scholarly journals A human postcatalytic spliceosome structure reveals essential roles of metazoan factors for exon ligation

Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 363 (6428) ◽  
pp. 710-714 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian M. Fica ◽  
Chris Oubridge ◽  
Max E. Wilkinson ◽  
Andrew J. Newman ◽  
Kiyoshi Nagai
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Alternative Splicing ◽  
Splice Site ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Messenger Rna ◽  
Functional Assays ◽  
Exon Ligation ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Fine Tune

During exon ligation, the Saccharomyces cerevisiae spliceosome recognizes the 3′-splice site (3′SS) of precursor messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) through non–Watson-Crick pairing with the 5′SS and the branch adenosine, in a conformation stabilized by Prp18 and Prp8. Here we present the 3.3-angstrom cryo–electron microscopy structure of a human postcatalytic spliceosome just after exon ligation. The 3′SS docks at the active site through conserved RNA interactions in the absence of Prp18. Unexpectedly, the metazoan-specific FAM32A directly bridges the 5′-exon and intron 3′SS of pre-mRNA and promotes exon ligation, as shown by functional assays. CACTIN, SDE2, and NKAP—factors implicated in alternative splicing—further stabilize the catalytic conformation of the spliceosome during exon ligation. Together these four proteins act as exon ligation factors. Our study reveals how the human spliceosome has co-opted additional proteins to modulate a conserved RNA-based mechanism for 3′SS selection and to potentially fine-tune alternative splicing at the exon ligation stage.

scholarly journals Structures of the Human Spliceosomes Before and After Release of the Ligated Exon

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaofeng Zhang ◽  
Xiechao Zhan ◽  
Chuangye Yan ◽  
Wenyu Zhang ◽  
Dongliang Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Splice Site ◽  
Mrna Splicing ◽  
Small Nuclear Rna ◽  
Exon Ligation ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Branch Point Sequence ◽  
Nuclear Rna ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Functional States

Pre-mRNA splicing is executed by the spliceosome, which has eight major functional states each with distinct composition. Five of these eight human spliceosomal complexes, all preceding exon ligation, have been structurally characterized. In this study, we report the cryo-electron microscopy structures of the human post-catalytic spliceosome (P complex) and intron lariat spliceosome (ILS) at average resolutions of 3.0 and 2.9 Å, respectively. In the P complex, the ligated exon remains anchored to loop I of U5 small nuclear RNA, and the 3'-splice site is recognized by the junction between the 5'-splice site and the branch point sequence. The ATPase/helicase Prp22, along with the ligated exon and eight other proteins, are dissociated in the P-to-ILS transition. Intriguingly, the ILS complex exists in two distinct conformations, one with the ATPase/helicase Prp43 and one without. Comparison of these three late-stage human spliceosomes reveals mechanistic insights into exon release and spliceosome disassembly.

RNA Splicing by the Spliceosome

2020 ◽  
Vol 89 (1) ◽  
pp. 359-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max E. Wilkinson ◽  
Clément Charenton ◽  
Kiyoshi Nagai
Keyword(s):  
Splice Site ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Rna Splicing ◽  
Messenger Rna ◽  
Structural Studies ◽  
U2 Snrna ◽  
U6 Snrna ◽  
Mature Mrna ◽  
Catalytic Metal ◽  
Small Nuclear Ribonucleoproteins

The spliceosome removes introns from messenger RNA precursors (pre-mRNA). Decades of biochemistry and genetics combined with recent structural studies of the spliceosome have produced a detailed view of the mechanism of splicing. In this review, we aim to make this mechanism understandable and provide several videos of the spliceosome in action to illustrate the intricate choreography of splicing. The U1 and U2 small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) mark an intron and recruit the U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP. Transfer of the 5′ splice site (5′SS) from U1 to U6 snRNA triggers unwinding of U6 snRNA from U4 snRNA. U6 folds with U2 snRNA into an RNA-based active site that positions the 5′SS at two catalytic metal ions. The branch point (BP) adenosine attacks the 5′SS, producing a free 5′ exon. Removal of the BP adenosine from the active site allows the 3′SS to bind, so that the 5′ exon attacks the 3′SS to produce mature mRNA and an excised lariat intron.

scholarly journals How a circularized tmRNA moves through the ribosome

Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 363 (6428) ◽  
pp. 740-744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher D. Rae ◽  
Yuliya Gordiyenko ◽  
V. Ramakrishnan
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Messenger Rna ◽  
Small Protein ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Nascent Polypeptide ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Small Protein B ◽  
Protein B

