing only the recognition sequence. Enzymatic probing of folded RNAs suggests that reduced affinity arises from unfavorable electrostatic, structural and topological considerations. The affinity of a polymeric RNA with three copies of the recognition sequence was greater than that of a polymeric RNA with a single copy of the sequence. This affinity difference ranged from 2.6- to 13-fold, depending on pH. Binding of duplex DNA by polymeric RNA might be improved by optimizing the RNA structure to efficiently present the recognition sequence.     

Approaches to sequence analysis of 125I-labeled RNA.

A method is described for the initial steps of sequence analysis of RNase T1-and pancreatic RN-ase-resistant oligonucleotides of RNA containing cytidylate residues labeled in vitro with 125I. In many cases an oligonucleotide sequence can be deduced from a consideration of (i) its relative position in the two-dimensional fingerprint (with DEAE thin layer homochromatographic second dimension), (ii) its electrophoretic mobility on DEAE paper at pH 1.9, and (iii) identification of its products of further enzymatic digestion by comparison with a set of marker oligonucleotides. Additional methods including analysis of oligonucleotides following chemical blocking of uridylate residues with CMCT and analysis of products of incomplete enzymatic digestion are also discussed.     

Spleen focus-forming Friend virus: identification of genomic RNA and its relationship to helper virus RNA.

The genome of the defective, murine spleen focus-forming Friend virus (SFFV) was identified as a 50S RNA complex consisting of 32S RNA monomers. Electrophoretic mobility and the molecular weights of unique RNase T1-resistant oligonucleotides (T1-oligonucleotides) indicated that the 32S RNA had a complexity of about 7.4 kilobases. Hybridization with DNA complementary to Friend murine leukemia virus (Fr-MLV) has distinguished two sets of nucleotide sequences in 32S SFFV RNA, 74% which were Fr-MLV related and 26% which were SFFV specific. By the same method, SFFV RNA was 48% related to Moloney MLV. We have resolved 23 large T1-oligonucleotides of SFFV RNA and 43 of Fr-MLV RNA. On the basis of the relationship between SFFV and Fr-MLV RNAs, the 23 SFFV oligonucleotides fell into four classes: (i) seven which had homologous equivalents in Fr-MLV RNA; (ii) six more which could be isolated from SFFV RNA-Fr-MLV cDNA hybrids treated with RNases A and T1; (iii) eight more which were isolated from hybrids treated with RNases A and T1; and (iv) two which did not have Fr-MLV-related counterparts. Surprisingly, the two class iv oligonucleotides had homologous counterparts in the RNA of six amphotropic MLV's including mink cell focus-forming and HIX-MLVs analyzed previously. The map locations of the 23 SFFV T1-oligonucleotides relative to the 3' polyadenylic acid coordinate of SFFV RNA were deduced from the size of the smallest polyadenylic acid-tagged RNA fragment from which a given oligonucleotide was isolated. The resulting oligonucleotide map could be divided roughly into three segments: two terminal segments which are mosaics of oligonucleotides of classes i, ii, and iii and an internal segment between 2 and 2.5 kilobases from the 3' end containing the two oligonucleotides shared with amphotropic MLVs. Since SFFV RNA consists predominantly of sequence elements related to ecotropic and amphotropic helper-independent MLVs, it would appear that the transforming gene of SFFV is not a major specific sequence unrelated to genes of helper viruses, as is the case with Rous sarcoma and probably withe other defective sarcoma and acute leukemia viruses.     

Sequence and location of large RNase T1 oligonucleotides in bacteriophage Qbeta RNA.

Twenty-nine oligonucleotides, 11 to 26 nucleotides in length, arising by complete RNase T1 digestion of bacteriophage Qbeta RNA and isolated by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, were sequenced. Their location within the genome was established with two methods. (a) In vitro synthesis of Qbeta RNA plus strands was started synchronously, using minus strands as template and nucleoside [alpha-32P]triphosphates as substrate; after various times, the reaction was stopped and the length of the products formed was correlated with their content of T1 oligonucleotides. (b) Qbeta [32P]RNA was elongated with poly(A) using terminal riboadenylate transferase; after mild treatment with alkali the fragments were fractionated by size and the poly(A)-containing molecules of each size class were isolated by chromatography on poly(U)-Sephadex and assayed for T1 oligonucleotides. The oligonucleotides in the 5' region were localized more precisely with method a, those near the 3' end with method b; in the middle region, the results of the two sets of analyses confirmed each other. The use of these oligonucleotides in the sequence determination of Qbeta RNA is discussed.