A minor groove RNA triple helix within the catalytic core of a group I intron

A A Szewczak; L Ortoleva-Donnelly; S P Ryder; E Moncoeur; S A Strobel

doi:10.1038/4146

A minor groove RNA triple helix within the catalytic core of a group I intron

Nat Struct Biol. 1998 Dec;5(12):1037-42. doi: 10.1038/4146.

Authors

A A Szewczak¹, L Ortoleva-Donnelly, S P Ryder, E Moncoeur, S A Strobel

Affiliation

¹ Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA.

PMID: 9846872
DOI: 10.1038/4146

Abstract

Close packing of several double helical and single stranded RNA elements is required for the Tetrahymena group I ribozyme to achieve catalysis. The chemical basis of these packing interactions is largely unknown. Using nucleotide analog interference suppression (NAIS), we demonstrate that the P1 substrate helix and J8/7 single stranded segment form an extended minor groove triple helix within the catalytic core of the ribozyme. Because each triple in the complex is mediated by at least one 2'-OH group, this substrate recognition triplex is unique to RNA and is fundamentally different from major groove homopurine-homopyrimidine triplexes. We have incorporated these biochemical data into a structural model of the ribozyme core that explains how the J8/7 strand organizes several helices within this complex RNA tertiary structure.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Animals
Base Sequence
Catalytic Domain / genetics*
Introns*
Models, Chemical
Models, Molecular
Molecular Sequence Data
Nucleic Acid Conformation*
RNA, Catalytic / genetics
RNA, Protozoan / chemistry*
Tetrahymena / genetics*

Substances

RNA, Catalytic
RNA, Protozoan