Time series data provided by single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) experiments offer the opportunity to infer not only model parameters describing molecular complexes, e.g., rate constants, but also information about the model itself, e.g., the number of conformational states. Resolving whether such states exist or how many of them exist requires a careful approach to the problem of model selection, here meaning discrimination among models with differing numbers of states. The most straightforward approach to model selection generalizes the common idea of maximum likelihood--selecting the most likely parameter values--to maximum evidence: selecting the most likely model. In either case, such an inference presents a tremendous computational challenge, which we here address by exploiting an approximation technique termed variational Bayesian expectation maximization. We demonstrate how this technique can be applied to temporal data such as smFRET time series; show superior statistical consistency relative to the maximum likelihood approach; compare its performance on smFRET data generated from experiments on the ribosome; and illustrate how model selection in such probabilistic or generative modeling can facilitate analysis of closely related temporal data currently prevalent in biophysics. Source code used in this analysis, including a graphical user interface, is available open source via http://vbFRET.sourceforge.net.

By using single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET), we observe the real-time dynamic coupling between the ribosome, labeled at the L1 stalk, and transfer RNA (tRNA). We find that an interaction between the ribosomal L1 stalk and the newly deacylated tRNA is established spontaneously upon peptide bond formation; this event involves coupled movements of the L1 stalk and tRNAs as well as ratcheting of the ribosome. In the absence of elongation factor G, the entire pretranslocation ribosome fluctuates between just two states: a nonratcheted state, with tRNAs in their classical configuration and no L1 stalk-tRNA interaction, and a ratcheted state, with tRNAs in an intermediate hybrid configuration and a direct L1 stalk-tRNA interaction. We demonstrate that binding of EF-G shifts the equilibrium toward the ratcheted state. Real-time smFRET experiments reveal that the L1 stalk-tRNA interaction persists throughout the translocation reaction, suggesting that the L1 stalk acts to direct tRNA movements during translocation.

Nuclear speckles are self-assembled organelles composed of RNAs and proteins. They are proposed to act as structural domains that control distinct steps in gene expression, including transcription, splicing and mRNA export. Earlier studies identified differential localization of a few components within the speckles. It was speculated that the spatial organization of speckle components might contribute directly to the order of operations that coordinate distinct processes. Here, by performing multi-color structured illumination microscopy, we characterized the multilayer organization of speckles at a higher resolution. We found that SON and SC35 (also known as SRSF2) localize to the central region of the speckle, whereas and small nuclear (sn)RNAs are enriched at the speckle periphery. Coarse-grained simulations indicate that the non-random organization arises due to the interplay between favorable sequence-encoded intermolecular interactions of speckle-resident proteins and RNAs. Finally, we observe positive correlation between the total amount of RNA present within a speckle and the speckle size. These results imply that speckle size may be regulated to accommodate RNA accumulation and processing. Accumulation of RNA from various actively transcribed speckle-associated genes could contribute to the observed speckle size variations within a single cell.

Binding specificity of Cas9–guide RNA complexes to DNA is important for genome-engineering applications; however, how mismatches influence target recognition/rejection kinetics is not well understood. Here we used single-molecule FRET to probe real-time interactions between Cas9–RNA and DNA targets. The bimolecular association rate is only weakly dependent on sequence; however, the dissociation rate greatly increases from <0.006 s−1 to >2 s−1 upon introduction of mismatches proximal to protospacer-adjacent motif (PAM), demonstrating that mismatches encountered early during heteroduplex formation induce rapid rejection of off-target DNA. In contrast, PAM-distal mismatches up to 11 base pairs in length, which prevent DNA cleavage, still allow formation of a stable complex (dissociation rate <0.006 s−1), suggesting that extremely slow rejection could sequester Cas9–RNA, increasing the Cas9 expression level necessary for genome-editing, thereby aggravating off-target effects. We also observed at least two different bound FRET states that may represent distinct steps in target search and proofreading.

Determining the mechanism by which tRNAs rapidly and precisely transit through the ribosomal A, P, and E sites during translation remains a major goal in the study of protein synthesis. Here, we report the real-time dynamics of the L1 stalk, a structural element of the large ribosomal subunit that is implicated in directing tRNA movements during translation. Within pretranslocation ribosomal complexes, the L1 stalk exists in a dynamic equilibrium between open and closed conformations. Binding of elongation factor G (EF-G) shifts this equilibrium toward the closed conformation through one of at least two distinct kinetic mechanisms, where the identity of the P-site tRNA dictates the kinetic route that is taken. Within posttranslocation complexes, L1 stalk dynamics are dependent on the presence and identity of the E-site tRNA. Collectively, our data demonstrate that EF-G and the L1 stalk allosterically collaborate to direct tRNA translocation from the P to the E sites, and suggest a model for the release of E-site tRNA.uring the elongation phase of protein synthesis, the ribosome repetitively cycles through three principal steps: (i) selection of an aminoacyl-transfer RNA (tRNA) at the ribosomal A site (1), (ii) peptidyl transfer from the P site-bound peptidyl-tRNA to the A site-bound aminoacyl-tRNA (2), and (iii) translocation of the messenger RNA (mRNA)-tRNA complex by one codon, effectively moving the P-and A-site tRNAs into the E-and P-sites, respectively (3). Perhaps the most dynamic steps of this cycle are the precisely directed mRNA and tRNA movements that occur during translocation (3-5). Although this step of the elongation cycle is promoted by elongation factor G (EF-G), numerous biochemical (6), structural (7,8), and Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) (9-15) studies have provided strong evidence that the peptidyl transfer step of the elongation cycle spontaneously triggers an EF-Gindependent structural rearrangement of the ribosomal pretranslocation (PRE) complex that involves movements of the ribosome-bound tRNAs from their classical to their hybridbound configurations (6-10, 12), movement of the ribosomal L1 stalk from an open to a closed conformation (7,8,13,15), and a counterclockwise, ratchet-like rotation of the small ribosomal subunit relative to the large subunit (7,8,11,14).Single-molecule FRET (smFRET) investigations have proven a powerful means for directly investigating the conformational dynamics of PRE complexes. Aided by X-ray and cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM)-derived structural models, several groups have reported kinetic studies of tRNA and ribosome movements within PRE complexes (9, 10, 12-15). tRNA-tRNA smFRET (smFRET tRNA-tRNA ) experiments initially revealed that upon peptidyl transfer, tRNAs enter into a classicalĥ ybrid dynamic equilibrium within PRE complexes (9, 10, 12). More recently, we have used an L1 stalk-tRNA smFRET (smFRET L1-tRNA ) signal to demonstrate that upon peptidyl transfer, a direct L1 stalk-tRNA contact is reversibly established (denoted as L1YtR...