Abstract
The glmS ribozyme resides in the 5′ untranslated region of glmS mRNA and functions as a catalytic riboswitch that regulates amino sugar metabolism in certain Gram-positive bacteria. The ribozyme catalyzes self-cleavage of the mRNA and ultimately inhibits gene expression in response to binding of glucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcN6P), the metabolic product of the GlmS protein. We have used nucleotide analog interference mapping (NAIM) and suppression (NAIS) to investigate backbone and nucleobase functional groups essential for ligand-dependent ribozyme function. NAIM using GlcN6P as ligand identified requisite structural features and potential sites of ligand and/or metal ion interaction, whereas NAIS using glucosamine as ligand analog revealed those sites that orchestrate recognition of ligand phosphate. These studies demonstrate that the ligand-binding site lies in close proximity to the cleavage site in an emerging model of ribozyme structure that supports a role for ligand within the catalytic core.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 517-523 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Nature Structural and Molecular Biology |
Volume | 13 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jun 26 2006 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Structural Biology
- Molecular Biology