Post-transcriptional RNA modifications that are introduced during the multistep ribosome biogenesis process are essential for protein synthesis. The current lack of a comprehensive method for a fast quantitative analysis of rRNA modifications significantly limits our understanding of how individual modification steps are coordinated during biogenesis inside the cell. Here, an LC-MS approach has been developed and successfully applied for quantitative monitoring of 29 out of 36 modified residues in the 16S and 23S rRNA from Escherichia coli. An isotope labeling strategy is described for efficient identification of ribose and base methylations, and a novel metabolic labeling approach is presented to allow identification of MS-silent pseudouridine modifications. The method was used to measure relative abundances of modified residues in incomplete ribosomal subunits compared to a mature 15N-labeled rRNA standard, and a number of modifications in both 16S and 23S rRNA were present in substoichiometric amounts in the preribosomal particles. The RNA modification levels correlate well with previously obtained profiles for the ribosomal proteins, suggesting that RNA is modified in a schedule comparable to the association of the ribosomal proteins. Importantly, this study establishes an efficient workflow for a global monitoring of ribosomal modifications that will contribute to a better understanding of mechanisms of RNA modifications and their impact on intracellular processes in the future.

Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) is widely used to quantify reaction rates and concentrations of molecules in vitro and in vivo. We recently reported Fluorescence Triple Correlation Spectroscopy (F3CS), which correlates three signals together instead of two. F3CS can analyze the stoichiometries of complex mixtures and detect irreversible processes by identifying time-reversal asymmetries. Here we report the computational developments that were required for the realization of F3CS and present the results as the Triple Correlation Toolbox suite of programs. Triple Correlation Toolbox is a complete data analysis pipeline capable of acquiring, correlating and fitting large data sets. Each segment of the pipeline handles error estimates for accurate error-weighted global fitting. Data acquisition was accelerated with a combination of off-the-shelf counter-timer chips and vectorized operations on 128-bit registers. This allows desktop computers with inexpensive data acquisition cards to acquire hours of multiple-channel data with sub-microsecond time resolution. Off-line correlation integrals were implemented as a two delay time multiple-tau scheme that scales efficiently with multiple processors and provides an unprecedented view of linked dynamics. Global fitting routines are provided to fit FCS and F3CS data to models containing up to ten species. Triple Correlation Toolbox is a complete package that enables F3CS to be performed on existing microscopes.Program summaryProgram title: Triple Correlation Toolbox (suite)Catalogue identifier: AEOP_v1_0Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEOP_v1_0.htmlProgram obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen’s University, Belfast, N. IrelandLicensing provisions: Standard CPC licence, http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/licence/licence.htmlNo. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 50189No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 6135283Distribution format: tar.gzProgramming language: C/Assembly.Computer: Any with GCC and library support.Operating system: Linux and OS X (data acq. for Linux only due to library availability), not tested on Windows.RAM: ≥512 MB.Classification: 16.4.External routines: NIDAQmx (National Instruments), Gnu Scientific Library, GTK+, PLplot (optional)Nature of problem:Fluorescence Triple Correlation Spectroscopy required three things: data acquisition at faster speeds than were possible without expensive custom hardware, triple-correlation routines that could process 1/2 TB data sets rapidly, and fitting routines capable of handling several to a hundred fit parameters and 14,000 + data points, each with error estimates.Solution method:A novel data acquisition concept mixed signal processing with off-the-shelf hardware and data-parallel processing using 128-bit registers found in desktop CPUs. Correlation algorithms used fractal data structures and multithreading to reduce data analysis times. Global fitting was implemented with robust minimization routines and provides feedback that allows the user to critically inspect initial guesses and fits.Restrictions:Data acquisition only requires a National Instruments data acquisition card (it was tested on Linux using card PCIe-6251) and a simple home-built circuit.Unusual features:Hand-coded ×86-64 assembly for data acquisition loops (platform-independent C code also provided).Additional comments:A complete collection of tools to perform Fluorescence Triple Correlation Spectroscopy—from data acquisition to two-tau correlation of large data sets, to model fitting.Running time:1–5 h of data analysis per hour of data collected. Varies depending on data-acquisition length, time resolution, data density and number of cores used for correlation integrals.