During trans-translation, transfer-messenger RNA (tmRNA) and small protein B (SmpB) together rescue ribosomes stalled on a truncated mRNA and tag the nascent polypeptide for degradation. We used cryo–electron microscopy to determine the structures of three key states of the tmRNA-SmpB-ribosome complex during trans translation at resolutions of 3.7 to 4.4 angstroms. The results show how tmRNA and SmpB act specifically on stalled ribosomes and how the circularized complex moves through the ribosome, enabling translation to switch from the old defective message to the reading frame on tmRNA.

scholarly journals Dimeric structures of quinol-dependent nitric oxide reductases (qNORs) revealed by cryo–electron microscopy

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (8) ◽  
pp. eaax1803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chai C. Gopalasingam ◽  
Rachel M. Johnson ◽  
George N. Chiduza ◽  
Takehiko Tosha ◽  
Masaki Yamamoto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Cytochrome C ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Proton Transport ◽  
Water Channel ◽  
Water Molecules ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Proton Source ◽  
Key Residues

Quinol-dependent nitric oxide reductases (qNORs) are membrane-integrated, iron-containing enzymes of the denitrification pathway, which catalyze the reduction of nitric oxide (NO) to the major ozone destroying gas nitrous oxide (N2O). Cryo–electron microscopy structures of active qNOR from Alcaligenes xylosoxidans and an activity-enhancing mutant have been determined to be at local resolutions of 3.7 and 3.2 Å, respectively. They unexpectedly reveal a dimeric conformation (also confirmed for qNOR from Neisseria meningitidis) and define the active-site configuration, with a clear water channel from the cytoplasm. Structure-based mutagenesis has identified key residues involved in proton transport and substrate delivery to the active site of qNORs. The proton supply direction differs from cytochrome c–dependent NOR (cNOR), where water molecules from the cytoplasm serve as a proton source similar to those from cytochrome c oxidase.

scholarly journals Mechanism of 5ʹ splice site transfer for human spliceosome activation

Science ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 364 (6438) ◽  
pp. 362-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clément Charenton ◽  
Max E. Wilkinson ◽  
Kiyoshi Nagai
Keyword(s):  
Splice Site ◽  
Messenger Rna ◽  
Catalytic Center ◽  
U6 Snrna ◽  
Dead Box ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Branch Point Sequence ◽  
U1 Snrnp ◽  
Spliceosome Activation ◽  
Small Nuclear Ribonucleoproteins

The prespliceosome, comprising U1 and U2 small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) bound to the precursor messenger RNA 5ʹ splice site (5ʹSS) and branch point sequence, associates with the U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP to form the fully assembled precatalytic pre–B spliceosome. Here, we report cryo–electron microscopy structures of the human pre–B complex captured before U1 snRNP dissociation at 3.3-angstrom core resolution and the human tri-snRNP at 2.9-angstrom resolution. U1 snRNP inserts the 5ʹSS–U1 snRNA helix between the two RecA domains of the Prp28 DEAD-box helicase. Adenosine 5ʹ-triphosphate–dependent closure of the Prp28 RecA domains releases the 5ʹSS to pair with the nearby U6 ACAGAGA-box sequence presented as a mobile loop. The structures suggest that formation of the 5ʹSS-ACAGAGA helix triggers remodeling of an intricate protein-RNA network to induce Brr2 helicase relocation to its loading sequence in U4 snRNA, enabling Brr2 to unwind the U4/U6 snRNA duplex to allow U6 snRNA to form the catalytic center of the spliceosome.

scholarly journals Structure of the posttranslational Sec protein-translocation channel complex from yeast

Science ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 363 (6422) ◽  
pp. 84-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Itskanov ◽  
Eunyong Park
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Membrane Proteins ◽  
Binding Sites ◽  
Protein Translocation ◽  
Secretory Proteins ◽  
Conducting Channel ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Lateral Gate

The Sec61 protein-conducting channel mediates transport of many proteins, such as secretory proteins, across the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane during or after translation. Posttranslational transport is enabled by two additional membrane proteins associated with the channel, Sec63 and Sec62, but its mechanism is poorly understood. We determined a structure of the Sec complex (Sec61-Sec63-Sec71-Sec72) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae by cryo–electron microscopy (cryo-EM). The structure shows that Sec63 tightly associates with Sec61 through interactions in cytosolic, transmembrane, and ER-luminal domains, prying open Sec61’s lateral gate and translocation pore and thus activating the channel for substrate engagement. Furthermore, Sec63 optimally positions binding sites for cytosolic and luminal chaperones in the complex to enable efficient polypeptide translocation. Our study provides mechanistic insights into eukaryotic posttranslational protein translocation.

