Assay of Bacillus subtilis Ribonuclease Activity In Vitro.

Ribonucleases can cleave RNAs internally in endoribonucleolytic mode or remove one nucleotide at a time from either the 5' or 3' end through exoribonuclease action. To show direct implication of an RNase in a specific pathway of RNA maturation or decay requires the setting up of in vitro assays with purified enzymes and substrates. This chapter complements Chapter 24 on assays of ribonuclease action in vivo by providing detailed protocols for the assay of B. subtilis RNases with prepared substrates in vitro.

Analysis of Bacillus subtilis Ribonuclease Activity In Vivo.

Ribonucleases remodel RNAs to render them functional or to send them on their way toward degradation. In our laboratory, we study these pathways in detail using a plethora of different techniques. These can range from the isolation of RNAs in various RNase mutants to determine their implication in maturation or decay pathways by Northern blot, to proving their direct roles in RNA cleavage reactions using purified enzymes and transcribed substrates in vitro. In this chapter, we provide in-depth protocols for the techniques we use daily in the laboratory to assay RNase activity in vivo, with detailed notes on how to get these methods to work optimally. This chapter complements Chapter 25 on assays of ribonuclease action in vitro.

A nucleotidyltransferase toxin inhibits growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis through inactivation of tRNA acceptor stems.

Toxin-antitoxin systems are widespread stress-responsive elements, many of whose functions remain largely unknown. Here, we characterize the four DUF1814-family nucleotidyltransferase-like toxins (MenT1-4) encoded by the human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Toxin MenT3 inhibited growth of M. tuberculosis when not antagonized by its cognate antitoxin, MenA3. We solved the structures of toxins MenT3 and MenT4 to 1.6 and 1.2 Å resolution, respectively, and identified the biochemical activity and target of MenT3. MenT3 blocked in vitro protein expression and prevented tRNA charging in vivo. MenT3 added pyrimidines (C or U) to the 3'-CCA acceptor stems of uncharged tRNAs and exhibited strong substrate specificity in vitro, preferentially targeting tRNASer from among the 45 M. tuberculosis tRNAs. Our study identifies a previously unknown mechanism that expands the range of enzymatic activities used by bacterial toxins, uncovering a new way to block protein synthesis and potentially treat tuberculosis and other infections.