Studies of virus structure by laser-Raman spectroscopy. II. MS2 phage, MS2 capsids and MS2 RNA in aqueous solutions.

Laser-Raman spectra of the bacteriophage MS2, and of its isolated coat-protein and RNA components, have been obtained as a function of temperature in both H₂O and D₂O (deuterium oxide) solutions. The prominent Raman lines in the spectra are assigned to the amino acid residues and polypeptide backbone of the viral coat protein and to the nucleotide residues and ribosyl-phosphate backbone of the viral RNA. The Raman frequencies and intensities, and their temperature dependence, indicate the following features of MS2 structure and stability. Coat-protein molecules in the native phage maintain a conformation determined largely by regions of β-sheet (~60%) and random-chain (~40%) structures. There are no disulfide bridges in the virion and all sulfhydryl groups are accessible to solvent molecules. Protein-protein interactions in the virion are stable up to 50 °C. Release of viral RNA from the virion does not affect either the conformation of the coat-protein molecules or the thermal stability of the capsid. MS2 RNA within the virion contains a highly ordered secondary structure in which most (~85%) of the bases are either paired or stacked or both paired and stacked and in which the RNA backbone assumes a geometry of the A-type. When RNA is partially or fully released from the virion its overall secondary structure at 32 °C is unchanged. However, the exposed RNA is more susceptible to changes in secondary structure promoted by increasing the temperature. Thus the viral capsid exerts a significant stabilizing effect on the secondary structure of MS2 RNA. This stabilization is ionic-strength dependent, being more pronounced in solutions containing high concentrations of KCl. Raman intensity profiles as a function of temperature reveal that disordering of the MS2 RNA backbone and rupture of hydrogen-bonding between complementary bases are gradual processes, the major portions of which occur above 40 °C. However, the unstacking of purine and pyrimidine bases is a more co-operative phenomenon occurring almost exclusively above 55 °C.     

Crystallographic studies of ligand binding by Zn-alpha2-glycoprotein

Zn-alpha2-glycoprotein (ZAG) is a 41 kDa soluble protein that is present in most bodily fluids. The previously reported 2.8 A crystal structure of ZAG isolated from human serum demonstrated the structural similarity between ZAG and class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules and revealed a non-peptidic ligand in the ZAG counterpart of the MHC peptide-binding groove. Here we present crystallographic studies to explore further the nature of the non-peptidic ligand in the ZAG groove. Comparison of the structures of several forms of recombinant ZAG, including a 1.95 A structure derived from ZAG expressed in insect cells, suggests that the non-peptidic ligand in the current structures and in the structure of serum ZAG is a polyethylene glycol (PEG), which is present in the crystallization conditions used. Further support for PEG binding in the ZAG groove is provided by the finding that PEG displaces a fluorophore-tagged fatty acid from the ZAG binding site. From these results we hypothesize that our purified forms of ZAG do not contain a bound endogenous ligand, but that the ZAG groove is capable of binding hydrophobic molecules, which may relate to its function.     

Crystallographic structure of tubulin: implications for dynamics and drug binding

The structure of tubulin, recently solved by electron crystallography, has given a first look at the molecular basis for some of the properties of tubulin and microtubules that have been observed over the last decades. We discuss how the structure relates to some of these properties, and how inferences about drug binding sites can explain some of the effects of the drugs on tubulin. Microtubules can form a highly dynamic system that requires careful tuning of the stability and properties of tubulin and its interactions with its many ligands. Understanding these interactions can provide fundamental information on the regulation of the microtubule system.     

The three-dimensional structure of genomic RNA in bacteriophage MS2: implications for assembly

Using cryo-electron microscopy, single particle image processing and three-dimensional reconstruction with icosahedral averaging, we have determined the three-dimensional solution structure of bacteriophage MS2 capsids reassembled from recombinant protein in the presence of short oligonucleotides. We have also significantly extended the resolution of the previously reported structure of the wild-type MS2 virion. The structures of recombinant MS2 capsids reveal clear density for bound RNA beneath the coat protein binding sites on the inner surface of the T = 3 MS2 capsid, and show that a short extension of the minimal assembly initiation sequence that promotes an increase in the efficiency of assembly, interacts with the protein capsid forming a network of bound RNA. The structure of the wild-type MS2 virion at ∼9 Å resolution reveals icosahedrally ordered density encompassing ∼90% of the single-stranded RNA genome. The genome in the wild-type virion is arranged as two concentric shells of density, connected along the 5-fold symmetry axes of the particle. This novel RNA fold provides new constraints for models of viral assembly.     

