RRNA folding

In addition to mRNA and tRNA, the third major class of RNA molecule required for protein synthesis is rRNA. Together with as many as 70 ribosomal proteins, rRNA folds into a two-subunit macromolecule complex called a ribosome (Chapter 5). In bacteria, the ribosomes attach to mRNA as it is being synthesized, thereby coupling transcription and translation. In eukaryotes, protein synthesis occurs in the cytoplasm, either by free ribosomes in the cytosol or by membrane-bound ribosomes associated with the endoplasmic reticulum. The differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic protein synthesis are illustrated in Figure 26.3. 

Ribosomes, the supramolecular assemblies where protein synthesis occurs, are about 65% RNA of the ribosomal RNA type. Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) molecules fold into characteristic secondary structures as a consequence of intramolecular hydrogen bond interactions (marginal figure). The different species of rRNA are generally referred to according to their sedimentation coefficients (see the Appendix to Chapter 5), which are a rough measure of their relative size (Table 11.2 and Figure 11.25). 

FIGURE 12.39 The proposed secondary structure for E. coli 16S rRNA, based on comparative sequence analysis in which the folding pattern is assumed to be conserved across different species. The molecule can be subdivided into four domains—I, II, III, and IV—on the basis of contiguous stretches of the chain that are closed by long-range base-pairing interactions. I, the 5 -domain, includes nucleotides 27 through 556. II, the central domain, runs from nucleotide 564 to 912. Two domains comprise the 3 -end of the molecule. Ill, the major one, comprises nucleotides 923 to 1391. IV, the 3 -terminal domain, covers residues 1392 to 1541. 

If a phylogenetic comparison is made of the 16S-Iike rRNAs from an archae-bacterium Halobacterium volcanii), a eubacterium E. coli), and a eukaryote (the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae), a striking similarity in secondary structure emerges (Figure 12.40). Remarkably, these secondary structures are similar despite the fact that the nucleotide sequences of these rRNAs themselves exhibit a low degree of similarity. Apparently, evolution is acting at the level of rRNA secondary structure, not rRNA nucleotide sequence. Similar conserved folding patterns are seen for the 23S-Iike and 5S-Iike rRNAs that reside in the... 

The universal antibiotic pactamycin targets a highly conserved region of 16S rRNA, contacting the tips of helices 23b and 24a in the central domain. Pactamycin folds up to mimic a RNA dinucleotide in that its... 

A strong link between the phosphorylation of nucleolin, its proteolysis and the production of ribosomal RNA has been observed (Bouche et al, 1984 Bourbon et al, 1983 Warrener and Petryshyn, 1991). The inhibition of proteolysis using leupeptin leads to a lower rRNA transcription in an in vitro transcription system (Bouche et al, 1984). In another series of experiments, the injection of nucleolin antiserum leads to 2-3.5 fold stimulation of pre-rRNA synthesis in Chironomus tentans salivary glands (Egyhazi et al, 1988), although it was not clearly demonstrated that these antibodies blocked specifically the homolog of nucleolin in this species. A model was proposed based on these observations where nucleolin was... 

R. H., Draper, D. E. Magnesium ion, fhiostrepton, and ribosomal protein Lll all induce folding of the same rRNA tertiary structure. RNA 1999. 

In contrast to DNA, RNAs do not form extended double helices. In RNAs, the base pairs (see p.84) usually only extend over a few residues. For this reason, substructures often arise that have a finger shape or clover-leaf shape in two-dimensional representations. In these, the paired stem regions are linked by loops. Large RNAs such as ribosomal 16S-rRNA (center) contain numerous stem and loop regions of this type. These sections are again folded three-dimensionally—i.e., like proteins, RNAs have a tertiary structure (see p.86). However, tertiary structures are only known of small RNAs, mainly tRNAs. The diagrams in Fig. B and on p.86 show that the clover-leaf structure is not recognizable in a three-dimensional representation. 

Self-splicing KNA. The precursor to the 26S rRNA of Tetrahymena contains a 413-nucleotide intron, which was shown by Cedi and coworkers to be selfsplicing, i.e., not to require a protein catalyst for maturation.581 582 This pre-rRNA is a ribozyme with true catalytic properties (Chapter 12). It folds into a complex three-dimensional structure which provides a binding site for free guanosine whose 3-OH attacks the phosphorus at the 5 end of the intron as shown in Fig. 28-18A, step a. The reaction is a simple displacement on phosphorus, a transesterification similar to that in the first step of pancreatic ribonuclease action (Eq. 12-25). The resulting free 3-OH then attacks the phosphorus atom at the other end of the intron (step b) to accomplish the splicing and to release the intron as a linear polynucleotide. The excised intron undergoes... 

The sequences of all three pieces of RNA in the E. coli ribosomes are known as are those from many other species. These include eukaryotic mitochondrial, plas-tid, and cytosolic rRNA. From the sequences alone, it was clear that these long molecules could fold into a complex series of hairpin loops resembling those in tRNA. For example, the 16S rRNA of E. coli can fold as in Fig. 29-2A and eukaryotic 18S RNA in a similar way (Fig. 29-4).38/39/67 69 The actual secondary structures of 16S and 18S RNAs, within the folded molecules revealed by X-ray crystallography, are very similar to that shown in Fig. 29-2A. Ribosomal RNAs undergo many posttranscriptional alterations. Methylation of 2 -hydroxyls and of the nucleic acid bases as well as conversion to pseudouridines (pp. 1638-1641) predominate over 200 modifications, principally in functionally important locations that have been found in human rRNA.69a... 

Figure 29-2 (A) Secondary structure model for the 1542-residue E. coli 16S rRNA based on comparative sequence analysis.733 Dots indicate G U or A G pairs dashes indicate G C or A U pairs. Strongly implied tertiary interactions are shown by solid green lines. Helix numbering according to Brimacombe. Courtesy of Robin Gutell. (B) Simplified schematic drawing of type often used. (C) Positions of the A, P, and E sites on the 30S ribosomal subunit from Carter et al7° (D) Stereoscopic view of the three-dimensional fold of the 16S RNA from Thermus thermophilus as revealed by X-ray structural analysis at 0.3 nm resolution. Features labeled are the head (H), beak (Be), neck (N), platform (P), shoulder (Sh), spur (Sp), and body (Bo). (E-H) Selected parts of the 16S RNA. In (E) and (F) the helices are numbered as in (A). (F) and (H) are stereoscopic views. The decoding site...

Proteins that bind to the RNA may influence the folding. As a consequence, patterns of sequence co-variations that have evolved for RNAs that are functional in complexes with proteins (e. g., rRNA, RNAse P-RNA) might not conform very well with predicted folding for the isolated RNA. 

Michot, B., Hassouna, N. and Bachellerie, J.P. (1984) Secondary structure of mouse 28S rRNA and general model for the folding of the large rRNA in eukaryotes. Nucleic Acids Research 12, 4259 t279. 

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