RNase H

Ribonuclease H (abbreviated RNase H or RNH) is a family of non-sequence-specific endonuclease enzymes that catalyze the cleavage of RNA in an RNA/DNA substrate via a hydrolytic mechanism. Members of the RNase H family can be found in nearly all organisms, from bacteria to archaea to eukaryotes. Ribonuclease H (abbreviated RNase H or RNH) is a family of non-sequence-specific endonuclease enzymes that catalyze the cleavage of RNA in an RNA/DNA substrate via a hydrolytic mechanism. Members of the RNase H family can be found in nearly all organisms, from bacteria to archaea to eukaryotes. The family is divided into evolutionarily related groups with slightly different substrate preferences, broadly designated ribonuclease H1 and H2. The human genome encodes both H1 and H2. Human ribonuclease H2 is a heterotrimeric complex composed of three subunits, mutations in any of which are among the genetic causes of a rare disease known as Aicardi–Goutières syndrome. A third type, closely related to H2, is found only in a few prokaryotes, whereas H1 and H2 occur in all domains of life. Additionally, RNase H1-like retroviral ribonuclease H domains occur in multidomain reverse transcriptase proteins, which are encoded by retroviruses such as HIV and are required for viral replication. In eukaryotes, ribonuclease H1 is involved in DNA replication of the mitochondrial genome. Both H1 and H2 are involved in genome maintenance tasks such as processing of R-loop structures. Ribonuclease H is a family of endonuclease enzymes with a shared substrate specificity for the RNA strand of RNA-DNA duplexes. By definition, RNases H cleave RNA backbone phosphodiester bonds to leave a 3' hydroxyl and a 5' phosphate group. RNases H have been proposed as members of an evolutionarily related superfamily encompassing other nucleases and nucleic acid processing enzymes such as retroviral integrases, DNA transposases, Holliday junction resolvases, Piwi and Argonaute proteins, various exonucleases, and the spliceosomal protein Prp8. RNases H can be broadly divided into two subtypes, H1 and H2, which for historical reasons are given Arabic numeral designations in eukaryotes and Roman numeral designations in prokaryotes. Thus the Escherichia coli RNase HI is a homolog of the Homo sapiens RNase H1. In E. coli and many other prokaryotes, the rnhA gene encodes HI and the rnhB gene encodes HII. A third related class, called HIII, occurs in a few bacteria and archaea; it is closely related to prokaryotic HII enzymes. The structure of RNase H commonly consists of a 5-stranded β-sheet surrounded by a distribution of α-helices. All RNases H have an active site centered on a conserved sequence motif composed of aspartate and glutamate residues, often referred to as the DEDD motif. These residues interact with catalytically required magnesium ions. RNases H2 are larger than H1 and usually have additional helices. The domain organization of the enzymes varies; some prokaryotic and most eukaryotic members of the H1 group have an additional small domain at the N-terminus known as the 'hybrid binding domain', which facilitates binding to RNA:DNA hybrid duplexes and sometimes confers increased processivity. While all members of the H1 group and the prokaryotic members of the H2 group function as monomers, eukaryotic H2 enzymes are obligate heterotrimers. Prokaryotic HIII enzymes are members of the broader H2 group and share most structural features with H2, with the addition of an N-terminal TATA box binding domain. Retroviral RNase H domains occurring in multidomain reverse transcriptase proteins have structures closely resembling the H1 group. RNases H1 have been extensively studied to explore the relationships between structure and enzymatic activity. They are also used, especially the E. coli homolog, as model systems to study protein folding. Within the H1 group, a relationship has been identified between higher substrate-binding affinity and the presence of structural elements consisting of a helix and flexible loop providing a larger and more basic substrate-binding surface. The C-helix has a scattered taxonomic distribution; it is present in the E. coli and human RNase H1 homologs and absent in the HIV RNase H domain, but examples of retroviral domains with C-helices do exist. Ribonuclease H enzymes cleave the phosphodiester bonds of RNA in a double-stranded RNA:DNA hybrid, leaving a 3' hydroxyl and a 5' phosphate group on either end of the cut site. RNase H1 and H2 have distinct substrate preferences and distinct but overlapping functions in the cell. In prokaryotes and lower eukaryotes, neither enzyme is essential, whereas both are believed to be essential in higher eukaryotes. The combined activity of both H1 and H2 enzymes is associated with maintenance of genome stability due to the enzymes' degradation of the RNA component of R-loops.