The RNA binding site of bacteriophage MS2 coat protein.

The coat protein of the RNA bacteriophage MS2 binds a specific stem-loop structure in viral RNA to accomplish encapsidation of the genome and translational repression of replicase synthesis. In order to identify the structural components of coat protein required for its RNA binding function, a series of repressor-defective mutants has been isolated. To ensure that the repressor defects were due to substitution of binding site residues, the mutant coat proteins were screened for retention of the ability to form virus-like particles. Since virus assembly presumably requires native structure, this approach eliminated mutants whose repressor defects were secondary consequences of protein folding or stability defects. Each of the variant coat proteins was purified and its ability to bind operator RNA in vitro was measured. DNA sequence analysis identified the nucleotide and amino acid substitutions responsible for reduced RNA binding affinity. Localization of the substituted sites in the three-dimensional structure of coat protein reveals that amino acid residues on three adjacent strands of the coat protein beta-sheet are required for translational repression and RNA binding. The sidechains of the affected residues form a contiguous patch on the interior surface of the viral coat.     

RNA binding assays for Tat-derived peptides: implications for specificity.

RNA recognition by the HIV Tat protein is mediated in part by an arginine- and lysine-rich basic subdomain implicated as a signature element in proteins that bind RNA. Relative RNA binding affinities for a 14-residue peptide derived from Tat that spans the basic region are determined using a competition protocol. Binding specificity is compared with complexation by a 38-residue model for the RNA binding domain of Tat using the same approach. Binding strength for the minimal (14 residue) peptide is correlated with that for the longer peptide: both peptides recognize a short, bulged duplex. However, the shorter peptide dissociates more rapidly from the wild-type site and discriminates less well between nonspecific (double-stranded RNA) and specific sites. Relative dissociation constants for 38-residue peptide determined from direct partition and competition assays differ; the former assay consistently predicts stronger discrimination against RNAs with mutations in the stems flanking the bulge. Differences between the two assays are reconciled in terms of contributions from labile binding which is unstable to native gel electrophoresis. Kinetic stability may constitute a major specificity determinant for basic subdomain-mediated recognition of RNA.     

MS2 RNA has a potential to form an unusually large number of stable hairpins

Several long nucleotide sequences were analysed to find out if any of them are unusual in terms of the possible formation of “hairpins” (pairs of complementary runs of nucleotides forming double-stranded structures) as compared to random sequences. The RNA of MS2 bacteriophage has more potential hairpins with short loops (up to 10 bases in a loop) than found in random sequences with the same length and base composition. Other analyzed nucleotide sequences (SV40, φX174, Fd and 16S rRNA) behaved very much as their corresponding random ones. Most of the extra hairpins of the MS2 RNA are estimated to be thermodynamically stable. These potential hairpins might play some role in the function of the MS2 RNA.     

Complementation of RNA binding site mutations in MS2 coat protein heterodimers.

The coat protein of bacteriophage MS2 functions as a symmetric dimer to bind an asymmetric RNA hairpin. This implies the existence of two equivalent RNA binding sites related to one another by a 2-fold symmetry axis. In this view the symmetric binding site defined by mutations conferring the repressor-defective phenotype is a composite picture of these two asymmetric sites. In order to determine whether the RNA ligand interacts with amino acid residues on both subunits of the dimer and in the hope of constructing a functional map of the RNA binding site, we performed heterodimer complementation experiments. Taking advantage of the physical proximity of their N- and C-termini, the two subunits of the dimer were genetically fused, producing a duplicated coat protein which folds normally and allows the construction of the functional equivalent of obligatory heterodimers containing all possible pairwise combinations of the repressor-defective mutations. The restoration of repressor function in certain heterodimers shows that a single RNA molecule interacts with both subunits of the dimer and allows the construction of a functional map of the binding site.     

Crystallographic binding studies with triosephosphate isomerases: conformational changes induced by substrate and substrate-analogues.

TIM catalyses the interconversion of a triosephosphate aldehyde into a triosephosphate ketone. This is a simple chemical reaction in which only protons are transferred. The crystallographic studies of TIM from chicken, yeast and trypanosome complexed with substrate and substrate analogues are discussed. The substrate binds in a deep pocket. On substrate binding, large conformational changes are induced in three loops. As a result of these conformational changes in the liganded structure, the active site pocket is sealed off from bulk solvent and the sidechain of the catalytic glutamate becomes optimally positioned for catalysis.     

