Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.1.30.2 (endonuclease)
 18,621 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A synthetic RNA transcript containing the entire sequence of one of the two natural mRNAs for Escherichia coli ribosomal protein S20 is a substrate for specific cleavage by an endonuclease which is or depends on ribonuclease E (Mackie, G. A. (1991) J. Bacteriol. 173, 2488-2497). Partial cleavage with ribonucleases T1 or CL3 and limited modification with dimethyl sulfate have been employed to identify residues that are likely to be single stranded in the S20 mRNA's native state. The data show that the 5' one-third of the mRNA is relatively unstructured whereas the 3' one-third is extensively folded. The latter property can account for the previously observed accumulation of a 147-residue product co-terminal with the 3' end of the S20 mRNA (Mackie, G. A. (1989) J. Bacteriol. 171, 4112-4120). Sites of cleavage by the ribonuclease E-dependent activity map to single-stranded regions of the RNA. In addition, denaturation of the RNA substrate results in loss of susceptibility to the ribonuclease E-dependent activity and simultaneous loss of the single-stranded character of the two most prominent cleavage sites. It is proposed that ribonuclease E is a single-strand-specific enzyme with few primary structural constraints but a preference for an AU dinucleotide 3' to the site of cleavage.
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PMID:Secondary structure of the mRNA for ribosomal protein S20. Implications for cleavage by ribonuclease E. 137 Apr 57

Endonucleolytic cleavage is believed to initiate the degradation of most bacterial mRNAs, but with several exceptions, the enzymes responsible have yet to be identified. Crude (S-30) or partially fractionated extracts of Escherichia coli strains with reduced exonuclease activities catalyze the cleavage of a 372-residue RNA substrate containing the sequences coding for ribosomal protein S20 to yield a number of discrete products. The major product of 147 residues is obtained in 60 to 70% yield, is coterminal with the 3' end of the substrate, and is identical to an mRNA fragment previously characterized in vivo (G. A. Mackie, J. Bacteriol. 171:4112-4120, 1989). A number of other products of 150 to 340 residues are also formed, and the cleavage sites, typically N decreases AU sequences, have been identified in the S20 mRNA substrate by Northern (RNA) blotting and primer extension. All cleavages required a native rather than a denatured RNA substrate. The rate of cutting of the S20 mRNA substrate at the site yielding the prominent 147-residue product appears to be independent of cleavages at other sites. In addition, the activity of the putative endonuclease(s) depends strongly, both in vivo and in vitro, on the product of the ams gene, which is known to influence mRNA lifetimes in vivo. Taken together, the data show that the fractionated extract described here reproduces steps in the degradation of some mRNAs which occur in living cells.
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PMID:Specific endonucleolytic cleavage of the mRNA for ribosomal protein S20 of Escherichia coli requires the product of the ams gene in vivo and in vitro. 201 71

The endoribonuclease RNase E is believed to initiate the degradation of many mRNAs in Escherichia coli, yet the mechanism by which it recognizes cleavage sites is poorly understood. We have prepared derivatives of the mRNA encoding ribosomal protein S20 which contain a single major RNase E cleavage site at residues 300/301 preceded by variable 5' extensions. Three of these RNAs are cleaved in vitro with significantly reduced efficiencies relative to the intact S20 mRNA by both crude RNase E and pure Rne protein (endonuclease component of RNase E). In all three substrates as well as in the full-length mRNA the major cleavage site itself remains single-stranded. One such substrate (t84D) contains a 5' stem-loop structure characterized by three noncanonical A-G pairs. Removal or denaturation of the stem restores efficient cleavage at the major RNase E site. The other two contain single-stranded 5'-termini but apparently lack cleavage sites near the termini. Our data show that sensitivity to RNase E can be influenced by distant structural motifs in the RNA and also suggest a model in which the initial recognition and cleavage of a substrate near its 5' end facilitates sequential cleavages at more distal sites. The model implies that RNase E contains at least a dimer of the Rne subunit and that the products of the first cleavage are retained by Rne prior to the second cleavage.
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PMID:Modulation of the activity of RNase E in vitro by RNA sequences and secondary structures 5' to cleavage sites. 899 4

The selective degradation of messenger RNAs enables cells to regulate the levels of particular mRNAs in response to changes in the environment. Ribonuclease (RNase) E, a single-strand-specific endonuclease that is found in a multi-enzyme complex known as the 'degradosome', initiates the degradation of many mRNAs in Escherichia coli. Its relative lack of sequence specificity and the presence of many potential cleavage sites in mRNA substrates cannot explain why mRNA decay frequently proceeds in a net 5'-to-3' direction. I have prepared covalently closed circular derivatives of natural substrates, the rpsT mRNA encoding ribosomal protein S20 and the 9S precursor to 5S ribosomal RNA, and find that these derivatives are considerably more resistant to cleavage in vitro by RNase E than are linear molecules. Moreover, antisense oligo-deoxynucleotides complementary to the 5' end of linear substrates significantly reduce the latter's susceptibility to attack by RNase E. Finally, natural substrates with terminal 5'-triphosphate groups are poorly cleaved by RNase E in vitro, whereas 5' monophosphorylated substrates are strongly preferred. These results show that RNase E has inherent vectorial properties, with its activity depending on the 5' end of its substrates; this can account for the direction of mRNA decay in E. coli, the phenomenon of 'all or none' mRNA decay, and the stabilization provided by 5' stem-loop structures.
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PMID:Ribonuclease E is a 5'-end-dependent endonuclease. 979 Jan 96