Publications

• YbeA is the m3Psi methyltransferase RlmH that targets nucleotide 1915 in 23S rRNA.

  Purta E., Kaminska K.H., Kasprzak J.M., Bujnicki J.M., Douthwaite S.

  Pseudouridines in the stable RNAs of Bacteria are seldom subjected to further modification. There are 11 pseudouridine (Psi) sites in Escherichia coli rRNA, and further modification is found only at Psi1915 in 23S rRNA, where the N-3 position of the base becomes methylated. Here, we report the ide ... >> More

  Pseudouridines in the stable RNAs of Bacteria are seldom subjected to further modification. There are 11 pseudouridine (Psi) sites in Escherichia coli rRNA, and further modification is found only at Psi1915 in 23S rRNA, where the N-3 position of the base becomes methylated. Here, we report the identity of the E. coli methyltransferase that specifically catalyzes methyl group addition to form m(3)Psi1915. Analyses of E. coli rRNAs using MALDI mass spectrometry showed that inactivation of the ybeA gene leads to loss of methylation at nucleotide Psi1915. Methylation is restored by complementing the knockout strain with a plasmid-encoded copy of ybeA. Homologs of the ybeA gene, and thus presumably the ensuing methylation at nucleotide m(3)Psi1915, are present in most bacterial lineages but are essentially absent in the Archaea and Eukaryota. Loss of ybeA function in E. coli causes a slight slowing of the growth rate. Phylogenetically, ybeA and its homologs are grouped with other putative S-adenosylmethionine-dependent, SPOUT methyltransferase genes in the Cluster of Orthologous Genes COG1576; ybeA is the first member to be functionally characterized. The YbeA methyltransferase is active as a homodimer and docks comfortably into the ribosomal A site without encroaching into the P site. YbeA makes extensive interface contacts with both the 30S and 50S subunits to align its active site cofactor adjacent to nucleotide Psi1915. Methylation by YbeA (redesignated RlmH for rRNA large subunit methyltransferase H) possibly functions as a stamp of approval signifying that the 50S subunit has engaged in translational initiation. << Less

  RNA 14:2234-2244(2008) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]

• Identification of pseudouridine methyltransferase in Escherichia coli.

  Ero R., Peil L., Liiv A., Remme J.

  In ribosomal RNA, modified nucleosides are found in functionally important regions, but their function is obscure. Stem-loop 69 of Escherichia coli 23S rRNA contains three modified nucleosides: pseudouridines at positions 1911 and 1917, and N3 methyl-pseudouridine (m(3)Psi) at position 1915. The g ... >> More

  In ribosomal RNA, modified nucleosides are found in functionally important regions, but their function is obscure. Stem-loop 69 of Escherichia coli 23S rRNA contains three modified nucleosides: pseudouridines at positions 1911 and 1917, and N3 methyl-pseudouridine (m(3)Psi) at position 1915. The gene for pseudouridine methyltransferase was previously not known. We identified E. coli protein YbeA as the methyltransferase methylating Psi1915 in 23S rRNA. The E. coli ybeA gene deletion strain lacks the N3 methylation at position 1915 of 23S rRNA as revealed by primer extension and nucleoside analysis by HPLC. Methylation at position 1915 is restored in the ybeA deletion strain when recombinant YbeA protein is expressed from a plasmid. In addition, we show that purified YbeA protein is able to methylate pseudouridine in vitro using 70S ribosomes but not 50S subunits from the ybeA deletion strain as substrate. Pseudouridine is the preferred substrate as revealed by the inability of YbeA to methylate uridine at position 1915. This shows that YbeA is acting at the final stage during ribosome assembly, probably during translation initiation. Hereby, we propose to rename the YbeA protein to RlmH according to uniform nomenclature of RNA methyltransferases. RlmH belongs to the SPOUT superfamily of methyltransferases. RlmH was found to be well conserved in bacteria, and the gene is present in plant and in several archaeal genomes. RlmH is the first pseudouridine specific methyltransferase identified so far and is likely to be the only one existing in bacteria, as m(3)Psi1915 is the only methylated pseudouridine in bacteria described to date. << Less

  RNA 14:2223-2233(2008) [PubMed] [EuropePMC]