Michael Y. Pavlov

The Bacterial Toxin RelE Displays Codon-Specific Cleavage of mRNAs in the Ribosomal A Site

The Escherichia coli relBE operon encodes a toxin-antitoxin pair, RelE-RelB. RelB can reverse inhibition of protein synthesis by RelE in vivo. We have found that although RelE does not degrade free RNA, it cleaves mRNA in the ribosomal A site with high codon specificity. Among stop codons UAG is cleaved with fast, UAA intermediate and UGA slow rate, while UCG and CAG are cleaved most rapidly among sense codons. We suggest that inhibition of protein synthesis by RelE is reversed with the help of tmRNA, and that RelE plays a regulatory role in bacteria during adaptation to poor growth conditions.

Release factor RF3 in E.coli accelerates the dissociation of release factors RF1 and RF2 from the ribosome in a GTP‐dependent manner

Ribosomes complexed with synthetic mRNA and peptidyl‐tRNA, ready for peptide release, were purified by gel filtration and used to study the function of release factor RF3 and guanine nucleotides in the termination of protein synthesis. The peptide‐releasing activity of RF1 and RF2 in limiting concentrations was stimulated by the addition of RF3 and GTP, stimulated, though to a lesser extent, by RF3 and a non‐hydrolysable GTP analogue, and inhibited by RF3 and GDP or RF3 without guanine nucleotide. With short incubation times allowing only a single catalytic cycle of RF1 or RF2, peptide release activity was independent of RF3 and guanine nucleotide. RF3 hydrolysis of GTP to GDP + Pi was dependent only on ribosomes and not on RF1 or RF2. RF3 affected neither the rate of association of RF1 and RF2 with the ribosome nor the catalytic rate of peptide release. A model is proposed which explains how RF3 recycles RF1 and RF2 by displacing the factors from the ribosome after the release of peptide.

Novel Roles for Classical Factors at the Interface between Translation Termination and Initiation

The pathway of bacterial ribosome recycling following translation termination has remained obscure. Here, we elucidate two essential steps and describe the roles played by the three translation factors EF-G, RRF, and IF3. Release factor RF3 is known to catalyze the dissociation of RF1 or RF2 from ribosomes after polypeptide release. We show that the next step is dissociation of 50S subunits from the 70S posttermination complex and that it is catalyzed by RRF and EF-G and requires GTP hydrolysis. Removal of deacylated tRNA from the resulting 30S:mRNA:tRNA posttermination complex is then necessary to permit rapid 30S subunit recycling. We show that this step requires initiation factor IF3, whose role was previously thought to be restricted to promoting specific 30S initiation complex formation from free 30S subunits.

Slow peptide bond formation by proline and other N-alkylamino acids in translation

Proteins are made from 19 aa and, curiously, one N-alkylamino acid (“imino acid”), proline (Pro). Pro is thought to be incorporated by the translation apparatus at the same rate as the 19 aa, even though the alkyl group in Pro resides directly on the nitrogen nucleophile involved in peptide bond formation. Here, by combining quench-flow kinetics and charging of tRNAs with cognate and noncognate amino acids, we find that Pro incorporates in translation significantly more slowly than Phe or Ala and that other N-alkylamino acids incorporate much more slowly. Our results show that the slowest step in incorporation of N-alkylamino acids is accommodation/peptidyl transfer after GTP hydrolysis on EF-Tu. The relative incorporation rates correlate with expectations from organic chemistry, suggesting that amino acid sterics and basicities affect translation rates at the peptidyl transfer step. Cognate isoacceptor tRNAs speed Pro incorporation to rates compatible with in vivo, although still 3–6 times slower than Phe incorporation from Phe-tRNAPhe depending on the Pro codon. Results suggest that Pro is the only N-alkylamino acid in the genetic code because it has a privileged cyclic structure that is more reactive than other N-alkylamino acids. Our data on the variation of the rate of incorporation of Pro from native Pro-tRNAPro isoacceptors at 4 different Pro codons help explain codon bias not accounted for by the “tRNA abundance” hypothesis.

Fast recycling of Escherichia coli ribosomes requires both ribosome recycling factor (RRF) and release factor RF3

A complete translation system has been assembled from pure initiation, elongation and termination factors as well as pure aminoacyl‐tRNA synthetases. In this system, ribosomes perform repeated rounds of translation of short synthetic mRNAs which allows the time per translational round (the recycling time) to be measured. The system has been used to study the influence of release factor RF3 and of ribosome recycling factor RRF on the rate of recycling of ribosomes. In the absence of both RF3 and RRF, the recycling time is ∼40 s. This time is reduced to ∼30 s by the addition of RF3 alone and to ∼15 s by the addition of RRF alone. When both RF3 and RRF are added to the translation system, the recycling time drops to <6 s. Release factor RF3 is seen to promote RF1 cycling between different ribosomes. The action of RRF is shown to depend on the concentration of elongation factor‐G. Even in the presence of RRF, ribosomes do not leave the mRNA after termination, but translate the same mRNA several times. This shows that RRF does not actively eject mRNA from the terminating ribosome. It is proposed that terminating ribosomes become mobile on mRNA and ready to enter the next translation round only after two distinct steps, catalysed consecutively by RF3 and RRF, which are slow in the absence of these factors.

