Identification of neomycin B-binding site in T box antiterminator model RNA

Abstract

The T box transcription antitermination mechanism regulates the expression of unique genes in many Gram-positive bacteria by responding, in a magnesium-dependent manner, to uncharged cognate tRNA base pairing with an antiterminator RNA element and other regions of the 5′-untranslated region. Model T box antiterminator RNA is known to bind aminoglycosides, ligands that typically bind RNA in divalent metal ion-binding sites. In this study, enzymatic footprinting and spectroscopic assays were used to identify and characterize the binding site of neomycin B to an antiterminator model RNA. Neomycin B binds the antiterminator bulge nucleotides in an electrostatic-dependent manner and displaces 3–4 monovalent cations, indicating that the antiterminator likely contains a divalent metal ion-binding site. Neomycin B facilitates rather than inhibits tRNA binding indicating that bulge-targeted inhibitors that bind the antiterminator via non-electrostatic interactions may be the more optimal candidates for antiterminator-targeted ligand design.