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Mechanism and Distribution of glmS Ribozymes

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Ribozymes

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 848))

Abstract

Among the nine classes of ribozymes that have been experimentally validated to date is the metabolite-responsive self-cleaving ribozyme called glmS. This RNA is almost exclusively located in the 5′-untranslated region of bacterial mRNAs that code for the production of GlmS proteins, which catalyze the synthesis of the aminosugar glucosamine-6-phosphate (GlcN6P). Each glmS ribozyme forms a conserved catalytic core that selectively binds GlcN6P and uses this metabolite as a cofactor to promote ribozyme self-cleavage. Metabolite-induced self-cleavage results in down-regulation of glmS gene expression, and thus the ribozyme functions as a key riboswitch component to permit feedback regulation of GlcN6P levels. Representatives of glmS ribozymes also serve as excellent experimental models to elucidate how RNAs fold to recognize small molecule ligands and promote chemical transformations.

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Acknowledgments

We are thankful to the members of the Breaker lab for helpful comments and advice. P.M. is supported by the NIH Training Grant T32GM007499. This work is supported in the Breaker lab by the NIH Grant PO1 GM022778-34 and by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. R.R.B. is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. Research on the glmS ribozyme in the Winkler lab was supported by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Endowed Scholars Fund.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Phillip J. McCown

  2. Department of Biochemistry, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA

    Wade C. Winkler

  3. Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Ronald R. Breaker

Authors
  1. Phillip J. McCown
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  2. Wade C. Winkler
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  3. Ronald R. Breaker
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Correspondence to Ronald R. Breaker .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Universität Konstanz, Universitätsstr. 10, Konstanz, 78457, Germany

    Jörg S. Hartig

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McCown, P.J., Winkler, W.C., Breaker, R.R. (2012). Mechanism and Distribution of glmS Ribozymes. In: Hartig, J. (eds) Ribozymes. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 848. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-545-9_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-545-9_8

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-61779-544-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-61779-545-9

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