How initiation factors tune the rate of initiation of protein synthesis in bacteria

The kinetics of initiator transfer RNA (tRNA) interaction with the messenger RNA (mRNA)‐programmed 30S subunit and the rate of 50S subunit docking to the 30S preinitiation complex were measured for different combinations of initiation factors in a cell‐free Escherichia coli system for protein synthesis with components of high purity. The major results are summarized by a Michaelis–Menten scheme for initiation. All three initiation factors are required for maximal efficiency (kcat/KM) of initiation and for maximal in vivo rate of initiation at normal concentration of initiator tRNA. Spontaneous release of IF3 from the 30S preinitiation complex is required for subunit docking. The presence of initiator tRNA on the 30S subunit greatly increases the rate of 70S ribosome formation by increasing the rate of IF3 dissociation from the 30S subunit and the rate of 50S subunit docking to the IF3‐free 30S preinitiation complex. The reasons why IF1 and IF3 are essential in E. coli are discussed in the light of the present observations.

Ribosome formation from subunits studied by stopped-flow and Rayleigh light scattering

Light scattering and standard stopped-flow techniques were used to monitor rapid association of ribosomal subunits during initiation of eubacterial protein synthesis. The effects of the initiation factors IF1, IF2, IF3 and buffer conditions on subunit association were studied along with the role of GTP in this process. The part of light scattering theory that is essential for kinetic measurements is highlighted in the main text and a more general treatment of Rayleigh scattering from macromolecules is given in an appendix.

The roles of initiation factor 2 and guanosine triphosphate in initiation of protein synthesis

The role of IF2 from Escherichia coli was studied in vitro using a system for protein synthesis with purified components. Stopped flow experiments with light scattering show that IF2 in complex with guanosine triphosphate (GTP) or a non‐cleavable GTP analogue (GDPNP), but not with guanosine diphosphate (GDP), promotes fast association of ribosomal subunits during initiation. Biochemical experiments show that IF2 promotes fast formation of the first peptide bond in the presence of GTP, but not GDPNP or GDP, and that IF2–GDPNP binds strongly to post‐initiation ribosomes. We conclude that the GTP form of IF2 accelerates formation of the 70S ribosome from subunits and that GTP hydrolysis accelerates release of IF2 from the 70S ribosome. The results of a recent report, suggesting that GTP and GDP promote initiation equally fast, have been addressed. Our data, indicating that eIF5B and IF2 have similar functions, are used to rationalize the phenotypes of GTPase‐deficient mutants of eIF5B and IF2.

pH-sensitivity of the ribosomal peptidyl transfer reaction dependent on the identity of the A-site aminoacyl-tRNA.

We studied the pH-dependence of ribosome catalyzed peptidyl transfer from fMet-tRNAfMet to the aa-tRNAs Phe-tRNAPhe, Ala-tRNAAla, Gly-tRNAGly, Pro-tRNAPro, Asn-tRNAAsn, and Ile-tRNAIle, selected to cover a large range of intrinsic pKa-values for the α-amino group of their amino acids. The peptidyl transfer rates were different at pH 7.5 and displayed different pH-dependence, quantified as the pH-value, , at which the rate was half maximal. The -values were downshifted relative to the intrinsic pKa-value of aa-tRNAs in bulk solution. Gly-tRNAGly had the smallest downshift, while Ile-tRNAIle and Ala-tRNAAla had the largest downshifts. These downshifts correlate strongly with molecular dynamics (MD) estimates of the downshifts in pKa-values of these aa-tRNAs upon A-site binding. Our data show the chemistry of peptide bond formation to be rate limiting for peptidyl transfer at pH 7.5 in the Gly and Pro cases and indicate rate limiting chemistry for all six aa-tRNAs.

Targeting and insertion of heterologous membrane proteins in E. coli.

Membrane targeting and insertion of the archaeal Halobacter halobium proton pump bacterioopsin (Bop) and the human melanocortin 4 receptor (MC(4)R) were studied in vitro, using E. coli components for protein synthesis, membrane targeting and insertion. These heterologous proteins are targeted to E. coli membranes in a signal recognition particle (SRP) dependent manner and inserted into the membrane co-translationally. Furthermore, we demonstrate that nascent chains of Bop and MC(4)R first interact with SecY and then with YidC as they move through the translocon. Our results suggest that the initial stages of membrane targeting and insertion of heterologous proteins in E. coli proceed by the pathway used for native E. coli membrane proteins. No significant pausing of protein elongation was observed in the presence of E. coli SRP, in line with the suggestion that translational arrest requires an Alu domain, which is absent in SRP from E. coli.