The ribosome is an essential organelle responsible for cellular protein synthesis. Until recently, the study of ribosome assembly has been largely limited to in vitro assays, with few attempts to reconcile these results with the more complex ribosome biogenesis process inside the living cell. Here, we characterize the ribosome synthesis and assembly pathway for each of the E. coli ribosomal protein (r-protein) in vivo using a stable isotope pulse-labeling timecourse. Isotope incorporation into assembled ribosomes was measured by quantitative mass spectrometry (qMS) and fit using steady-state flux models. Most r-proteins exhibit precursor pools ranging in size from 0% to 7% of completed ribosomes, and the sizes of these individual r-protein pools correlate well with the order of r-protein binding in vitro. Additionally, we observe anomalously large precursor pools for specific r-proteins with known extra-ribosomal functions, as well as three r-proteins that apparently turnover during steady-state growth. Taken together, this highly precise, time-dependent proteomic qMS approach should prove useful in future studies of ribosome biogenesis and could be easily extended to explore other complex biological processes in a cellular context.

We have developed fluorescence triple correlation spectroscopy (F3CS) as an extension of the widely used fluorescence microscopy technique fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. F3CS correlates three signals at once and provides additional capabilities for the study of systems with complex stoichiometry, kinetic processes, and irreversible reactions. A general theory of F3CS was developed to describe the interplay of molecular dynamics and microscope optics, leading to an analytical function to predict experimental triple correlations of molecules that freely diffuse through the tight focus of the microscope. Experimental correlations were calculated from raw fluorescence data using triple correlation integrals that extend multiple-tau correlation theory to delay times in two dimensions. The quality of experimental data was improved by tuning specific spectroscopic parameters and employing multiple independent detectors to minimize optoelectronic artifacts. Experiments with the reversible system of freely diffusing 16S rRNA revealed that triple correlation functions contain symmetries predicted from time-reversal arguments. Irreversible systems are shown to break these symmetries, and correlation strategies were developed to detect time-reversal asymmetries in a comprehensive way with respect to two delay times, each spanning many orders of magnitude in time. The correlation strategies, experimental approaches, and theory developed here enable studies of the composition and dynamics of complex systems using F3CS.

The self-assembly of bacterial 30S ribosomes involves a large number of RNA folding and RNA-protein binding steps. The sequence of steps determines the overall assembly mechanism and the structure of the mechanism has ramifications for the robustness of biogenesis and resilience against kinetic traps. Thermodynamic interdependencies of protein binding inferred from omission-reconstitution experiments are thought to preclude certain assembly pathways and thus enforce ordered assembly, but this concept is at odds with kinetic data suggesting a more parallel assembly landscape. A major challenge is deconvolution of the statistical distribution of intermediates that are populated during assembly at high concentrations approaching in vivo assembly conditions. To specifically resolve the intermediates formed by binding of three ribosomal proteins to the full length 16S rRNA, we introduce Fluorescence Triple-Correlation Spectroscopy (F3CS). F3CS identifies specific ternary complexes by detecting coincident fluctuations in three-color fluorescence data. Triple correlation integrals quantify concentrations and diffusion kinetics of triply labeled species, and F3CS data can be fit alongside auto-correlation and cross-correlation data to quantify the populations of 10 specific ribosome assembly intermediates. The distribution of intermediates generated by binding three ribosomal proteins to the entire native 16S rRNA included significant populations of species that were not previously thought to be thermodynamically accessible, questioning the current interpretation of the classic omission-reconstitution experiments. F3CS is a general approach for analyzing assembly and function of macromolecular complexes, especially those too large for traditional biophysical methods.

