1. |
- Crowe-McAuliffe, Caillan, et al.
(author)
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Structural Basis for Bacterial Ribosome-Associated Quality Control by RqcH and RqcP
- 2021
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In: Molecular Cell. - : Cell Press. - 1097-2765 .- 1097-4164. ; 81:1, s. 115-126.e7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In all branches of life, stalled translation intermediates are recognized and processed by ribosome-associated quality control (RQC) pathways. RQC begins with the splitting of stalled ribosomes, leaving an unfinished polypeptide still attached to the large subunit. Ancient and conserved NEMF family RQC proteins target these incomplete proteins for degradation by the addition of C-terminal "tails.'' How such tailing can occur without the regular suite of translational components is, however, unclear. Using single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (EM) of native complexes, we show that C-terminal tailing in Bacillus subtilis is mediated by NEMF protein RqcH in concert with RqcP, an Hsp15 family protein. Our structures reveal how these factors mediate tRNA movement across the ribosomal 50S subunit to synthesize polypeptides in the absence of mRNA or the small subunit.
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2. |
- Crowe-McAuliffe, Caillan, et al.
(author)
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Structural basis of ABCF-mediated resistance to pleuromutilin, lincosamide, and streptogramin A antibiotics in Gram-positive pathogens
- 2021
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In: Nature Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2041-1723. ; 12:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Target protection proteins confer resistance to the host organism by directly binding to the antibiotic target. One class of such proteins are the antibiotic resistance (ARE) ATP-binding cassette (ABC) proteins of the F-subtype (ARE-ABCFs), which are widely distributed throughout Gram-positive bacteria and bind the ribosome to alleviate translational inhibition from antibiotics that target the large ribosomal subunit. Here, we present single-particle cryo-EM structures of ARE-ABCF-ribosome complexes from three Gram-positive pathogens: Enterococcus faecalis LsaA, Staphylococcus haemolyticus VgaALC and Listeria monocytogenes VgaL. Supported by extensive mutagenesis analysis, these structures enable a general model for antibiotic resistance mediated by these ARE-ABCFs to be proposed. In this model, ABCF binding to the antibiotic-stalled ribosome mediates antibiotic release via mechanistically diverse long-range conformational relays that converge on a few conserved ribosomal RNA nucleotides located at the peptidyltransferase center. These insights are important for the future development of antibiotics that overcome such target protection resistance mechanisms.
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3. |
- Kurata, Tatsuaki, et al.
(author)
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RelA-SpoT Homolog toxins pyrophosphorylate the CCA end of tRNA to inhibit protein synthesis
- 2021
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In: Molecular Cell. - : Cell Press. - 1097-2765 .- 1097-4164. ; 81:15, s. 3160-3170.e9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- RelA-SpoT Homolog (RSH) enzymes control bacterial physiology through synthesis and degradation of the nucleotide alarmone (p)ppGpp. We recently discovered multiple families of small alarmone synthetase (SAS) RSH acting as toxins of toxin-antitoxin (TA) modules, with the FaRel subfamily of toxSAS abrogating bacterial growth by producing an analog of (p)ppGpp, (pp)pApp. Here we probe the mechanism of growth arrest used by four experimentally unexplored subfamilies of toxSAS: FaRel2, PhRel, PhRel2, and CapRel. Surprisingly, all these toxins specifically inhibit protein synthesis. To do so, they transfer a pyrophosphate moiety from ATP to the tRNA 3′ CCA. The modification inhibits both tRNA aminoacylation and the sensing of cellular amino acid starvation by the ribosome-associated RSH RelA. Conversely, we show that some small alarmone hydrolase (SAH) RSH enzymes can reverse the pyrophosphorylation of tRNA to counter the growth inhibition by toxSAS. Collectively, we establish RSHs as RNA-modifying enzymes.
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4. |
- Mojr, Viktor, et al.
(author)
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Nonhydrolysable Analogues of (p)ppGpp and (p)ppApp Alarmone Nucleotides as Novel Molecular Tools
- 2021
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In: ACS Chemical Biology. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1554-8929 .- 1554-8937. ; 16:9, s. 1680-1691
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- While alarmone nudeotides guanosine-3',5'-bisdiphosphate (ppGpp) and guanosine-5'-triphosphate-3'-diphosphate (pppGpp) are archetypical bacterial second messengers, their adenosine analogues ppApp (adenosine-3',5'-bisdiphosphate) and pppApp (adenosine-5'-triphosphate-3'-diphosphate) are toxic effectors that abrogate bacterial growth. The alarmones are both synthesized and degraded by the members of the ReIA-SpoT Homologue (RSH) enzyme family. Because of the chemical and enzymatic liability of (p)ppGpp and (p)ppApp, these alarmones are prone to degradation during structural biology experiments. To overcome this limitation, we have established an efficient and straightforward procedure for synthesizing nonhydrolysable (p)ppNu(N)pp analogues starting from 3'-azido-3'-deoxyribonucleotides as key intermediates. To demonstrate the utility of (p)ppG(N)pp as a molecular tool, we show that (i) as an HD substrate mimic, ppG(N)pp competes with ppGpp to inhibit the enzymatic activity of human MESHI Small Alarmone Hyrolase, SAH; and (ii) mimicking the allosteric effects of (p)ppGpp, (p)ppG(N)pp acts as a positive regulator of the synthetase activity of long ribosome-associated RSHs Rel and ReIA. Finally, by solving the structure of the N-terminal domain region (NTD) of T. thermophilus Rel complexed with pppG(N)pp, we show that as an HD substrate mimic, the analogue serves as a bona fide orthosteric regulator that promotes the same intra-NTD structural rearrangements as the native substrate.
