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1 Department of Physics, Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, Osaka 569-8686, Japan
2 Institute of High Polymer Research, Faculty of Textile Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Ueda 386-8567, Japan
| Abstract |
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active 70S interconversion is a major system regulating translation activity in stationary phase cells. To elucidate the mechanisms of translational inactivation, the binding sites of RMF on 23S rRNA in 100S ribosome of E. coli were examined by a chemical probing method using dimethyl sulphate (DMS). As the results, the nine bases in 23S rRNA were protected from DMS modifications and the modification of one base was enhanced. Interestingly A2451 is included among the protected bases, which is thought to be directly involved in peptidyl transferase activity. We conclude that RMF inactivates ribosomes by covering the peptidyl transferase (PTase) centre and the entrance of peptide exit tunnel. It is surprising that the cell itself produces a protein that seems to inhibit protein synthesis in a similar manner to antibiotics and that it can reversibly bind to and release from the ribosome in response to environmental conditions. | Introduction |
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The 100S ribosomes have no translational activity and are formed during the stationary phase (Wada et al. 1995). When stationary phase cells are transferred to rich nutritious culture medium, RMF is immediately released from the 100S ribosomes, and the 100S ribosomes dissociate back into the 70S ribosomes. This process is very quick and completed within two minutes. After the process, the cells can reinitiate the protein synthesis and the proliferation within six minutes (Wada 1998). These phenomena indicate that an interconversion system between 70S and 100S ribosomes is a response to the transition of growth phases. During the exponential phase, in order to synthesize proteins, the ribosomes proceed step by step in the ribosome cycle that mainly consists of initiation, elongation, termination and recycling stages. During the stationary phase many ribosomes are changed to 100S ribosomes after the recycling stage. This 100S formation is called the hibernation stage (Yoshida et al. 2002). It is suggested that the 100S formation has roles of protection from ribosomal degradation in addition to suppression of protein synthesis, because the lifetime of RMF disruptants (E. coli) is shorter than that of wild strains (Yamagishi et al. 1993).
The above-mentioned facts raise the question of how RMF forms the 100S ribosomes and deprives the ribosomal particles of the translational activity. To elucidate these subjects, we have examined the binding site of RMF on the E. coli ribosome by protein-protein crosslinking using 2-iminothiolane in the previous studies (Yoshida et al. 2002). The results indicate that RMF is crosslinked with ribosomal proteins L2, L13 and S13, and we derived the possibility that RMF binds to a region at or near the peptidyl transferase (PTase) centre, because these ribosomal proteins exist around the PTase centre. This interpretation can explain the fact that the 100S ribosome has no translational activity. X-ray crystallographic analysis of ribosome indicates that no ribosomal protein is found in the PTase centre (Nissen et al. 2000). Therefore, it is predicted that RMF directly binds to the 23S rRNA. A knowledge of the interaction between RMF and the 23S rRNA is very valuable for understanding the role of RMF, because the rRNA carries out many ribosomal functions. In this study, we examined the RMF binding sites on the E. coli 23S rRNA by a chemical probing method using dimethyl sulphate (DMS). As a result, we found 10 ribonucleotides whose modifications are affected by RMF in the presence of DMS. Nine nucleotides among them are protected from DMS modification, and their positions are basically consistent with those of a crosslinking study. Interestingly the binding sites of RMF demonstrated in this study overlap with those of tRNAs and some antibiotics. Moreover, some of the detected nucleotides are crucial to the PTase activity and the evacuation of synthesized peptides from the ribosome.
