TY - JOUR A1 - Okuda, Takumi A1 - Lenz, Ann-Kathrin A1 - Seitz, Florian A1 - Vogel, Jörg A1 - Höbartner, Claudia T1 - A SAM analogue-utilizing ribozyme for site-specific RNA alkylation in living cells JF - Nature Chemistry N2 - Post-transcriptional RNA modification methods are in high demand for site-specific RNA labelling and analysis of RNA functions. In vitro-selected ribozymes are attractive tools for RNA research and have the potential to overcome some of the limitations of chemoenzymatic approaches with repurposed methyltransferases. Here we report an alkyltransferase ribozyme that uses a synthetic, stabilized S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) analogue and catalyses the transfer of a propargyl group to a specific adenosine in the target RNA. Almost quantitative conversion was achieved within 1 h under a wide range of reaction conditions in vitro, including physiological magnesium ion concentrations. A genetically encoded version of the SAM analogue-utilizing ribozyme (SAMURI) was expressed in HEK293T cells, and intracellular propargylation of the target adenosine was confirmed by specific fluorescent labelling. SAMURI is a general tool for the site-specific installation of the smallest tag for azide-alkyne click chemistry, which can be further functionalized with fluorophores, affinity tags or other functional probes. KW - Alkyltransferase Ribozyme SAMURI KW - Site-specific RNA labelling KW - bioorthogonal SAM analogue ProSeDMA KW - Chemical modification KW - RNA Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-328762 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Neitz, Hermann A1 - Bessi, Irene A1 - Kachler, Valentin A1 - Michel, Manuela A1 - Höbartner, Claudia T1 - Tailored tolane‐perfluorotolane assembly as supramolecular base pair replacement in DNA JF - Angewandte Chemie International Edition N2 - Arene‐fluoroarene interactions offer outstanding possibilities for engineering of supramolecular systems, including nucleic acids. Here, we implement the tolane‐perfluorotolane interaction as base pair replacement in DNA. Tolane (THH) and perfluorotolane (TFF) moieties were connected to acyclic backbone units, comprising glycol nucleic acid (GNA) or butyl nucleic acid (BuNA) building blocks, that were incorporated via phosphoramidite chemistry at opposite positions in a DNA duplex. Thermodynamic analyses by UV thermal melting revealed a compelling stabilization by THH/TFF heteropairs only when connected to the BuNA backbone, but not with the shorter GNA linker. Detailed NMR studies confirmed the preference of the BuNA backbone for enhanced polar π‐stacking. This work defines how orthogonal supramolecular interactions can be tailored by small constitutional changes in the DNA backbone, and it inspires future studies of arene‐fluoroarene‐programmed assembly of DNA. KW - arene-fluoroarene KW - artificial base pair KW - DNA KW - sSupramolecular interaction KW - XNA Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-312575 VL - 62 IS - 1 ER - TY - INPR A1 - Neitz, Hermann A1 - Bessi, Irene A1 - Kuper, Jochen A1 - Kisker, Caroline A1 - Höbartner, Claudia T1 - Programmable DNA interstrand crosslinking by alkene-alkyne [2+2] photocycloaddition T2 - Journal of the American Chemical Society N2 - Covalent crosslinking of DNA strands provides a useful tool for medical, biochemical and DNA nanotechnology applications. Here we present a light-induced interstrand DNA crosslinking reaction using the modified nucleoside 5-phenylethynyl-2’-deoxyuridine (\(^{Phe}\)dU). The crosslinking ability of \(^{Phe}\)dU was programmed by base pairing and by metal ion interaction at the Watson-Crick base pairing site. Rotation to intrahelical positions was favored by hydrophobic stacking and enabled an unexpected photochemical alkene-alkyne [2+2] cycloaddition within the DNA duplex, resulting in efficient formation of a \(^{Phe}\)dU-dimer after short irradiation times of a few seconds. A \(^{Phe}\)dU dimer-containing DNA was shown to efficiently bind a helicase complex, but the covalent crosslink completely prevented DNA unwinding, suggesting possible applications in biochemistry or structural biology. KW - light-induced interstrand DNA crosslinking KW - alkene-alkyne [2+2] photocycloaddition KW - DNA-based nanostructures KW - DNA-processing enzymes Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-311822 N1 - This document is the unedited Author's version of a Submitted Work that was subsequently accepted for publication in Journal of the American Chemical Society, copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society. after peer review. