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S1 domains occur in four of the major enzymes of mRNA decay in Escherichia coli: RNase E, PNPase, RNase II, and RNase G. Here, we report the structure of the S1 domain of RNase E, determined by both X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy. The RNase E S1 domain adopts an OB-fold, very similar to that found with PNPase and the major cold shock proteins, in which flexible loops are appended to a well-ordered five-stranded beta-barrel core. Within the crystal lattice, the protein forms a dimer stabilized primarily by intermolecular hydrophobic packing. Consistent with this observation, light-scattering, chemical crosslinking, and NMR spectroscopic measurements confirm that the isolated RNase E S1 domain undergoes a specific monomer-dimer equilibrium in solution with a K(D) value in the millimolar range. The substitution of glycine 66 with serine dramatically destabilizes the folded structure of this domain, thereby providing an explanation for the temperature-sensitive phenotype associated with this mutation in full-length RNase E. Based on amide chemical shift perturbation mapping, the binding surface for a single-stranded DNA dodecamer (K(D)=160(+/-40)microM) was identified as a groove of positive electrostatic potential containing several exposed aromatic side-chains. This surface, which corresponds to the conserved ligand-binding cleft found in numerous OB-fold proteins, lies distal to the dimerization interface, such that two independent oligonucleotide-binding sites can exist in the dimeric form of the RNase E S1 domain. Based on these data, we propose that the S1 domain serves a dual role of dimerization to aid in the formation of the tetrameric quaternary structure of RNase E as described by Callaghan et al. in 2003 and of substrate binding to facilitate RNA hydrolysis by the adjacent catalytic domains within this multimeric enzyme.

Structural characterization of the RNase E S1 domain and identification of its oligonucleotide-binding and dimerization interfaces., Schubert M, Edge RE, Lario P, Cook MA, Strynadka NC, Mackie GA, McIntosh LP, J Mol Biol. 2004 Jul 30;341(1):37-54. PMID:15312761

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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Categories: Escherichia coli | Single protein | Cook, M A. | Edge, R E. | Lario, P. | Mackie, G A. | McIntosh, L P. | Schubert, M. | Strynadka, N C.J. | Ob-fold | Rna-binding