Structural insights into the nucleic acid remodeling mechanisms of the yeast THO-Sub2 complex.
Schuller, S.K., Schuller, J.M., Prabu, J.R., Baumgartner, M., Bonneau, F., Basquin, J., Conti, E.(2020) Elife 9
- PubMed: 33191913 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.61467
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
7APX, 7AQO - PubMed Abstract: 
The yeast THO complex is recruited to active genes and interacts with the RNA-dependent ATPase Sub2 to facilitate the formation of mature export-competent messenger ribonucleoprotein particles and to prevent the co-transcriptional formation of RNA:DNA-hybrid-containing structures. How THO-containing complexes function at the mechanistic level is unclear. Here, we elucidated a 3.4 Å resolution structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae THO-Sub2 by cryo-electron microscopy. THO subunits Tho2 and Hpr1 intertwine to form a platform that is bound by Mft1, Thp2, and Tex1. The resulting complex homodimerizes in an asymmetric fashion, with a Sub2 molecule attached to each protomer. The homodimerization interfaces serve as a fulcrum for a seesaw-like movement concomitant with conformational changes of the Sub2 ATPase. The overall structural architecture and topology suggest the molecular mechanisms of nucleic acid remodeling during mRNA biogenesis.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Department of Structural Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Munich, Germany.