Translational stimulation: RNA sequence and structure requirements for binding of Com protein.

Translation of the bacteriophage Mu mom gene is positively regulated by the phage Com protein. We report here that purified Com protein specifically stimulates mom gene expression in vitro. Furthermore, Com is shown to bind a site in the mom translational initiation region (TIR) in a sequence-specific manner. In vitro RNA footprint experiments have been used to define the Com-binding site and to study mRNA secondary structure in the mom TIR. Com binding is shown to correlate with a conformational change in the mom TIR both in vivo and in vitro. The role of secondary structure was further examined by testing the effects of mutations in the TIR on translation and stimulation. The results support a model for translational stimulation in which Com binding induces a conformational change in the mom mRNA, thereby enhancing ribosome binding.     

Crystallographic studies of azide, thiocyanate and perchlorate complexes of methemerythrin.

Difference Fourier maps of azide, thiocyanate and perchlorate complexes of methemerythrin from Themiste dyscritum have been calculated at 4 Å, 3.5 Å and 3.5 Å resolution, respectively, with phases from a refined model. N^?₃ and SCN^? bind to the Fe complex in each subunit, indicating the mode of oxygen binding and suggesting a possible route followed by the anions in reaching the complex. ClO^?₄ binds in two different locations on the non-crystallographic 2-fold axes near cysteine 9 and cysteine 50, apparently being held to the protein by peptide amides and lysine side-chains. Binding of ClO^?₄ at these locations away from the Fe complex is observed to have some effect on the active site structure.     

Investigating the structural basis of purine specificity in the structures of MS2 coat protein RNA translational operator hairpins

We have determined the structures of complexes between the phage MS2 coat protein and variants of the replicase translational operator in order to explore the sequence specificity of the RNA–protein interaction. The 19-nt RNA hairpins studied have substitutions at two positions that have been shown to be important for specific binding. At one of these positions, –10, which is a bulged adenosine (A) in the stem of the wild-type operator hairpin, substitutions were made with guanosine (G), cytidine (C) and two non-native bases, 2-aminopurine (2AP) and inosine (I). At the other position, –7 in the hairpin loop, the native adenine was substituted with a cytidine. Of these, only the G-10, C-10 and C-7 variants showed interpretable density for the RNA hairpin. In spite of large differences in binding affinities, the structures of the variant complexes are very similar to the wild-type operator complex. For G-10 substitutions in hairpin variants that can form bulges at alternative places in the stem, the binding affinity is low and a partly disordered conformation is seen in the electron density maps. The affinity is similar to that of wild-type when the base pairs adjacent to the bulged nucleotide are selected to avoid alternative conformations. Both purines bind in a very similar way in a pocket in the protein. In the C-10 variant, which has very low affinity, the cytidine is partly inserted in the protein pocket rather than intercalated in the RNA stem. Substitution of the wild-type adenosine at position –7 by pyrimidines gives strongly reduced affinities, but the structure of the C-7 complex shows that the base occupies the same position as the A-7 in the wild-type RNA. It is stacked in the RNA and makes no direct contact with the protein.     

Multinuclear NMR studies of DNA hairpins. 2. Sequence-dependent structural variations

The solution conformation of three related DNA hairpins, each with five bases in the loop, is investigated by proton and phosphorus 2D NMR methods. The sequences of the three oligomers are d(CGCGTTGTTCGCG), d(CGCGTTTGTCGCG), and d(CTGCTCTTGTTGAGCAG). One pair of hairpins shares the same stem sequence but differs in the loop, and the appearance of an unusual phosphate torsion in the stem is found to depend on the sequence in the loop of the hairpin. The second pair of hairpins shares the same loop region but differs in the stem sequence in that the base pair which closes the loop is a C-G or G-C pair. The pattern of NOEs reveals that the stacking arrangement in the loop region depends on the base pair that closes the stem. These results suggest that hairpin loop conformation and dynamics are sensitive to small changes in the loop and adjacent stem sequences. These findings are discussed in relation to sequence-dependent thermodynamic changes that have been observed in RNA hairpins.     

The binding of T4 gene 32 protein to MS2 virus RNA and transfer RNA.

