Characterization of native and reconstituted exosome complexes from the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus (original) (raw)

An exosome-like complex in Sulfolobus solfataricus

EMBO reports, 2003

We present the first experimental evidence for the existence of an exosome-like protein complex in Archaea. In Eukarya, the exosome is essential for many pathways of RNA processing and degradation. Co-immunoprecipitation with antibodies directed against the previously predicted Sulfolobus solfataricus orthologue of the exosome subunit ribosomal-RNA-processing protein 41 (Rrp41) led to the purification of a 250-kDa protein complex from S. solfataricus. Approximately half of the complex cosediments with ribosomal subunits. It comprises four previously predicted orthologues of the core exosome subunits from yeast (Rrp41, Rrp42, Rrp4 and Csl4 (cep1 synthetic lethality 4; an RNA-binding protein and exosome subunit)), whereas other predicted subunits were not found. Surprisingly, the archaeal homologue of the bacterial DNA primase DnaG was tightly associated with the complex. This suggests an RNA-related function for the archaeal DnaG-like proteins. Comparison of experimental data from different organisms shows that the minimal core of the exosome consists of at least one phosphate-dependent ribonuclease PH homologue, and of Rrp4 and Csl4. Such a protein complex was probably present in the last common ancestor of Archaea and Eukarya.

The archaeal exosome core is a hexameric ring structure with three catalytic subunits

Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, 2005

The exosome is a 3¢-5¢ exoribonuclease complex involved in RNA processing. We report the crystal structure of the RNase PH core complex of the Sulfolobus solfataricus exosome determined at a resolution of 2.8 Å . The structure reveals a hexameric ringlike arrangement of three Rrp41-Rrp42 heterodimers, where both subunits adopt the RNase PH fold common to phosphorolytic exoribonucleases. Structure-guided mutagenesis reveals that the activity of the complex resides within the active sites of the Rrp41 subunits, all three of which face the same side of the hexameric structure. The Rrp42 subunit is inactive but contributes to the structuring of the Rrp41 active site. The high sequence similarity of this archaeal exosome to eukaryotic exosomes and its high structural similarity to the bacterial mRNA-degrading PNPase support a common basis for RNA-degrading machineries in all three domains of life.

The evolutionarily conserved subunits Rrp4 and Csl4 confer different substrate specificities to the archaeal exosome

FEBS Letters, 2010

We studied the substrate specificity of the exosome of Sulfolobus solfataricus using the catalytically active Rrp41-Rrp42-hexamer and complexes containing the RNA-binding subunits Rrp4 or Csl4. The conservation of both Rrp4 and Csl4 in archaeal and eukaryotic exosomes suggests specific functions for each of them. We found that they confer different specificities to the exosome: RNA with an Apoor 3 0 -end is degraded with higher efficiency by the Csl4-exosome, while the Rrp4-exosome strongly prefers poly(A)-RNA. High C-content and polyuridylation negatively influence RNA processing by all complexes, and, in contrast to the hexamer, the Rrp4-exosome prefers longer substrates.

RNA polyadenylation in Archaea: not observed in Haloferax while the exosome polynucleotidylates RNA in Sulfolobus

EMBO reports, 2005

The addition of poly(A) tails to RNA is a phenomenon common to all organisms examined so far. No homologues of the known polyadenylating enzymes are found in Archaea and little is known concerning the mechanisms of messenger RNA degradation in these organisms. Hyperthermophiles of the genus Sulfolobus contain a protein complex with high similarity to the exosome, which is known to degrade RNA in eukaryotes. Halophilic Archaea, however, do not encode homologues of these eukaryotic exosome components. In this work, we analysed RNA polyadenylation and degradation in the archaea Sulfolobus solfataricus and Haloferax volcanii. No RNA polyadenylation was detected in the halophilic archaeon H. volcanii. However, RNA polynucleotidylation occurred in hyperthermophiles of the genus Sulfolobus and was mediated by the archaea exosome complex. Together, our results identify the first organism without RNA polyadenylation and show a polyadenylation activity of the archaea exosome.

