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Phylogenetic-comparative analysis of the eukaryal ribonuclease P RNA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 December 2000

DANIEL N. FRANK
Affiliation:
Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0347, USA
CATHERINE ADAMIDI
Affiliation:
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA
MARISSA A. EHRINGER
Affiliation:
Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado 80262, USA
CHRISTIAN PITULLE
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27606, USA
NORMAN R. PACE
Affiliation:
Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0347, USA
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Abstract

Ribonuclease P (RNase P) is the ribonucleoprotein enzyme that cleaves 5′-leader sequences from precursor-tRNAs. Bacterial and eukaryal RNase P RNAs differ fundamentally in that the former, but not the latter, are capable of catalyzing pre-tRNA maturation in vitro in the absence of proteins. An explanation of these functional differences will be assisted by a detailed comparison of bacterial and eukaryal RNase P RNA structures. However, the structures of eukaryal RNase P RNAs remain poorly characterized, compared to their bacterial and archaeal homologs. Hence, we have taken a phylogenetic-comparative approach to refine the secondary structures of eukaryal RNase P RNAs. To this end, 20 new RNase P RNA sequences have been determined from species of ascomycetous fungi representative of the genera Arxiozyma, Clavispora, Kluyveromyces, Pichia, Saccharomyces, Saccharomycopsis, Torulaspora, Wickerhamia, and Zygosaccharomyces. Phylogenetic-comparative analysis of these and other sequences refines previous eukaryal RNase P RNA secondary structure models. Patterns of sequence conservation and length variation refine the minimum-consensus model of the core eukaryal RNA structure. In comparison to bacterial RNase P RNAs, the eukaryal homologs lack RNA structural elements thought to be critical for both substrate binding and catalysis. Nonetheless, the eukaryal RNA retains the main features of the catalytic core of the bacterial RNase P. This indicates that the eukaryal RNA remains intrinsically a ribozyme.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2000 RNA Society

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