Fluorescence titrations, absorption spectroscopy and stopped-flow techniques were used to study the interaction of T4 coded 32-protein (P 32) with MS2 RNA and total tRNA from E. coli under different ionic conditions. It is shown that the amount of MS2 RNA and tRNA secondary structure melted by P 32 varies markedly and reversibly within a range of ionic conditions under which the binding constant of P 32 to single-stranded nucleic acids unable to form stable hairpins remains higher than 10(8) M-1. Kinetic experiments suggest that P 32 dissociates from the MS2 RNA rewinding strand with a similar rate constant as calculated for the dissociation from single-stranded regions. Possible in vivo consequences of these findings are discussed.     

Crystal structures of restrictocin-inhibitor complexes with implications for RNA recognition and base flipping.

The cytotoxin sarcin disrupts elongation factor binding and protein synthesis by specifically cleaving one phosphodiester bond in ribosomes. To elucidate the molecular basis of toxin action, we determined three cocrystal structures of the sarcin homolog restrictocin bound to different analogs that mimic the target sarcin/ricin loop (SRL) structure of the rat 28S rRNA. In these structures, restrictocin contacts the bulged-G motif and an unfolded form of the tetraloop of the SRL RNA. In one structure, toxin loops guide selection of the target site by contacting the base critical for recognition (G4319) and the surrounding S-shaped backbone. In another structure, base flipping of the tetraloop enables cleavage by placing the target nucleotide in the active site with the nucleophile nearly inline for attack on the scissile bond. These structures provide the first views of how a site-specific protein endonuclease recognizes and cleaves a folded RNA substrate.     

A short motif in Drosophila SECIS Binding Protein 2 provides differential binding affinity to SECIS RNA hairpins

Selenoproteins contain the amino acid selenocysteine which is encoded by a UGA Sec codon. Recoding UGA Sec requires a complex mechanism, comprising the cis-acting SECIS RNA hairpin in the 3′UTR of selenoprotein mRNAs, and trans-acting factors. Among these, the SECIS Binding Protein 2 (SBP2) is central to the mechanism. SBP2 has been so far functionally characterized only in rats and humans. In this work, we report the characterization of the Drosophila melanogaster SBP2 (dSBP2). Despite its shorter length, it retained the same selenoprotein synthesis-promoting capabilities as the mammalian counterpart. However, a major difference resides in the SECIS recognition pattern: while human SBP2 (hSBP2) binds the distinct form 1 and 2 SECIS RNAs with similar affinities, dSBP2 exhibits high affinity toward form 2 only. In addition, we report the identification of a K (lysine)-rich domain in all SBP2s, essential for SECIS and 60S ribosomal subunit binding, differing from the well-characterized L7Ae RNA-binding domain. Swapping only five amino acids between dSBP2 and hSBP2 in the K-rich domain conferred reversed SECIS-binding properties to the proteins, thus unveiling an important sequence for form 1 binding.     

Crystallographic and modeling studies of RNase III suggest a mechanism for double-stranded RNA cleavage.

BACKGROUND: Aquifex aeolicus Ribonuclease III (Aa-RNase III) belongs to the family of Mg(2+)-dependent endonucleases that show specificity for double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). RNase III is conserved in all known bacteria and eukaryotes and has 1-2 copies of a 9-residue consensus sequence, known as the RNase III signature motif. The bacterial RNase III proteins are the simplest, consisting of two domains: an N-terminal endonuclease domain, followed by a double-stranded RNA binding domain (dsRBD). The three-dimensional structure of the dsRBD in Escherichia coli RNase III has been elucidated; no structural information is available for the endonuclease domain of any RNase III. RESULTS: We present the crystal structures of the Aa-RNase III endonuclease domain in its ligand-free form and in complex with Mn(2+). The structures reveal a novel protein fold and suggest a mechanism for dsRNA cleavage. On the basis of structural, genetic, and biological data, we have constructed a hypothetical model of Aa-RNase III in complex with dsRNA and Mg(2+) ion, which provides the first glimpse of RNase III in action. CONCLUSIONS: The functional Aa-RNase III dimer is formed via mainly hydrophobic interactions, including a "ball-and-socket" junction that ensures accurate alignment of the two monomers. The fold of the polypeptide chain and its dimerization create a valley with two compound active centers at each end of the valley. The valley can accommodate a dsRNA substrate. Mn(2+) binding has significant impact on crystal packing, intermolecular interactions, thermal stability, and the formation of two RNA-cutting sites within each compound active center.