RNA polyadenylation and degradation in different Archaea; roles of the exosome and RNase R

Nucleic Acids Research, 2006

Polyadenylation is a process common to almost all organisms. In eukaryotes, stable poly(A)-tails, important for mRNA stability and translation initiation, are added to the 3 0 ends of most mRNAs. Contrarily, polyadenylation can stimulate RNA degradation, a phenomenon witnessed in prokaryotes, organelles and recently, for nucleus-encoded RNA as well. Polyadenylation takes place in hyperthermophilic archaea and is mediated by the archaeal exosome, but no RNA polyadenylation was detected in halophiles. Here, we analyzed polyadenylation in the third archaea group, the methanogens, in which some members contain genes encoding the exosome but others lack these genes. Polyadenylation was found in the methanogen, Methanopyrus kandleri, containing the exosome genes, but not in members which lack these genes. To explore how RNA is degraded in the absence of the exosome and without polyadenylation, we searched for the exoribonuclease that is involved in this process. No homologous proteins for any other known exoribonuclease were detected in this group. However, the halophilic archaea contain a gene homologous to the exoribonuclease RNase R. This ribonuclease is not able to degrade structured RNA better than PNPase. RNase R, which appears to be the only exoribonucleases in Haloferax volcanii, was found to be essential for viability.

Insights into the Mechanism of Progressive RNA Degradation by the Archaeal Exosome

Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2008

Initially identified in yeast, the exosome has emerged as a central component of the RNA maturation and degradation machinery both in Archaea and eukaryotes. Here we describe a series of high-resolution structures of the RNase PH ring from the Pyrococcus abyssi exosome, one of them containing three 10-mer RNA strands within the exosome catalytic chamber, and report additional nucleotide interactions involving positions N5 and N7. Residues from all three Rrp41-Rrp42 heterodimers interact with a single RNA molecule, providing evidence for the functional relevance of exosome ring-like assembly in RNA processivity. Furthermore, an ADP-bound structure showed a rearrangement of nucleotide interactions at site N1, suggesting a rationale for the elimination of nucleoside diphosphate after catalysis. In combination with RNA degradation assays performed with mutants of key amino acid residues, the structural data presented here provide support for a model of exosome-mediated RNA degradation that integrates the events involving catalytic cleavage, product elimination, and RNA translocation. Finally, comparisons between the archaeal and human exosome structures provide a possible explanation for the eukaryotic exosome inability to catalyze phosphate-dependent RNA degradation. Downloaded from FIGURE 5. Central channel structural rearrangement and stabilization upon RNA binding. Polypeptide chains are colored according to normalized B-factors from blue (low) to red (high). Left panels show the native exosome core structure, whereas right panels show the 10-mer poly(A) RNA-bound structure. Nucleotides are represented in yellow-red-blue sticks and heterodimers subunits are labeled in green (numbers in parentheses indicate subunits from the same dimer).

Identification of archaeal proteins that affect the exosome function in vitro

BMC Biochemistry, 2010

Background: The archaeal exosome is formed by a hexameric RNase PH ring and three RNA binding subunits and has been shown to bind and degrade RNA in vitro. Despite extensive studies on the eukaryotic exosome and on the proteins interacting with this complex, little information is yet available on the identification and function of archaeal exosome regulatory factors. Results: Here, we show that the proteins PaSBDS and PaNip7, which bind preferentially to poly-A and AU-rich RNAs, respectively, affect the Pyrococcus abyssi exosome activity in vitro. PaSBDS inhibits slightly degradation of a poly-rA substrate, while PaNip7 strongly inhibits the degradation of poly-A and poly-AU by the exosome. The exosome inhibition by PaNip7 appears to depend at least partially on its interaction with RNA, since mutants of PaNip7 that no longer bind RNA, inhibit the exosome less strongly. We also show that FITC-labeled PaNip7 associates with the exosome in the absence of substrate RNA. Conclusions: Given the high structural homology between the archaeal and eukaryotic proteins, the effect of archaeal Nip7 and SBDS on the exosome provides a model for an evolutionarily conserved exosome control mechanism.

RNA processing machineries in Archaea: the 5′-3′ exoribonuclease aRNase J of the [beta]-CASP family is engaged specifically with the helicase ASH-Ski2 and the 3′-5′ exoribonucleolytic RNA exosome machinery

2019

A network of RNA helicases, endoribonucleases, and exoribonucleases regulates the quantity and quality of cellular RNAs. To date, mechanistic studies focused on bacterial and eukaryal systems due to the challenge of identifying the main drivers of RNA decay and processing in Archaea. Here, our data support that aRNase J, a 5′-3′ exoribonuclease of the β-CASP family conserved in Euryarchaea, engages specifically with a Ski2-like helicase and the RNA exosome to potentially exert control over RNA surveillance, and that this occurs in the vicinity of the ribosome. Proteomic landscapes and direct protein-protein interaction analyses demonstrated that aRNase J interplay with ASH-Ski2 and the Csl4 cap exosome subunit. These in vitro data are strengthened by our phylogenomic studies showing a taxonomic co-distribution of aRNase J and ASH-Ski2 among the archaeal phylogeny. Finally, our T. barophilus whole-cell extract fractionation experiments provide evidences that an aRNase J/ASH-Ski2 comp...