| Results |
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The formation of 100S ribosomes in vitro was performed by incubation of the RMF-free ribosomes (High-salt washed ribosomes: HSR, Fig. 1a) isolated from cells in stationary phase with His-tagged RMF in DMS reaction buffer (100 mM KCl, 15 mM MgCl2, 50 mM K-cacodylate at pH 7.2) as shown in Fig. 1c. Efficiency of the 100S ribosome formation in DMS reaction buffer detected by the sucrose-gradient sedimentation analysis was comparable to that formed in the association buffer (100 mM CH3COONH4, 15 mM (CH3COO)2Mg, and 20 mM Tris-HCl at pH 7.6). We also used the 100S ribosomes containing RMF formed in vivo as the RMF-containing 100S sample (Fig. 1b). The 100S ribosomes formed in vitro or in vivo were exposed to DMS, which modifies adenosine and cytidine of the rRNA at their N1 and N3 position, respectively. The modified rRNA bases were readily detected by primer extension analysis. We searched the regions of A920-G1107, A1918-A2090 and C2300-A2710 by using nine primers (Table 1) and performed the experiments at least more than three times for each of the 100S ribosomes formed in vitro and in vivo. The RMF-protection patterns were basically same between the two 100S ribosome samples, although there were some minor differences in the protection between the samples. It is therefore likely that there is no significant difference in structural nature between the 100S ribosomes formed in vitro and in vivo, despite the inefficiency in formation of 100S ribosomes with the His-tagged RMF in vitro compare to those formed with natural RMF as shown in Fig. 1b,c.
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| Discussion |
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helices at the N and C termini and a coil fastening the helices. We believe RMF has an elongated and simple structure, which can also be explained by instability of free-RMF in the cytoplasm. If this prediction is correct, the structural size of RMF will be able to cover the area identified as the binding sites. Homologous proteins of RMF have been identified in some gram-negative bacteria by using database-searching techniques as shown in Fig. 4b. There is considerable homology between them, indicating that their RMFs have the same binding sites as those of E. coli. Besides the above bacteria, the dimer of ribosomes has been experimentally found in Serratia marcescens and Proteus mirabilis (unpublished data). Most of them are enterobacteria, while P. aeruginosa and P. syringae are soil bacteria and their RMFs have an elongated C terminus. The relationship between the activity of RMF and the lifestyle of these bacteria is interesting. Some of the above bacteria are pathogenic bacteria. The RMF may become a candidate for targets for the design of new drugs to combat pathogenic bacteria.
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The DMS modification of one base was enhanced as shown in Fig. 3b. In general, it is explained that the enhancement of the chemical modification is caused by the conformational changes. On the basis of this interpretation, it is assumed that the modification of enhanced base detected in this study is caused by the conformational changes on the formation of 100S ribosomes. Also, it is assumed that the protected base except for the intensive area (C2394) escapes from DMS modification by the conformational changes. It is reported that RMF binds to the interface between the 50S and 30S subunits (Wada et al. 1990). However, in observations by electron microscopy it was elucidated that the 100S ribosome is formed by the dimerization of two 70S ribosomes mediated by face-to-face contacts between their constituent 30S subunits, namely 50S-30S-30S-50S (Yoshida et al. 2002). It is difficult to imagine how RMF with a molecular weight of only 6507 directly mediates the interaction between two 30S subunits. The intercalation of RMF in the interface may induce conformational changes in the 30S subunits, which causes two 70S ribosomes to dimerize. The protected and enhanced bases, except for the intensive area, may have relations with the conformational changes on the formation of the 100S ribosomes.
In conclusion, the binding site of RMF on E. coli 23S rRNA was identified by chemical probing. The detected bases in this study might include the results not only of direct protection by RMF but also of conformational changes. However, it is suggested that RMF binds near the PTase centre from the facts that many protected bases focus on the PTase centre and the results are consistent with crosslinking studies. These data provide a useful piece of information to illustrate the mechanism of translational inactivation of ribosomes by RMF. RMF binds to the ribosomes as though it covers the PTase centre and the entrance of the peptide exit tunnel or it occupies the P-site or both the A- and P-site. By the binding of RMF to the crucial sites, the ribosome is divested of the translational activity. The binding site of RMF is the same as some antibiotics. It is very surprising that the cell itself produces a protein that seems to inhibit protein synthesis in a similar manner to antibiotics and can moreover reversibly bind to and release from the ribosome in response to environmental conditions. The data in this study may provide information of the conformational changes on the formation of 100S ribosomes. When the 100S ribosome is formed, it is predicted that the 30S subunits undergo large conformational changes. The chemical probing method will be a useful tool to examine the conformational changes in detail. We are carrying out the structural analysis of the 100S ribosome by cryo electron microscopy and hoping that the mechanisms of dimerization are elucidated.
