An allosteric self-splicing ribozyme triggered by a bacterial second messenger.
Group I self-splicing ribozymes commonly function as components of selfish mobile genetic elements. We identified an allosteric group I ribozyme, wherein self-splicing is regulated by a distinct riboswitch class that senses the bacterial second messenger c-di-GMP. The tandem RNA sensory system resides in the 5' untranslated region of the messenger RNA for a putative virulence gene in the pathogenic bacterium Clostridium difficile. c-di-GMP binding by the riboswitch induces folding changes at atypical splice site junctions to modulate alternative RNA processing. Our findings indicate that some self-splicing ribozymes are not selfish elements but are harnessed by cells as metabolite sensors and genetic regulators.
Lee
Elaine R
ER
Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, Box 208103, New Haven, CT 06520-8103, USA.
Baker
Jenny L
JL
Department of Chemistry, Yale University, Box 208103, New Haven, CT 06520-8103, USA.
Weinberg
Zasha
Z
Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, Box 208103, New Haven, CT 06520-8103, USA.|Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University, Box 208103, New Haven, CT 06520-8103, USA.
Sudarsan
Narasimhan
N
Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, Box 208103, New Haven, CT 06520-8103, USA.|Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University, Box 208103, New Haven, CT 06520-8103, USA.
Breaker
Ronald R
RR
Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, Yale University, Box 208103, New Haven, CT 06520-8103, USA.|Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Yale University, Box 208103, New Haven, CT 06520-8103, USA.|Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, Box 208103, New Haven, CT 06520-8103, USA.
D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide / Q000737:chemistry; D020029:Base Pairing; D001483:Base Sequence; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity; D018387:Codon, Initiator; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D005091:Exons; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D012326:RNA Splicing; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D016337:RNA, Catalytic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D038621:Regulatory Sequences, Ribonucleic Acid; D015290:Second Messenger Systems
D020121:5' Untranslated Regions; D052157:Aptamers, Nucleotide; D018387:Codon, Initiator; C116167:GIR1 ribozyme; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D016337:RNA, Catalytic; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D038621:Regulatory Sequences, Ribonucleic Acid; C062025:bis(3',5')-cyclic diguanylic acid; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate; D006152:Cyclic GMP