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.3c01611. ET - submitted version ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Liaqat, Anam A1 - Sednev, Maksim V. A1 - Höbartner, Claudia T1 - In Vitro Selection of Deoxyribozymes for the Detection of RNA Modifications T2 - Ribosome Biogenesis: Methods and Protocols N2 - Deoxyribozymes are artificially evolved DNA molecules with catalytic abilities. RNA-cleaving deoxyribozymes have been recognized as an efficient tool for detection of modifications in target RNAs and provide an alternative to traditional and modern methods for detection of ribose or nucleobase methylation. However, there are only few examples of DNA enzymes that specifically reveal the presence of a certain type of modification, including N6-methyladenosine, and the knowledge about how DNA enzymes recognize modified RNAs is still extremely limited. Therefore, DNA enzymes cannot be easily engineered for the analysis of desired RNA modifications, but are instead identified by in vitro selection from random DNA libraries using synthetic modified RNA substrates. This protocol describes a general in vitro selection stagtegy to evolve new RNA-cleaving DNA enzymes that can efficiently differentiate modified RNA substrates from their unmodified counterpart. KW - RNA KW - deoxyribozymes KW - modified RNA nucleotides KW - catalytic DNA KW - epitranscriptomics KW - in vitro selection KW - RNA cleavage Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-279208 SN - 978-1-0716-2501-9 PB - Humana Press ER - TY - INPR A1 - Scheitl, Carolin P. M. A1 - Mieczkowski, Mateusz A1 - Schindelin, Hermann A1 - Höbartner, Claudia T1 - Structure and mechanism of the methyltransferase ribozyme MTR1 T2 - Nature Chemical Biology N2 - RNA-catalysed RNA methylation was recently shown to be part of the catalytic repertoire of ribozymes. The methyltransferase ribozyme MTR1 catalyses the site-specific synthesis of 1-methyladenosine (m\(^1\)A) in RNA, using O\(^6\)-methylguanine (m\(^6\)G) as methyl group donor. Here we report the crystal structure of MTR1 at a resolution of 2.8 Å, which reveals a guanine binding site reminiscent of natural guanine riboswitches. The structure represents the postcatalytic state of a split ribozyme in complex with the m1A-containing RNA product and the demethylated cofactor guanine. The structural data suggest the mechanistic involvement of a protonated cytidine in the methyl transfer reaction. A synergistic effect of two 2'-O-methylated ribose residues in the active site results in accelerated methyl group transfer. Supported by these results, it seems plausible that modified nucleotides may have enhanced early RNA catalysis and that metabolite-binding riboswitches may resemble inactivated ribozymes that have lost their catalytic activity during evolution. KW - Methyltransferase Ribozyme MTR1 KW - Crystal structure of MTR1 KW - RNA-catalyzed RNA methylation KW - X-ray crystallography KW - RNA Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-272170 ET - submitted version ER - TY - INPR A1 - Sednev, Maksim V. A1 - Liaqat, Anam A1 - Höbartner, Claudia T1 - High-Throughput Activity Profiling of RNA-Cleaving DNA Catalysts by Deoxyribozyme Sequencing (DZ-seq) T2 - Journal of the American Chemical Society N2 - RNA-cleaving deoxyribozymes have found broad application as useful tools for RNA biochemistry. However, tedious in vitro selection procedures combined with laborious characterization of individual candidate catalysts hinder the discovery of novel catalytic motifs. Here, we present a new high-throughput sequencing method, DZ-seq, which directly measures activity and localizes cleavage sites of thousands of deoxyribozymes. DZ-seq exploits A-tailing followed by reverse transcription with an oligo-dT primer to capture the cleavage status and sequences of both deoxyribozyme and RNA substrate. We validated DZ-seq by conventional analytical methods and demonstrated its utility by discovery of novel deoxyribozymes that allow for cleaving challenging RNA targets or the analysis of RNA modification states. KW - RNA-Cleaving Deoxyribozymes KW - High-Throughput Sequencing Method, DZ-seq KW - Analysis of RNA Modifications Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-258520 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Liaqat, Anam A1 - Sednev, Maksim V. A1 - Stiller, Carina A1 - Höbartner, Claudia T1 - RNA-cleaving deoxyribozymes differentiate methylated cytidine isomers in RNA JF - Angewandte Chemie International Edition N2 - Deoxyribozymes are emerging as modification-specific endonucleases for the analysis of epigenetic RNA modifications. Here, we report RNA-cleaving deoxyribozymes that differentially respond to the presence of natural methylated cytidines, 3-methylcytidine (m\(^3\)C), N\(^4\)-methylcytidine (m\(^4\)C), and 5-methylcytidine (m\(^5\)C), respectively. Using in vitro selection, we found several DNA catalysts, which are selectively activated by only one of the three cytidine isomers, and display 10- to 30-fold accelerated cleavage of their target m\(^3\)C-, m\(^4\)C- or m\(^5\)C-modified RNA. An additional deoxyribozyme is strongly inhibited by any of the three methylcytidines, but effectively cleaves unmodified RNA. The mXC-detecting deoxyribozymes are programmable for the interrogation of natural RNAs of interest, as demonstrated for human mitochondrial tRNAs containing known m\(^3\)C and m\(^5\)C sites. The results underline the potential of synthetic functional DNA to shape highly selective active sites. KW - organic chemistry KW - site-specific RNA cleavage KW - deoxyribozymes KW - epitranscriptomics KW - in vitro selection KW - RNA modification Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-256519 VL - 60 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kleiber, Nicole