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Broadly applicable oligonucleotide mass spectrometry for the analysis of RNA writers and erasers in vitro.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Hagelskamp, Felix 
Borland, Kayla 
Ramos, Jillian 
Hendrick, Alan G 
Fu, Dragony 

Abstract

RNAs are post-transcriptionally modified by dedicated writer or eraser enzymes that add or remove specific modifications, respectively. Mass spectrometry (MS) of RNA is a useful tool to study the modification state of an oligonucleotide (ON) in a sensitive manner. Here, we developed an ion-pairing reagent free chromatography for positive ion detection of ONs by low- and high-resolution MS, which does not interfere with other types of small compound analyses done on the same instrument. We apply ON-MS to determine the ONs from an RNase T1 digest of in vitro transcribed tRNA, which are purified after ribozyme-fusion transcription by automated size exclusion chromatography. The thus produced tRNAValAAC is substrate of the human tRNA ADAT2/3 enzyme and we confirm the deamination of adenosine to inosine and the formation of tRNAValIACin vitro by ON-MS. Furthermore, low resolution ON-MS is used to monitor the demethylation of ONs containing 1-methyladenosine by bacterial AlkB in vitro. The power of high-resolution ON-MS is demonstrated by the detection and mapping of modified ONs from native total tRNA digested with RNase T1. Overall, we present an oligonucleotide MS method which is broadly applicable to monitor in vitro RNA (de-)modification processes and native RNA.

Description

Keywords

Adenosine, Adenosine Deaminase, Chromatography, Gel, HEK293 Cells, HeLa Cells, Humans, Mass Spectrometry, Mixed Function Oxygenases, Oligonucleotides, RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional, RNA, Transfer, RNA, Transfer, Val, RNA-Binding Proteins, Ribonuclease T1

Journal Title

Nucleic Acids Res

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

0305-1048
1362-4962

Volume Title

48

Publisher

Oxford University Press (OUP)