The use of stable isotope labeling has revolutionized NMR studies of nucleic acids, and there is a need for methods of incorporation of specific isotope labels to facilitate specific NMR experiments and applications. Enzymatic synthesis offers an efficient and flexible means to synthesize nucleoside triphosphates from a variety of commercially available specifically labeled precursors, permitting isotope labeling of RNAs prepared by in vitro transcription. Here, we recapitulate de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis in vitro, using recombinantly expressed enzymes to perform efficient single-pot syntheses of UTP and CTP that bear a variety of stable isotope labeling patterns. Filtered NMR experiments on 13C, 15N, 2H-labeled HIV-2 TAR RNA demonstrate the utility and value of this approach. This flexible enzymatic synthesis will make implementing detailed and informative RNA stable isotope labeling schemes substantially more cost-effective and efficient, providing advanced tools for the study of structure and dynamics of RNA molecules.

Relative levels of ribosomal proteins were quantified in crude cell lysates using mass spectrometry. A method for quantifying cellular protein levels using macromolecular standards is presented that does not require complex sample separation, identification of high-responding peptides, affinity purification, or postgrowth modifications. Perturbations in ribosomal protein levels by overexpression of individual proteins correlate to known autoregulatory mechanisms and extend the network of ribosomal protein regulation.

The Escherichia coli 30S ribosomal subunit self-assembles in vitro in a hierarchical manner, with the RNA binding by proteins enabled by the prior binding of others under equilibrium conditions. Early 16S rRNA binding proteins also bind faster than late-binding proteins, but the specific causes for the slow binding of late proteins remain unclear. Previously, a pulse-chase monitored by quantitative mass spectrometry method was developed for monitoring 30S subunit assembly kinetics, and here a modified experimental scheme was used to probe kinetic cooperativity by including a step where subsets of ribosomal proteins bind and initiate assembly prior to the pulse-chase kinetics. In this work, 30S ribosomal subunit kinetic reconstitution experiments revealed that thermodynamic dependency does not always correlate with kinetic cooperativity. Some folding transitions that cause subsequent protein binding to be more energetically favorable do not result in faster protein binding. Although 3′ domain primary protein S7 is required for RNA binding by both proteins S9 and S19, prior binding of S7 accelerates the binding of S9, but not S19, indicating there is an additional mechanistic step required for S19 to bind. Such data on kinetic cooperativity and the presence of multiphasic assembly kinetics reveal complexity in the assembly landscape that was previously hidden.

Poly(ADP-ribose) is a significant nucleic acid polymer involved with diverse functions in eukaryotic cells, yet no structural information is available. A method for the synthesis of 13C, 15N-poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) has been developed to allow characterization of the polymer using multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Successful integration of pentose phosphate, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide biosynthesis, and cofactor recycling pathways with poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 permitted labeling of PAR from 13C-glucose and 13C, 15N-ATP in a single pot reaction. The scheme is efficient, yielding ∼400 nmoles of purified PAR from 5 μmoles ATP, and the behavior of the synthetic PAR is similar to data from PAR synthesized by cell extracts. The resonances for 13C, 15N-PAR were unambiguously assigned, but the polymer appears to be devoid of inherent regular structure. PAR may form an ordered macromolecular structure when interacting with proteins, and due to the extensive involvement of PAR in cell function and disease, further studies of PAR structure will be required. The labeled PAR synthesis reported here will provide an essential tool for the future study of PAR-protein complexes.

Quantitative proteomic mass spectrometry involves comparison of the amplitudes of peaks resulting from different isotope labeling patterns, including fractional atomic labeling and fractional residue labeling. We have developed a general and flexible analytical treatment of the complex isotope distributions that arise in these experiments, using Fourier transform convolution to calculate labeled isotope distributions and least-squares for quantitative comparison with experimental peaks. The degree of fractional atomic and fractional residue labeling can be determined from experimental peaks at the same time as the integrated intensity of all of the isotopomers in the isotope distribution. The approach is illustrated using data with fractional 15N-labeling and fractional 13C-isoleucine labeling. The least-squares Fourier transform convolution approach can be applied to many types of quantitive proteomic data, including data from stable isotope labeling by amino acids in cell culture and pulse labeling experiments.

