Nucleic acid polymerases catalyze the formation of DNA or RNA from nucleoside-triphosphate precursors. Amino acid residues in the active site of polymerases are thought to contribute only indirectly to catalysis by serving as ligands for the two divalent cations required for activity or substrate binding. Two proton transfer reactions are necessary for polymerase-catalyzed nucleotidyl transfer: deprotonation of the 3′-hydroxyl nucleophile and protonation of the pyrophosphate leaving group. Using model enzymes representing all four classes of nucleic acid polymerases, we show that the proton donor to pyrophosphate is an active site amino acid residue. The use of general acid catalysis by polymerases extends the mechanism of nucleotidyl transfer beyond that of the well-established two-metal-ion mechanism. The existence of an active-site residue that regulates polymerase catalysis may permit manipulation of viral polymerase replication speed and/or fidelity for virus attenuation and vaccine development.

SUMMARY CRISPR-Cas adaptive immune systems in prokaryotes boast a diversity of protein families and mechanisms of action, where most systems rely on protospacer-adjacent motifs (PAMs) for DNA target recognition. Here, we developed an in vivo, positive, and tunable screen termed PAM-SCANR (PAM screen achieved by NOT-gate repression) to elucidate functional PAMs as well as an interactive visualization scheme termed the PAM wheel to convey individual PAM sequences and their activities. PAM-SCANR and the PAM wheel identified known functional PAMs while revealing complex sequence-activity landscapes for the Bacillus halodurans I-C (Cascade), Escherichia coli I-E (Cascade), Streptococcus thermophilus II-A CRISPR1 (Cas9), and Francisella novicida V-A (Cpf1) systems. The PAM wheel was also readily applicable to existing high-throughput screens and garnered insights into SpyCas9 and SauCas9 PAM diversity. These tools offer powerful means of elucidating and visualizing functional PAMs toward accelerating our ability to understand and exploit the multitude of CRISPR-Cas systems in nature.

The rate-limiting step for nucleotide incorporation in the presteady state for most nucleic acid polymerases is thought to be a conformational change. As a result, very little information is available on the role of active-site residues in the chemistry of nucleotidyl transfer. For the poliovirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (3D pol ), chemistry is partially (Mg 2؉ ) or completely (Mn 2؉ ) rate limiting. Here we show that nucleotidyl transfer depends on two ionizable groups with pK a values of 7.0 or 8.2 and 10.5, depending upon the divalent cation used in the reaction. A solvent deuterium isotope effect of three to seven was observed on the rate constant for nucleotide incorporation in the pre-steady state; none was observed in the steady state. Proton-inventory experiments were consistent with two protons being transferred during the rate-limiting transition state of the reaction, suggesting that both deprotonation of the 3 -hydroxyl nucleophile and protonation of the pyrophosphate leaving group occur in the transition state for phosphodiester bond formation. Importantly, two proton transfers occur in the transition state for nucleotidyl-transfer reactions catalyzed by RB69 DNA-dependent DNA polymerase, T7 DNA-dependent RNA polymerase and HIV reverse transcriptase. Interpretation of these data in the context of known polymerase structures suggests the existence of a general base for deprotonation of the 3 -OH nucleophile, although use of a water molecule cannot be ruled out conclusively, and a general acid for protonation of the pyrophosphate leaving group in all nucleic acid polymerases. These data imply an associative-like transition-state structure.general-acid-base catalysis ͉ phosphoryl transfer ͉ two-metal-ion mechanism N ucleic acid polymerases are essential for the maintenance and expression of the genomes of all organisms. All classes of polymerases use the same five-step kinetic scheme for nucleotide incorporation (1-6). The kinetic mechanism for the RNAdependent RNA polymerase (RdRp 1 ) from poliovirus (3D pol ) is shown in Scheme 1. One of the advantages of this system is that once 3D pol assembles onto the primer-template substrate, this complex has a half-life of Ͼ2 h (7), greatly simplifying kinetic analysis. In step one, the enzyme-nucleic acid complex (ER n ) binds the nucleoside triphosphate forming a ternary complex (ER n NTP).Step two involves a conformational change (*ER n NTP) that orients the triphosphate for catalysis. In step three, nucleotidyl transfer occurs (*ER nϩ1 PP i ), followed by a second conformational-change step (ER nϩ1 PP i ) and pyrophosphate release (ER nϩ1 ).Although the sequence of events occurring during the nucleotide-addition cycle is identical for all polymerases, the ratelimiting step appears to be different. In most cases, the first conformational-change step (step two) is rate-limiting (2, 8, 9). In one, chemistry (step three) is rate-limiting (10), and in some (e.g., T4 and RB69 DNA polymerases), the rate-limiting step has not been established. For 3D pol , bot...

Summary Fast, accurate nucleotide incorporation by polymerases facilitates expression and maintenance of genomes. Many polymerases use conformational dynamics of a conserved α-helix to permit efficient nucleotide addition only when the correct nucleotide substrate is bound. This α-helix is missing in structures of RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRps) and reverse transcriptases (RTs). Here we use solution-state NMR to demonstrate that the conformation of conserved structural motif D of an RdRp is linked to the nature (correct vs. incorrect) of the bound nucleotide and the protonation state of a conserved, motif-D lysine. Structural data also reveal the inability of motif D to achieve its optimal conformation after incorporation of an incorrect nucleotide. Functional data are consistent with the conformational change of motif D becoming rate limiting during and after nucleotide misincorporation. We conclude that motif D of RdRps and, by inference, RTs is the functional equivalent to the fidelity helix of other polymerases.

The insulin-like growth factor