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5. |
- Roghanian, Mohammad, et al.
(author)
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(p)ppGpp controls stringent factors by exploiting antagonistic allosteric coupling between catalytic domains
- 2021
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In: Molecular Cell. - : Elsevier. - 1097-2765 .- 1097-4164. ; 81:16, s. 3310-3322.e6
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Amino acid starvation is sensed by Escherichia coli RelA and Bacillus subtilis Rel through monitoring the aminoacylation status of ribosomal A-site tRNA. These enzymes are positively regulated by their product—the alarmone nucleotide (p)ppGpp—through an unknown mechanism. The (p)ppGpp-synthetic activity of Rel/RelA is controlled via auto-inhibition by the hydrolase/pseudo-hydrolase (HD/pseudo-HD) domain within the enzymatic N-terminal domain region (NTD). We localize the allosteric pppGpp site to the interface between the SYNTH and pseudo-HD/HD domains, with the alarmone stimulating Rel/RelA by exploiting intra-NTD autoinhibition dynamics. We show that without stimulation by pppGpp, starved ribosomes cannot efficiently activate Rel/RelA. Compromised activation by pppGpp ablates Rel/RelA function in vivo, suggesting that regulation by the second messenger (p)ppGpp is necessary for mounting an acute starvation response via coordinated enzymatic activity of individual Rel/RelA molecules. Control by (p)ppGpp is lacking in the E. coli (p)ppGpp synthetase SpoT, thus explaining its weak synthetase activity.
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6. |
- Takada, Hiraku, et al.
(author)
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Ribosome association primes the stringent factor Rel for tRNA-dependent locking in the A-site and activation of (p)ppGpp synthesis
- 2021
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In: Nucleic Acids Research. - : Oxford University Press. - 0305-1048 .- 1362-4962. ; 49:1, s. 444-457
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In the Gram-positive Firmicute bacterium Bacillus subtilis, amino acid starvation induces synthesis of the alarmone (p)ppGpp by the RelA/SpoT Homolog factor Rel. This bifunctional enzyme is capable of both synthesizing and hydrolysing (p)ppGpp. To detect amino acid deficiency, Rel monitors the aminoacylation status of the ribosomal A-site tRNA by directly inspecting the tRNA's CCA end. Here we dissect the molecular mechanism of B. subtilis Rel. Off the ribosome, Rel predominantly assumes a 'closed' conformation with dominant (p)ppGpp hydrolysis activity. This state does not specifically select deacylated tRNA since the interaction is only moderately affected by tRNA aminoacylation. Once bound to the vacant ribosomal A-site, Rel assumes an 'open' conformation, which primes its TGS and Helical domains for specific recognition and stabilization of cognate deacylated tRNA on the ribosome. The tRNA locks Rel on the ribosome in a hyperactivated state that processively synthesises (p)ppGpp while the hydrolysis is suppressed. In stark contrast to non-specific tRNA interactions off the ribosome, tRNA-dependent Rel locking on the ribosome and activation of (p)ppGpp synthesis are highly specific and completely abrogated by tRNA aminoacylation. Binding pppGpp to a dedicated allosteric site located in the N-terminal catalytic domain region of the enzyme further enhances its synthetase activity.
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7. |
- Takada, Hiraku, et al.
(author)
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RqcH and RqcP catalyze processive poly-alanine synthesis in a reconstituted ribosome-associated quality control system
- 2021
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In: Nucleic Acids Research. - : Oxford University Press. - 0305-1048 .- 1362-4962. ; 49:14, s. 8355-8369
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In the cell, stalled ribosomes are rescued through ribosome-associated protein quality-control (RQC) pathways. After splitting of the stalled ribosome, a C-terminal polyalanine 'tail' is added to the unfinished polypeptide attached to the tRNA on the 50S ribosomal subunit. In Bacillus subtilis, polyalanine tailing is catalyzed by the NEMF family protein RqcH, in cooperation with RqcP. However, the mechanistic details of this process remain unclear. Here we demonstrate that RqcH is responsible for tRNAAla selection during RQC elongation, whereas RqcP lacks any tRNA specificity. The ribosomal protein uL11 is crucial for RqcH, but not RqcP, recruitment to the 50S subunit, and B. subtilis lacking uL11 are RQC-deficient. Through mutational mapping, we identify critical residues within RqcH and RqcP that are important for interaction with the P-site tRNA and/or the 50S subunit. Additionally, we have reconstituted polyalanine-tailing in vitro and can demonstrate that RqcH and RqcP are necessary and sufficient for processivity in a minimal system. Moreover, the in vitro reconstituted system recapitulates our in vivo findings by reproducing the importance of conserved residues of RqcH and RqcP for functionality. Collectively, our findings provide mechanistic insight into the role of RqcH and RqcP in the bacterial RQC pathway.
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