A general method for isotopic labeling of the purine base moiety of nucleotides and RNA has been developed through biochemical pathway engineering in vitro. A synthetic scheme was designed and implemented utilizing recombinant enzymes from the pentose phosphate and de novo purine synthesis pathways, with regeneration of folate, aspartate, glutamine, ATP, and NADPH cofactors, in a single-pot reaction. Syntheses proceeded quickly and efficiently in comparison to chemical methods with isolated yields up to 66% for 13C-, 15N-enriched ATP and GTP. The scheme is robust and flexible, requiring only serine, NH4+, glucose, and CO2 as stoichiometric precursors in labeled form. Using this approach, U-13C- GTP, U-13C,15N- GTP, 13C2,8- ATP, and U-15N- GTP were synthesized on a millimole scale, and the utility of the isotope labeling is illustrated in NMR spectra of HIV-2 transactivation region RNA containing 13C2,8-adenosine and 15N1,3,7,9,2-guanosine. Pathway engineering in vitro permits complex synthetic cascades to be effected, expanding the applicability of enzymatic synthesis.

The post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression underlies several critical developmental phenomena. In metazoa, gene products that are expressed, silenced and packaged during oogenesis govern early developmental processes prior to nascent transcription activation. Furthermore, tissue-specific alternative splicing of several transcription factors controls pattern formation and organ development. A highly conserved family of proteins containing a STAR/GSG RNA-binding domain is essential to both processes. Here, we identify the consensus STAR-binding element (SBE) required for specific mRNA recognition by GLD-1, a key regulator of Caenorhabditis elegans germline development. We have identified and verified new GLD-1 repression targets containing this sequence. The results suggest additional functions of GLD-1 in X-chromosome silencing and early embryogenesis. The SBE is present in Quaking and How mRNA targets, suggesting that STAR protein specificity is highly conserved. Similarities between the SBE and the branch-site signal indicate a possible competition mechanism for STAR/GSG regulation of splicing variants.

RNA−protein interactions were the subject of a recent meeting in Austin, Texas. The program provided a current shapshot of the state of our understanding of how proteins help mediate the many functions of RNA.

Two generalizations can be drawn from the recent rapid progress in understanding RNA−protein interactions. First, there is a great diversity of observed protein and RNA structural motifs. Second, formation of almost every RNA−protein complex that has been characterized involves conformational changes in the protein, the RNA, or both. The role of these conformational changes in the biological function of RNA−protein complexes is not at all clear. Whether or not conformational changes are a critical feature of ribonucleoprotein complex assembly or are an unimportant mechanistic detail, the ubiquity of these changes warrants careful consideration of their implications.

Quaking (QkI) is a prototypical member of the STAR (signal transducer and activator of RNA) protein family, which plays key roles in posttranscriptional gene regulation by controlling mRNA translation, stability and splicing. QkI-5 has been shown to regulate mRNA expression in the central nervous system, but little is known about its roles in other tissues. STAR proteins function as dimers and bind to bipartite RNA sequences; however, the structural and functional roles of homodimerization and heterodimerization are still unclear. Here, we present the crystal structure of the QkI dimerization domain, which adopts a similar stacked helix–turn–helix arrangement as its homologs GLD-1 (germ line development defective‐1) and Sam68 (Src‐associated protein during mitosis, 68 kDa) but differs by an additional helix inserted in the dimer interface. Variability of the dimer interface residues likely ensures selective homodimerization by preventing association with non-cognate STAR family proteins in the cell. Mutations that inhibit dimerization also significantly impair RNA binding in vitro, alter QkI-5 protein levels and impair QkI function in a splicing assay in vivo. Together, our results indicate that a functional Qua1 homodimerization domain is required for QkI-5 function in mammalian cells.Download high-res image (159KB)Download full-size imageHighlights► QkI Qua1 is a helix–turn–helix dimer with an additional helix in the turn region. ► STAR family members show structural differences in the dimer interface. ► Homodimerization enhances QkI-5 RNA binding in vitro. ► Homodimerization is required for alternative splicing regulation by QkI-5 in vivo.

