Guide DNA technique reveals that the protein component of bacterial ribonuclease P is a modifier for substrate recognition

FEBS Lett. 2001 Feb 23;491(1-2):94-8. doi: 10.1016/s0014-5793(01)02170-6.

Abstract

We developed a guide DNA technique with which the cleavage efficiency of pre-tRNA substrate raised in the RNase P reaction. The 20-mer guide DNAs hybridizing to the upstream region of the cleaving site enhanced the cleavage reactions of RNA substrates by Escherichia coli RNase P. This guide DNA technique was also applicable to cleavage site selection by choosing the DNA-hybridizing site. Results showed that RNase P accepts DNA/RNA double-stranded 5'-leader region with high catalytic efficiency as well as single-stranded RNA region in pre-tRNAs as substrates, which suggests that the protein component of bacterial RNase P prefers bulky nucleotides. The protein component did not affect the normal 5'-processing reaction of pre-tRNAs, but enhanced the mis-cleaving (hyperprocessing) reactions of tRNA in non-cloverleaf folding. Our results suggested that the protein component of RNase P is a modifier for substrate recognition.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry*
  • Base Sequence
  • Endoribonucleases / chemistry*
  • Escherichia coli / chemistry*
  • Escherichia coli Proteins*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Nucleic Acid Conformation*
  • Nucleic Acid Hybridization
  • Oligonucleotide Probes / chemistry*
  • RNA Precursors / chemistry*
  • RNA, Bacterial / chemistry
  • RNA, Catalytic / chemistry*
  • RNA, Transfer / chemistry*
  • Ribonuclease P
  • Substrate Specificity

Substances

  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Escherichia coli Proteins
  • Oligonucleotide Probes
  • RNA Precursors
  • RNA, Bacterial
  • RNA, Catalytic
  • RNA, Transfer
  • Endoribonucleases
  • Ribonuclease P
  • ribonuclease P, E coli