title: Inventory and analysis of the protein subunits of the ribonucleases P and MRP provides further evidence of homology between the yeast and human enzymes.
abstract: The RNases P and MRP are involved in tRNA and rRNA processing, respectively. Both enzymes in eukaryotes are composed of an RNA molecule and 9-12 protein subunits. Most of the protein subunits are shared between RNases P and MRP. We have here performed a computational analysis of the protein subunits in a broad range of eukaryotic organisms using profile-based searches and phylogenetic methods. A number of novel homologues were identified, giving rise to a more complete inventory of RNase P/MRP proteins. We present evidence of a relationship between fungal Pop8 and the protein subunit families Rpp14/Pop5 as well as between fungal Pop6 and metazoan Rpp25. These relationships further emphasize a structural and functional similarity between the yeast and human P/MRP complexes. We have also identified novel P and MRP RNAs and analysis of all available sequences revealed a K-turn motif in a large number of these RNAs. We suggest that this motif is a binding site for the Pop3/Rpp38 proteins and we discuss other structural features of the RNA subunit and possible relationships to the protein subunit repertoire.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry, Institute of Biomedicine, Goteborg University, Box 413 SE-405 30 Goteborg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Magnus Alm
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rosenblad
authors.forename: Marcela Dávila
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Piccinelli
authors.forename: Tore
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Samuelsson
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D004722:Endoribonucleases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D023281:Genomics; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D043262:Ribonuclease P / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017423:Sequence Analysis, RNA; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015003:Yeasts / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D021122:Protein Subunits; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D004722:Endoribonucleases; C058330:mitochondrial RNA-processing endoribonuclease; D043262:Ribonuclease P