Project description:As part of an examination of a newly-evolved RNA polymerase ribozyme, 38-6, products of primer extension experiments using an RNA template encoding the hammerhead RNA endonuclease ribozyme, using 38-6 and its less active ancestor 24-3. These products were analyzed by next-generation sequencing to determine the rates of substitution, deletion, and insertion mutations for both polymerases.
Project description:Naturally-occurring catalytic RNA molecules — ribozymes — have attracted a great deal of research interest, yet very few of them have been identified in humans. Here, we developed a genome-wide approach to discover self-cleaving ribozymes and identified one naturally-occurring ribozyme in humans. The secondary structure and biochemical properties of this ribozyme indicate that it belongs to yet un-identified class of small self-cleaving ribozymes. The sequence of the ribozyme exhibits a clear evolutionary path from appearance between ~130 and ~65 million years ago (mya) to gain of self-cleavage activity very recently, ~13–10 mya, in the common ancestor of humans, chimpanzees and gorillas. The ribozyme appears to be functional in vivo and is embedded within an lncRNA belonging to the class of very long intergenic non-coding (vlinc) RNAs. The presence of a catalytic RNA enzyme in lncRNA opens a possibility that these transcripts could function by carrying catalytic RNA domains.
Project description:The RNA-based organisms from which modern life is thought to have descended would have depended on an RNA polymerase ribozyme to copy functional RNA molecules, including copying the polymerase itself. Such a polymerase must have been capable of copying structured RNAs with high efficiency and high fidelity to maintain genetic information across successive generations. Here the class I RNA polymerase ribozyme was evolved in vitro for the ability to synthesize functional ribozymes, resulting in the markedly improved ability to synthesize complex RNAs using nucleoside 5'-triphosphate (NTP) substrates. The polymerase is descended from the class I ligase, which contains the same catalytic core as the polymerase. The class I ligase can be synthesized by the improved polymerase as three separate RNA strands that assemble to form a functional ligase. The polymerase also can synthesize the complement of each of these three strands. Despite this remarkable level of activity, only a very small fraction of the assembled ligases retain catalytic activity due to the presence of disabling mutations. Thus, the fidelity of RNA polymerization should be considered a major impediment to the construction of a self-sustained, RNA-based evolving system. The propagation of heritable information requires both efficient and accurate synthesis of genetic molecules, a requirement relevant to both laboratory systems and the early history of life on Earth.
Project description:This SuperSeries is composed of the following subset Series: GSE13884: INTER_specific hybs: A Burst of Segmental Duplications in the African Great Ape Ancestor GSE13885: INTRA_specific hybs: A Burst of Segmental Duplications in the African Great Ape Ancestor Refer to individual Series
Project description:The interactions between RNA polymerase and ribosomes are critical for the coordination of transcription with translation. We report that RNA polymerase directly binds ribosomes and isolated large and small ribosomal subunits.
Project description:In this study, the native Sinapis alba plastid-encoded RNA polymerase (PEP) complex was purified and cross-linking MS was used to help in its structure determination.
Project description:Transcription, the copying of genetic information into RNA, is accomplished by multi-subunit RNA polymerases (msRNAPs) in all living organisms. msRNAPs are highly conserved in evolution and invariantly share a ~400 kDa five-subunit catalytic core1,2. A group of hypothetical single-chain proteins of unknown function, present in various bacteria and bacteriophages, was predicted to be distantly related to msRNAPs, having diverged from them before the Last Universal Common Ancestor3. Here, we studied a ~100 kDa protein, YonO, from this group encoded by the bacteriophage SPβ of Bacillus subtilis. We show that despite homology to only several amino acids of msRNAP, and the absence of most of the conserved domains, YonO is a highly processive and fast DNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Unlike msRNAPs, YonO can start specific transcription on double-stranded DNA without additional factors. We show that YonO is a bona fide RNAP of SPβ bacteriophage that transcribes its late genes. This new class of RNAPs may represent an intermediate step in the evolution of an ancestor of all msRNAPs.
Project description:Many regulatory proteins and complexes have been identified which influence transcription by RNA polymerase (pol) II with a fine precision. In comparison, only a few regulatory proteins are known for pol III, which transcribes mostly house-keeping and non-coding RNAs. Yet, pol III transcription is precisely regulated under various stress conditions like starvation. We used proteomic approaches and pol III transcription complex components TFIIIC (Tfc6), pol III (Rpc128) and TFIIIB (Brf1) as baits to find identify the potential interactors through mass spectrometry-based proteomics. A large number of proteins were found in the interactome, which includes known chromatin modifiers, factors and regulators of transcription by pol I and pol II.