798 research outputs found
Frequency and isostericity of RNA base pairs
Most of the hairpin, internal and junction loops that appear single-stranded in standard RNA secondary structures form recurrent 3D motifs, where non-WatsonâCrick base pairs play a central role. Non-WatsonâCrick base pairs also play crucial roles in tertiary contacts in structured RNA molecules. We previously classified RNA base pairs geometrically so as to group together those base pairs that are structurally similar (isosteric) and therefore able to substitute for each other by mutation without disrupting the 3D structure. Here, we introduce a quantitative measure of base pair isostericity, the IsoDiscrepancy Index (IDI), to more accurately determine which base pair substitutions can potentially occur in conserved motifs. We extract and classify base pairs from a reduced-redundancy set of RNA 3D structures from the Protein Data Bank (PDB) and calculate centroids (exemplars) for each base combination and geometric base pair type (family). We use the exemplars and IDI values to update our online Basepair Catalog and the Isostericity Matrices (IM) for each base pair family. From the database of base pairs observed in 3D structures we derive base pair occurrence frequencies for each of the 12 geometric base pair families. In order to improve the statistics from the 3D structures, we also derive base pair occurrence frequencies from rRNA sequence alignments
WebFR3Dâa server for finding, aligning and analyzing recurrent RNA 3D motifs
WebFR3D is the on-line version of âFind RNA 3Dâ (FR3D), a program for annotating atomic-resolution RNA 3D structure files and searching them efficiently to locate and compare RNA 3D structural motifs. WebFR3D provides on-line access to the central features of FR3D, including geometric and symbolic search modes, without need for installing programs or downloading and maintaining 3D structure data locally. In geometric search mode, WebFR3D finds all motifs similar to a user-specified query structure. In symbolic search mode, WebFR3D finds all sets of nucleotides making user-specified interactions. In both modes, users can specify sequence, sequenceâcontinuity, base pairing, base-stacking and other constraints on nucleotides and their interactions. WebFR3D can be used to locate hairpin, internal or junction loops, list all base pairs or other interactions, or find instances of recurrent RNA 3D motifs (such as sarcinâricin and kink-turn internal loops or T- and GNRA hairpin loops) in any PDB file or across a whole set of 3D structure files. The output page provides facilities for comparing the instances returned by the search by superposition of the 3D structures and the alignment of their sequences annotated with pairwise interactions. WebFR3D is available at http://rna.bgsu.edu/webfr3d
The Annotation of RNA Motifs
The recent deluge of new RNA structures, including complete atomic-resolution views
of both subunits of the ribosome, has on the one hand literally overwhelmed our
individual abilities to comprehend the diversity of RNA structure, and on the other
hand presented us with new opportunities for comprehensive use of RNA sequences
for comparative genetic, evolutionary and phylogenetic studies. Two concepts are key
to understanding RNA structure: hierarchical organization of global structure and
isostericity of local interactions. Global structure changes extremely slowly, as it relies
on conserved long-range tertiary interactions. Tertiary RNAâRNA and quaternary
RNAâprotein interactions are mediated by RNA motifs, defined as recurrent and
ordered arrays of non-WatsonâCrick base-pairs. A single RNA motif comprises a
family of sequences, all of which can fold into the same three-dimensional structure
and can mediate the same interaction(s). The chemistry and geometry of base pairing
constrain the evolution of motifs in such a way that random mutations that occur
within motifs are accepted or rejected insofar as they can mediate a similar ordered
array of interactions. The steps involved in the analysis and annotation of RNA
motifs in 3D structures are: (a) decomposition of each motif into non-WatsonâCrick
base-pairs; (b) geometric classification of each basepair; (c) identification of isosteric
substitutions for each basepair by comparison to isostericity matrices; (d) alignment
of homologous sequences using the isostericity matrices to identify corresponding
positions in the crystal structure; (e) acceptance or rejection of the null hypothesis
that the motif is conserved
An American in Paris, a Parsi in Athens
No abstract availabl
Long-Residency Hydration, Cation Binding, and Dynamics of Loop E/Helix IV rRNA-L25 Protein Complex
Molecular dynamics simulations of RNA-protein complex between Escherichia coli loop E/helix IV (LE/HeIV) rRNA and L25 protein reveal a qualitative agreement between the experimental and simulated structures. The major groove of LE is a prominent rRNA cation-binding site. Divalent cations rigidify the LE major groove geometry whereas in the absence of divalent cations LE extensively interacts with monovalent cations via inner-shell binding. The HeIV region shows bistability of its major groove explaining the observed differences between x-ray and NMR structures. In agreement with the experiments, the simulations suggest that helix-alpha1 of L25 is the least stable part of the protein. Inclusion of Mg2+ cations into the simulations causes perturbation of basepairing at the LE/HeIV junction, which does not, however, affect the protein binding. The rRNA-protein complex is mediated by a number of highly specific hydration sites with long-residing water molecules and two of them are bound throughout the entire 24-ns simulation. Long-residing water molecules are seen also outside the RNA-protein contact areas with water-binding times substantially enhanced compared to simulations of free RNA. Long-residency hydration sites thus represent important elements of the three-dimensional structure of rRNA