A1 - Lemus-Diaz, Nicolas A1 - Stiller, Carina A1 - Heinrichs, Marleen A1 - Mong-Quyen Mai, Mandy A1 - Hackert, Philipp A1 - Richter-Dennerlein, Ricarda A1 - Höbartner, Claudia A1 - Bohnsack, Katherine E. A1 - Bohnsack, Markus T. T1 - The RNA methyltransferase METTL8 installs m\(^3\)C\(_{32}\) in mitochondrial tRNAs\(^{Thr/Ser(UCN)}\) to optimise tRNA structure and mitochondrial translation JF - Nature Communication N2 - Modified nucleotides in tRNAs are important determinants of folding, structure and function. Here we identify METTL8 as a mitochondrial matrix protein and active RNA methyltransferase responsible for installing m\(^3\)C\(_{32}\) in the human mitochondrial (mt-)tRNA\(^{Thr}\) and mt-tRNA\(^{Ser(UCN)}\). METTL8 crosslinks to the anticodon stem loop (ASL) of many mt-tRNAs in cells, raising the question of how methylation target specificity is achieved. Dissection of mttRNA recognition elements revealed U\(_{34}\)G\(_{35}\) and t\(^6\)A\(_{37}\)/(ms\(^2\))i\(^6\)A\(_{37}\), present concomitantly only in the ASLs of the two substrate mt-tRNAs, as key determinants for METTL8-mediated methylation of C\(_{32}\). Several lines of evidence demonstrate the influence of U\(_{34}\), G\(_{35}\), and the m\(^3\)C\(_{32}\) and t\(^6\)A\(_{37}\)/(ms\(^2\))i\(^6\)A\(_{37}\) modifications in mt-tRNA\(^{Thr/Ser(UCN)}\) on the structure of these mt-tRNAs. Although mt-tRNA\(^{Thr/Ser(UCN)}\) lacking METTL8-mediated m\(^3\)C\(_{32}\) are efficiently aminoacylated and associate with mitochondrial ribosomes, mitochondrial translation is mildly impaired by lack of METTL8. Together these results define the cellular targets of METTL8 and shed new light on the role of m\(^3\)C\(_{32}\) within mt-tRNAs. KW - Modified Nucleotides in tRNAs KW - METTL8 KW - Mitochondrial Matrix Protein KW - RNA Methyltransferase KW - RNA KW - Enzymes KW - Organelles Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-254592 VL - 13 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kabinger, Florian A1 - Stiller, Carina A1 - Schmitzová, Jana A1 - Dienemann, Christian A1 - Kokic, Goran A1 - Hillen, Hauke S. A1 - Höbartner, Claudia A1 - Cramer, Patrick T1 - Mechanism of molnupiravir-induced SARS-CoV-2 mutagenesis JF - Nature Structural & Molecular Biology N2 - Molnupiravir is an orally available antiviral drug candidate currently in phase III trials for the treatment of patients with COVID-19. Molnupiravir increases the frequency of viral RNA mutations and impairs SARS-CoV-2 replication in animal models and in humans. Here, we establish the molecular mechanisms underlying molnupiravir-induced RNA mutagenesis by the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). Biochemical assays show that the RdRp uses the active form of molnupiravir, β-d-\(N^4\)-hydroxycytidine (NHC) triphosphate, as a substrate instead of cytidine triphosphate or uridine triphosphate. When the RdRp uses the resulting RNA as a template, NHC directs incorporation of either G or A, leading to mutated RNA products. Structural analysis of RdRp–RNA complexes that contain mutagenesis products shows that NHC can form stable base pairs with either G or A in the RdRp active center, explaining how the polymerase escapes proofreading and synthesizes mutated RNA. This two-step mutagenesis mechanism probably applies to various viral polymerases and can explain the broad-spectrum antiviral activity of molnupiravir. KW - Molnupiravir KW - RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase KW - SARS-CoV2 Replication Impairment KW - Molnupiravir-Induced RNA Mutagenesis Mechanism KW - Cryoelectron Microscopy Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-254603 VL - 28 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dietzsch, Julia A1 - Bialas, David A1 - Bandorf, Johannes A1 - Würthner, Frank A1 - Höbartner, Claudia T1 - Tuning Exciton Coupling of Merocyanine Nucleoside Dimers by RNA, DNA and GNA Double Helix Conformations JF - Angewandte Chemie International Edition N2 - Exciton coupling between two or more chromophores in a specific environment is a key mechanism associated with color tuning and modulation of absorption energies. This concept is well exemplified by natural photosynthetic proteins, and can also be achieved in synthetic nucleic acid nanostructures. Here we report the coupling of barbituric acid merocyanine (BAM) nucleoside analogues and show that exciton coupling can be tuned by the double helix conformation. BAM is a nucleobase mimic that was incorporated in the phosphodiester backbone of RNA, DNA and GNA oligonucleotides. Duplexes with different backbone constitutions and geometries afforded different mutual dye arrangements, leading to distinct optical signatures due to competing modes of chromophore organization via electrostatic, dipolar, - stacking and hydrogen-bonding interactions. The realized supramolecular motifs include hydrogenbonded BAM–adenine base pairs and antiparallel as well as rotationally stacked BAM dimer aggregates with distinct absorption, CD and fluorescence properties. KW - Chromophore Assembly KW - Merocyanine KW - Nucleobase Analogue KW - Supramolecular Element KW - Nucleic Acids Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-254565 ER -