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Rev protein is essential for the virus because it promotes nuclear export of alternatively processed mRNAs, and Rev is also linked to translation of viral mRNAs and genome encapsidation. Previously, the human DEAD-box helicase DDX1 was suggested to be involved in Rev functions, but this relationship is not well understood. Biochemical studies of DDX1 and its interactions with Rev and model RNA oligonucleotides were carried out to investigate the molecular basis for association of these components. A combination of gel-filtration chromatography and circular dichroism spectroscopy demonstrated that recombinant DDX1 expressed in Escherichia coli is a well-behaved folded protein. Binding assays using fluorescently labeled Rev and cell-based immunoprecipitation analysis confirmed a specific RNA-independent DDX1–Rev interaction. Additionally, DDX1 was shown to be an RNA-activated ATPase, wherein Rev-bound RNA was equally effective at stimulating ATPase activity as protein-free RNA. Gel mobility shift assays further demonstrated that DDX1 forms complexes with Rev-bound RNA. RNA silencing of DDX1 provided strong evidence that DDX1 is required for both Rev activity and HIV production from infected cells. Collectively, these studies demonstrate a clear link between DDX1 and HIV-1 Rev in cell-based assays of HIV-1 production and provide the first demonstration that recombinant DDX1 binds Rev and RNA and has RNA-dependent catalytic activity.Graphical AbstractDownload high-res image (185KB)Download full-size image

Detailed studies of ribosomal proteins (RPs), essential components of the protein biosynthetic machinery, have been hampered by the lack of readily accessible chromosomal deletions of the corresponding genes. Here, we report the systematic genomic deletion of 41 individual RP genes in Escherichia coli, which are not included in the Keio collection. Chromosomal copies of these genes were replaced by an antibiotic resistance gene in the presence of an inducible, easy-to-exchange plasmid-born allele. Using this knockout collection, we found nine RPs (L15, L21, L24, L27, L29, L30, L34, S9, and S17) nonessential for survival under induction conditions at various temperatures. Taken together with previous results, this analysis revealed that 22 of the 54 E. coli RP genes can be individually deleted from the genome. These strains also allow expression of truncated protein variants to probe the importance of RNA–protein interactions in functional sites of the ribosome. This set of strains should enhance in vivo studies of ribosome assembly/function and may ultimately allow systematic substitution of RPs with RNA.Graphical AbstractDownload high-res image (119KB)Download full-size imageResearch Highlights► We deleted 41 RP genes from the E. coli chromosome. ► Deletion was complemented by an inducible, plasmid-born allele. ► Of the targeted genes, nine were identified as nonessential for survival. ► The function of L5, L27, and S19 were probed by truncation.

Although high-resolution structures of the ribosome have been solved in a series of functional states, relatively little is known about how the ribosome assembles, particularly in vivo. Here, a general method is presented for studying the dynamics of ribosome assembly and ribosomal assembly intermediates. Since significant quantities of assembly intermediates are not present under normal growth conditions, the antibiotic neomycin is used to perturb wild-type Escherichia coli. Treatment of E. coli with the antibiotic neomycin results in the accumulation of a continuum of assembly intermediates for both the 30S and 50S subunits. The protein composition and the protein stoichiometry of these intermediates were determined by quantitative mass spectrometry using purified unlabeled and 15N-labeled wild-type ribosomes as external standards. The intermediates throughout the continuum are heterogeneous and are largely depleted of late-binding proteins. Pulse-labeling with 15N-labeled medium time-stamps the ribosomal proteins based on their time of synthesis. The assembly intermediates contain both newly synthesized proteins and proteins that originated in previously synthesized intact subunits. This observation requires either a significant amount of ribosome degradation or the exchange or reuse of ribosomal proteins. These specific methods can be applied to any system where ribosomal assembly intermediates accumulate, including strains with deletions or mutations of assembly factors. This general approach can be applied to study the dynamics of assembly and turnover of other macromolecular complexes that can be isolated from cells.Graphical AbstractDownload high-res image (120KB)Download full-size imageResearch Highlights► Neomycin generates a continuum of ribosomal assembly intermediates in the cell. ► Assembly intermediates for both 30S and 50S subunits are heterogeneous. ► Protein levels are consistent with assembly maps but deviate from in vitro kinetics. ► Intermediates contain proteins from previously existing intact subunits. ► Neomycin induces ribosome degradation and/or reuse of ribosomal proteins.

