title: RNA recognition and cleavage by a splicing endonuclease.
abstract: The RNA splicing endonuclease cleaves two phosphodiester bonds within folded precursor RNAs during intron removal, producing the functional RNAs required for protein synthesis. Here we describe at a resolution of 2.85 angstroms the structure of a splicing endonuclease from Archaeglobus fulgidus bound with a bulge-helix-bulge RNA containing a noncleaved and a cleaved splice site. The endonuclease dimer cooperatively recognized a flipped-out bulge base and stabilizes sharply bent bulge backbones that are poised for an in-line RNA cleavage reaction. Cooperativity arises because an arginine pair from one catalytic domain sandwiches a nucleobase within the bulge cleaved by the other catalytic domain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA.
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Calvin
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019843:Archaeal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D019611:Archaeoglobus fulgidus / Q000201:enzymology*; D001665:Binding Sites; D020134:Catalytic Domain; D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D019281:Dimerization; D004722:Endoribonucleases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D007438:Introns; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D011487:Protein Conformation; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D012322:RNA Precursors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012326:RNA Splicing; D019642:RNA, Archaeal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D012343:RNA, Transfer / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019843:Archaeal Proteins; D021122:Protein Subunits; D012322:RNA Precursors; D019642:RNA, Archaeal; D012343:RNA, Transfer; D004722:Endoribonucleases; C051012:splicing endonuclease