Structure of the 30 kDa HIV-1 RNA Dimerization Signal by a Hybrid Cryo-EM, NMR, and Molecular Dynamics Approach.
Zhang, K., Keane, S.C., Su, Z., Irobalieva, R.N., Chen, M., Van, V., Sciandra, C.A., Marchant, J., Heng, X., Schmid, M.F., Case, D.A., Ludtke, S.J., Summers, M.F., Chiu, W.(2018) Structure 26: 490-498.e3
- PubMed: 29398526 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.str.2018.01.001
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
6BG9 - PubMed Abstract: 
Cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy are routinely used to determine structures of macromolecules with molecular weights over 65 and under 25 kDa, respectively. We combined these techniques to study a 30 kDa HIV-1 dimer initiation site RNA ([DIS] 2 ; 47 nt/strand). A 9 Å cryo-EM map clearly shows major groove features of the double helix and a right-handed superhelical twist. Simulated cryo-EM maps generated from time-averaged molecular dynamics trajectories (10 ns) exhibited levels of detail similar to those in the experimental maps, suggesting internal structural flexibility limits the cryo-EM resolution. Simultaneous inclusion of the cryo-EM map and 2 H-edited NMR-derived distance restraints during structure refinement generates a structure consistent with both datasets and supporting a flipped-out base within a conserved purine-rich bulge. Our findings demonstrate the power of combining global and local structural information from these techniques for structure determination of modest-sized RNAs.
Organizational Affiliation: 
National Center for Macromolecular Imaging, Verna and Marrs McLean Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.