Ribosome biogenesis is facilitated by a growing list of assembly cofactors, including helicases, GTPases, chaperones, and other proteins, but the specific functions of many of these assembly cofactors are still unclear. The effect of three assembly cofactors on 30S ribosome assembly was determined in vitro using a previously developed mass-spectrometry-based method that monitors the rRNA binding kinetics of ribosomal proteins. The essential GTPase Era caused several late-binding proteins to bind rRNA faster when included in a 30S reconstitution. RimP enabled faster binding of S9 and S19 and inhibited the binding of S12 and S13, perhaps by blocking those proteins' binding sites. RimM caused proteins S5 and S12 to bind dramatically faster. These quantitative kinetic data provide important clues about the roles of these assembly cofactors in the mechanism of 30S biogenesis.

The assembly of ribonucleoprotein complexes occurs under a broad range of conditions, but the principles that promote assembly and allow function at high temperature are poorly understood. The ribosomal protein S8 from Aquifex aeolicus (AS8) is unique in that there is a 41-residue insertion in the consensus S8 sequence. In addition, AS8 exhibits an unusually high affinity for the 16S ribosomal RNA, characterized by a picomolar dissociation constant that is approximately 26,000-fold tighter than the equivalent interaction from Escherichia coli. Deletion analysis demonstrated that binding to the minimal site on helix 21 occurred at the same nanomolar affinity found for other bacterial species. The additional affinity required the presence of a three-helix junction between helices 20, 21, and 22. The crystal structure of AS8 was solved, revealing the helix–loop–helix geometry of the unique AS8 insertion region, while the core of the molecule is conserved with known S8 structures. The AS8 structure was modeled onto the structure of the 30S ribosomal subunit from E. coli, suggesting the possibility that the unique subdomain provides additional backbone and side-chain contacts between the protein and an unpaired base within the three-way junction of helices 20, 21, and 22. Point mutations in the protein insertion subdomain resulted in a significantly reduced RNA binding affinity with respect to wild-type AS8. These results indicate that the AS8-specific subdomain provides additional interactions with the three-way junction that contribute to the extremely tight binding to ribosomal RNA.Download high-res image (132KB)Download full-size imageHighlights► r-protein S8 from A. aeolicus has a uniquely tight affinity for 16S ribosomal rRNA. ► A 41 amino acid insertion in this protein contributes to the unique affinity. ► The structure shows the insertion forms a separate domain from the conserved S8 core. ► Modeling suggests that the insertion makes contacts in a 3-helix junction of 16S rRNA.

A flexible Numerical Matrices Method (NMM) for nonlinear system identification has been developed based on a description of the dynamics of the system in terms of kinetic complexes. A set of related methods are presented that include increasing amounts of prior information about the reaction network structure, resulting in increased accuracy of the reconstructed rate constants. The NMM is based on an analytical least squares solution for a set of linear equations to determine the rate parameters. In the absence of prior information, all possible unimolecular and bimolecular reactions among the species in the system are considered, and the elements of a general kinetic matrix are determined. Inclusion of prior information is facilitated by formulation of the kinetic matrix in terms of a stoichiometry matrix or a more general set of representation matrices. A method for determination of the stoichiometry matrix beginning only with time-dependent concentration data is presented. In addition, we demonstrate that singularities that arise from linear dependencies among the species can be avoided by inclusion of data collected from a number of different initial states. The NMM provides a flexible set of tools for analysis of complex kinetic data, in particular for analysis of chemical and biochemical reaction networks.

NMR spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography are currently the two most widely applied methods for the determination of macromolecular structures at high resolution. More recently, significant advances have been made in algorithms for the de novo prediction of protein structure, and, in favorable cases, the predicted models agree extremely well with experimentally determined structures. Here, we demonstrate a synergistic combination of NMR spectroscopy, de novo structure prediction, and X-ray crystallography in an effective overall strategy for rapidly determining the structure of the coat protein C-terminal domain from the Sulfolobus islandicus rod-shaped virus (SIRV). This approach takes advantage of the most accessible aspects of each structural technique and may be widely applicable for structure determination.