| Experimental procedures |
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E. coli W3110 cells were grown in medium E (Vogel & Bonner 1956) containing 2% polypeptone at 37 °C with shaking at 100 cycles per min for 4 days. Preparation of crude ribosomes (CR) from the cells was carried out essentially according to the method of Noll et al. (1973), with slight modifications as described by Horie et al. (1981). The CR, including the 100S ribosomes, was suspended in association buffer (100 mM CH3COONH4, 15 mM (CH3COO)2Mg, and 20 mM Tris-HCl at pH 7.6). High-salt washed ribosomes (HSR) were prepared by a centrifugation of CR in high-salt buffer (1 M CH3COONH4, 15 mM (CH3COO)2Mg, and 20 mM Tris-HCl at pH 7.6). The HSR includes mostly 70S ribosomes and does not include 100S ribosomes, because the RMF is released by this treatment and the 100S ribosome dissociates to two 70S ribosomes. The HSR prepared from the cells in the stationary phase has a higher efficiency of 100S ribosome formation in vitro using His-tagged RMF than that in the exponential phase. The CR and HSR were dialysed against DMS reaction buffer (100 mM KCl, 15 mM MgCl2, 50 mM K-cacodylate at pH 7.2) for use of DMS chemical probing.
The expression vector pQE-9 (QIAGEN), which contains a 6 x His-tag at the N-terminus, was used to express His-tagged RMF. The ligated vector [pQE-9(rmf-lacZ)] was transformed into M15 strains. M15 cells carrying pQE-9(rmf-lacZ) were grown in 2 x YT medium containing 25 µg/ml kanamycin and 100 µg/ml ampicillin at 37 °C with shaking at 100 cycles per min. Expression of His-tagged RMF was induced by adding IPTG [isopropyl-ß-D(-)-thiogalactopyranoside, Wako] to a final concentration of 0.03 mM at OD660nm 0.6. His-tagged RMF was purified by a column filled with 1 ml nickel-nitrilotriacetic acid-agarose (Ni-NTA, HiTrap column from Amersham Pharmacia Biotech.) and then was dialysed against DMS reaction buffer for use in DMS chemical probing.
Sucrose density gradient centrifugation
Ribosomes were subjected to centrifugation on 520% linear sucrose density gradients in DMS reaction buffer. After centrifugation in a SW40Ti rotor (Beckman) at 40 000 r.p.m. (285 000 g) for 80 min at 4 °C, ribosome profiles were observed at 260 nm by a UV-180 spectrometer (Shimazu) using a flow cell.
Chemical modification and primer extension
The 100S ribosomes formed in vitro were prepared by adding the His-tagged RMF at a 10-fold molar ratio to HSR, and by incubating at 37 °C for 30 min. The CR was employed as the native 100S ribosomes formed in vivo. The sample volumes of the ribosomal solutions (OD260nm: 0.5) were adjusted to 50 µl with DMS reaction buffer before chemical modification. Chemical modification was started by addition of 1 µL DMS (1 : 4 dilution in ethanol), and then incubated 37 °C for 10 min. RNA extraction, primer extension and gel electrophoresis were performed as described by Moazed and Noller (Moazed & Noller 1986). Nine primers were used in primer extension and they are listed in Table 1. Among them Pr-5 did not work in the extension reaction.
| Acknowledgements |
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| Footnotes |
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* Correspondence: E-mail: yhide{at}art.osaka-med.ac.jp
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Received: 9 October 2003
Accepted: 15 January 2004
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