scholarly journals Cryo-electron microscopy structures of pyrene-labeled ADP-Pi- and ADP-actin filaments

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Z. Chou ◽  
Thomas D. Pollard
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Actin Filaments ◽  
Actin Polymerization ◽  
Actin Binding ◽  
Muscle Actin ◽  
Hydrophobic Cavity ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Kinetics Of

AbstractSince the fluorescent reagent N-(1-pyrene)iodoacetamide was first used to label skeletal muscle actin in 1981, the pyrene-labeled actin has become the most widely employed tool to measure the kinetics of actin polymerization and the interaction between actin and actin-binding proteins. Here we report high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy structures of actin filaments with N-1-pyrene conjugated to cysteine 374 and either ADP (3.2 Å) or ADP-phosphate (3.0 Å) in the active site. Polymerization buries pyrene in a hydrophobic cavity between subunits along the long-pitch helix with only minor differences in conformation compared with native actin filaments. These structures explain how polymerization increases the fluorescence 20-fold, how myosin and cofilin binding to filaments reduces the fluorescence, and how profilin binding to actin monomers increases the fluorescence.

scholarly journals High-resolution cryo-EM structure of urease from the pathogen Yersinia enterocolitica

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo D. Righetto ◽  
Leonie Anton ◽  
Ricardo Adaixo ◽  
Roman P. Jakob ◽  
Jasenko Zivanov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Yersinia Enterocolitica ◽  
Active Site ◽  
High Data ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Acidic Environments ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Better Than

AbstractUrease converts urea into ammonia and carbon dioxide and makes urea available as a nitrogen source for all forms of life except animals. In human bacterial pathogens, ureases also aid in the invasion of acidic environments such as the stomach by raising the surrounding pH. Here, we report the structure of urease from the pathogen Yersinia enterocolitica at better than 2 Å resolution from cryo-electron microscopy. Y. enterocolitica urease is a dodecameric assembly of a trimer of three protein chains, ureA, ureB and ureC. The high data quality enables detailed visualization of the urease bimetal active site and of the impact of radiation damage. Our data are of sufficient quality to support drug development efforts.

scholarly journals Cryo-electron microscopy structures of pyrene-labeled ADP-Pi- and ADP-actin filaments

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Z. Chou ◽  
Thomas D. Pollard
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Active Site ◽  
Actin Filaments ◽  
Hydrophobic Cavity ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy

AbstractWe report high resolution cryo-electron microscopy structures of actin filaments with N-1-pyrene conjugated to cysteine 374 and either ADP (3.2 Å) or ADP-phosphate (3.0 Å) in the active site. Polymerization buries pyrene in a hydrophobic cavity between subunits along the long-pitch helix with only minor differences in conformation compared with native actin filaments. These structures explain how polymerization increases the fluorescence 20-fold, how myosin and cofilin binding to filaments reduces the fluorescence and how profilin binding to actin monomers increases the fluorescence.

scholarly journals Atomic model for the dimeric FO region of mitochondrial ATP synthase

Science ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 358 (6365) ◽  
pp. 936-940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Guo ◽  
Stephanie A. Bueler ◽  
John L. Rubinstein
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Saccharomyces Cerevisiae ◽  
Crystal Structures ◽  
Atp Synthase ◽  
Proton Translocation ◽  
Atp Synthesis ◽  
Atomic Model ◽  
Eukaryotic Cells ◽  
Cryo Electron Microscopy ◽  
Mitochondrial Atp Synthase

Mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthase produces the majority of ATP in eukaryotic cells, and its dimerization is necessary to create the inner membrane folds, or cristae, characteristic of mitochondria. Proton translocation through the membrane-embedded FO region turns the rotor that drives ATP synthesis in the soluble F1 region. Although crystal structures of the F1 region have illustrated how this rotation leads to ATP synthesis, understanding how proton translocation produces the rotation has been impeded by the lack of an experimental atomic model for the FO region. Using cryo–electron microscopy, we determined the structure of the dimeric FO complex from Saccharomyces cerevisiae at a resolution of 3.6 angstroms. The structure clarifies how the protons travel through the complex, how the complex dimerizes, and how the dimers bend the membrane to produce cristae.

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