Boulder ALignment Editor (ALE): a web-based RNA alignment tool
Summary: The explosion of interest in non-coding RNAs, together with improvements in RNA X-ray crystallography, has led to a rapid increase in RNA structures at atomic resolution from 847 in 2005 to 1900 in 2010. The success of whole-genome sequencing has led to an explosive growth of unaligned homologous sequences. Consequently, there is a compelling and urgent need for user-friendly tools for producing structure-informed RNA alignments. Most alignment software considers the primary sequence alone; some specialized alignment software can also include WatsonâCrick base pairs, but none adequately addresses the needs introduced by the rapid influx of both sequence and structural data. Therefore, we have developed the Boulder ALignment Editor (ALE), which is a web-based RNA alignment editor, designed for editing and assessing alignments using structural information. Some features of BoulderALE include the annotation and evaluation of an alignment based on isostericity of WatsonâCrick and non-WatsonâCrick base pairs, along with the collapsing (horizontally and vertically) of the alignment, while maintaining the ability to edit the alignment
Conserved Geometrical Base-Pairing Patterns in RNA
RNA molecules fold into a bewildering variety of complex 3D structures. Almost every new RNA structure obtained at high resolution reveals new, unanticipated structural motifs, which we are rarely able to predict at the current stage of our theoretical understanding. Even at the most basic level of specific RNA interactions â base-to-base pairing â new interactions continue to be uncovered as new structures appear. Compilations of possible non-canonical base-pairing geometries have been presented in previous reviews and monographs (Saenger, 1984; Tinoco, 1993). In these compilations, the guiding principle applied was the optimization of hydrogen-bonding. All possible pairs with two standard H-bonds were presented and these were organized according to symmetry or base type. However, many of the features of RNA base-pairing interactions that have been revealed by high-resolution crystallographic analysis could not have been anticipated and, therefore were not incorporated into these compilations. These will be described and classified in the present review. A recently presented approach for inferring basepair geometry from patterns of sequence variation (Gautheret & Gutell, 1997) relied on the 1984 compilation of basepairs (Saenger, 1984), and was extended to include all possible single H-bond combinations not subject to steric clashes. Another recent review may be consulted for a discussion of the NMR spectroscopy and thermodynamic effects of non-canonical (âmismatchedâ) RNA basepairs on duplex stability (Limmer, 1997)
Cationic 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(n-methylpyridinium-4-yl)porphyrin Fully Intercalates At 5 \u27-cg-3 \u27 Steps Of Duplex Dna In Solution
The interaction of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(N-methylpyridinium-4-yl)p (T4MPyP(4+)) with the oligonucleotide DNA duplex [d(GCACGTGC)](2) was studied by two-dimensional (1)H NMR spectroscopy, optical absorbance, circular dichroism, and molecular dynamics simulation employing particle mesh Ewald methods. T4MPyP(4+) is one of the largest aromatic molecules for which intercalative binding to DNA has been proposed, although this has been called into question by recent X-ray crystallographic work [Lipscomb et al. (1996) Biochemistry 35, 2818-2823]. T4MPyP(4+) binding to [d(GCACGTGC)](2) produced a single set of (mostly) upfield-shifted DNA resonances in slow exchange with the resonances of the free DNA. Intra- and intermolecular NOEs observed in the complex showed that the porphyrin intercalates at the central 5\u27-CG-3\u27 step of the DNA duplex without disrupting the flanking base pairs. Absorption and circular dichroism spectra of the complex also support intercalative binding. Molecular dynamics simulations (using explicit solvent and PME methods), carried out for fully and partially intercalated complexes, yielded stable trajectories and plausible structures, but only the symmetrical, fully intercalated model agreed with NOESY data. Stable hydrogen bonding was observed during 600 ps of MD simulation for the base pairs flanking the binding site
Generating New Specific Rna Interaction Interfaces Using C-loops
New RNA interaction interfaces are reported for designing RNA modules for directional supramolecular self-assembly. The new interfaces are generated from existing ones by inserting C-loops between the interaction motifs that mediate supramolecular assembly. C-Loops are new modular motifs recently identified in crystal structures that increase the helical twist of RNA helices in which they are inserted and thus reduce the distance between pairs of loop or loop-receptor motifs from 11 to 9 base-stacking layers while maintaining correct orientation for binding to cognate interaction interfaces. Binding specificities of C-loop-containing molecules for cognate molecules that also have inserted C-loops were found to range up to 20-fold. Binding affinities for most C-loop-containing molecules were generally equal or higher than those for the parent molecules lacking C-loops
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