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Mechanism of maturase‐promoted group II intron splicing
Author(s) -
Matsuura Manabu,
Noah James W.,
Lambowitz Alan M.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.1093/emboj/20.24.7259
Subject(s) - group ii intron , biology , rna splicing , intron , group i catalytic intron , genetics , mobile genetic elements , conserved sequence , computational biology , rna , gene , genome , peptide sequence
Mobile group II introns encode reverse transcriptases that also function as intron‐specific splicing factors (maturases). We showed previously that the reverse transcriptase/maturase encoded by the Lactococcus lactis Ll.LtrB intron has a high affinity binding site at the beginning of its own coding region in an idiosyncratic structure, DIVa. Here, we identify potential secondary binding sites in conserved regions of the catalytic core and show via chemical modification experiments that binding of the maturase induces the formation of key tertiary interactions required for RNA splicing. The interaction with conserved as well as idiosyncratic regions explains how maturases in some organisms could evolve into general group II intron splicing factors, potentially mirroring a key step in the evolution of spliceosomal introns.