Ribosomal RNAs are the most abundant and universal noncoding RNAs in living organisms. In eukaryotes, three of the four ribosomal RNAs forming the 40S and 60S subunits are borne by a long polycistronic pre‐ribosomal RNA. A complex sequence of processing steps is required to gradually release the mature RNAs from this precursor, concomitant with the assembly of the 79 ribosomal proteins. A large set of trans‐acting factors chaperone this process, including small nucleolar ribonucleoparticles. While yeast has been the gold standard for studying the molecular basis of this process, recent technical advances have allowed to further define the mechanisms of ribosome biogenesis in animals and plants. This renewed interest for a long‐lasting question has been fueled by the association of several genetic diseases with mutations in genes encoding both ribosomal proteins and ribosome biogenesis factors, and by the perspective of new anticancer treatments targeting the mechanisms of ribosome synthesis. A consensus scheme of pre‐ribosomal RNA maturation is emerging from studies in various kinds of eukaryotic organisms. However, major differences between mammalian and yeast pre‐ribosomal RNA processing have recently come to light. WIREs RNA 2015, 6:225–242. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1269This article is categorized under: RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > RNA–Protein Complexes RNA Processing > rRNA Processing RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease

Hsp104, a yeast protein-remodeling factor of the AAA+ (ATPases associated with various cellular activities) superfamily, and its homologs in bacteria and plants mediate cell recovery after severe stress by disaggregating denatured proteins through a poorly understood mechanism. Here, we present cryo-electron microscopy maps and domain fitting of Hsp104 hexamers, revealing an unusual arrangement of AAA+ modules with the prominent coiled-coil domain intercalated between the AAA+ domains. This packing results in a greatly expanded cavity, which is capped at either end by N- and C-terminal domains. The fitted structures as well as mutation of conserved coiled-coil arginines suggest that the coiled-coil domain plays a major role in the extraction of proteins from aggregates, providing conserved residues for key functions in ATP hydrolysis and potentially for substrate interaction. The large cavity could enable the uptake of polypeptide loops without a requirement for exposed N or C termini.

The helper component proteinase (HC-Pro) is a key protein encoded by plant viruses of the genus Potyvirus. HC-Pro is involved in different steps of the viral cycle, aphid transmission, replication, and virus cell-to-cell and systemic movement and is a suppressor of post-transcriptional gene silencing. Structural knowledge of HC-Pro is required to better understand its multiple functions. To this aim, we purified His-tagged wild-type HC-Pro and a N-terminal deletion mutant (ΔHC-Pro) from plants infected with recombinant potyviruses. Biochemical analysis of the recombinant proteins confirmed that HC-Pro is a dimer in solution, that the N terminus is not essential for self-interaction, and that a large C-terminal domain is highly resistant to proteolysis. Two-dimensional crystals of the recombinant proteins were successfully grown on Ni²⁺-chelating lipid monolayers. Comparison of projection maps of negatively stained crystals revealed that HC-Pro is composed of two domains separated by a flexible constriction. Cryo-electron crystallography of ΔHC-Pro allowed us to calculate a projection map at 9-Å resolution. Our data from electron microscopy, biochemical analysis, and secondary structure predictions lead us to suggest a model for structure/function relationships in the HC-Pro protein.

The majority of known bacteriophages have long noncontractile tails ( Siphoviridae ) that serve as a pipeline for genome delivery into the host cytoplasm. The tail extremity distal from the phage head is an adsorption device that recognises the bacterial receptor at the host cell surface. This interaction generates a signal transmitted to the head that leads to DNA release. We have determined structures of the bacteriophage SPP1 tail before and after DNA ejection. The results reveal extensive structural rearrangements in the internal wall of the tail tube. We propose that the adsorption device–receptor interaction triggers a conformational switch that is propagated as a domino‐like cascade along the 1600 Å‐long helical tail structure to reach the head‐to‐tail connector. This leads to opening of the connector culminating in DNA exit from the head into the host cell through the tail tube.

P53 major tumour suppressor protein has presented a challenge for structural biology for two decades. The intact and complete p53 molecule has eluded previous attempts to obtain its structure, largely due to the intrinsic flexibility of the protein. Using ATP‐stabilised p53, we have employed cryoelectron microscopy and single particle analysis to solve the first three‐dimensional structure of the full‐length p53 tetramer (resolution 13.7 Å). The p53 molecule is a D2 tetramer, resembling a hollow skewed cube with node‐like vertices of two sizes. Four larger nodes accommodate central core domains, as was demonstrated by fitting of its X‐ray structure. The p53 monomers are connected via their juxtaposed N‐ and C‐termini within smaller N/C nodes to form dimers. The dimers form tetramers through the contacts between core nodes and N/C nodes. This structure revolutionises existing concepts of p53's molecular organisation and resolves conflicting data relating to its biochemical properties. This architecture of p53 in toto suggests novel mechanisms for structural plasticity, which enables the protein to bind variably spaced DNA target sequences, essential for p53 transactivation and tumour suppressor functions.