The enzymatic cleavage of double-stranded RNA is an essential step in the maturation and decay of many eukaryotic and prokaryotic RNAs. Double-stranded (ds) RNA cleavage is carried out by members of the ribonuclease Ill superfamily of endoribonucleases. RNase III orthologues participate in mRNA and rRNA maturation, mRNA degradation, and antisense RNA action. An important recent finding is the central involvement of the RNase III orthologue """"""""Dicer"""""""" in RNA interference (RNAi). RNAi is proposed to suppress viral infection, inhibit retroposon movement, and participate in specific developmental pathways in eukaryotes, including humans. The occurrence of highly conserved sequences and structural elements indicate that RNase Ill orthologues use the same catalytic mechanism, which is unknown. The most studied member of the RNase III superfamily is Escherichia coli ribonuclease III and there has been recent significant progress in determining the E. coil RNase Ill mechanism of action. The long-range goal of this project is to determine the mechanism of dsRNA cleavage by E. coil RNase Ill.
The specific aims of the project are to: (1) determine the functional roles of conserved amino acids in the catalytic domain. To accomplish this, RNase Ill mutants with substitutions of conserved catalytic domain residues will be tested in substrate binding and cleavage assays; (2), determine divalent metal ion stoichiometry and function in catalysis. To accomplish this, kinetic assays of cleavage, and metal ion binding assays using RNase Ill and selected mutants will be performed; (3), identify sequence and structural features in the RNase Ill double-stranded-RNA-binding domain (dsRBD) that confer binding energy and optimize catalytic efficiency. This will be accomplished by analyzing RNA binding of specific dsRBD mutants, and by phage display; (4), determine the stoichiometry of an RNase Ill-substrate complex, and identify intersubunit interactions important for RNase Ill function. Gel filtration, centrifugation, and substrate binding and cleavage assays using artificial heterodimers will be performed. Accomplishing these aims not only will provide important information on E. coil RNase Ill, but will also provide mechanistic insight on RNase Ill orthologue function in eukaryotic RNA processing and degradation pathways, including RNAi.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
7R01GM056457-06
Application #
6730926
Study Section
Biochemistry Study Section (BIO)
Program Officer
Jones, Warren
Project Start
1997-08-01
Project End
2004-07-31
Budget Start
2003-01-01
Budget End
2003-07-31
Support Year
6
Fiscal Year
2002
Total Cost
$164,250
Indirect Cost
Name
Temple University
Department
Chemistry
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
City
Philadelphia
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
19122
Meng, Wenzhao; Nicholson, Allen W (2008) Heterodimer-based analysis of subunit and domain contributions to double-stranded RNA processing by Escherichia coli RNase III in vitro. Biochem J 410:39-48
Pertzev, Alexandre V; Nicholson, Allen W (2006) Characterization of RNA sequence determinants and antideterminants of processing reactivity for a minimal substrate of Escherichia coli ribonuclease III. Nucleic Acids Res 34:3708-21
Sun, Weimei; Pertzev, Alexandre; Nicholson, Allen W (2005) Catalytic mechanism of Escherichia coli ribonuclease III: kinetic and inhibitor evidence for the involvement of two magnesium ions in RNA phosphodiester hydrolysis. Nucleic Acids Res 33:807-15
Sun, Weimei; Li, Gang; Nicholson, Allen W (2004) Mutational analysis of the nuclease domain of Escherichia coli ribonuclease III. Identification of conserved acidic residues that are important for catalytic function in vitro. Biochemistry 43:13054-62
Zhang, Yuanzheng; Calin-Jageman, Irina; Gurnon, James R et al. (2003) Characterization of a chlorella virus PBCV-1 encoded ribonuclease III. Virology 317:73-83
Nicholson, Rhonda H; Nicholson, Allen W (2002) Molecular characterization of a mouse cDNA encoding Dicer, a ribonuclease III ortholog involved in RNA interference. Mamm Genome 13:67-73
Amarasinghe, A K; Calin-Jageman, I; Harmouch, A et al. (2001) Escherichia coli ribonuclease III: affinity purification of hexahistidine-tagged enzyme and assays for substrate binding and cleavage. Methods Enzymol 342:143-58
Sun, W; Jun, E; Nicholson, A W (2001) Intrinsic double-stranded-RNA processing activity of Escherichia coli ribonuclease III lacking the dsRNA-binding domain. Biochemistry 40:14976-84
Calin-Jageman, I; Amarasinghe, A K; Nicholson, A W (2001) Ethidium-dependent uncoupling of substrate binding and cleavage by Escherichia coli ribonuclease III. Nucleic Acids Res 29:1915-25
Sun, W; Nicholson, A W (2001) Mechanism of action of Escherichia coli ribonuclease III. Stringent chemical requirement for the glutamic acid 117 side chain and Mn2+ rescue of the Glu117Asp mutant. Biochemistry 40:5102-10

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