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Mtr4 is a conserved Ski2-like RNA helicase and a subunit of the TRAMP complex that activates exosome-mediated 3′-5′ turnover in nuclear RNA surveillance and processing pathways. Prominent features of the Mtr4 structure include a four-domain ring-like helicase core and a large arch domain that spans the core. The ‘ratchet helix’ is positioned to interact with RNA substrates as they move through the helicase. However, the contribution of the ratchet helix in Mtr4 activity is poorly understood. Here we show that strict conservation along the ratchet helix is particularly extensive for Ski2-like RNA helicases compared to related helicases. Mutation of residues along the ratchet helix alters in vitro activity in Mtr4 and TRAMP and causes slow growth phenotypes in vivo. We also identify a residue on the ratchet helix that influences Mtr4 affinity for polyadenylated substrates. Previous work indicated that deletion of the arch domain has minimal effect on Mtr4 unwinding activity. We now show that combining the arch deletion with ratchet helix mutations abolishes helicase activity and produces a lethal in vivo phenotype. These studies demonstrate that the ratchet helix modulates helicase activity and suggest that the arch domain plays a previously unrecognized role in unwinding substrates.

The RNA exosome is one of the main 3′ to 5′ exoribonucleases in eukaryotic cells. Although it is responsible for degradation or processing of a wide variety of substrate RNAs, it is very specific and distinguishes between substrate and non-substrate RNAs as well as between substrates that need to be 3′ processed and those that need to be completely degraded. This specificity does not appear to be determined by the exosome itself but rather by about a dozen other proteins. Four of these exosome cofactors have enzymatic activity, namely, the nuclear RNA-dependent ATPase Mtr4, its cytoplasmic paralog Ski2 and the nuclear non-canonical poly(A) polymerases, Trf4 and Trf5. Mtr4 and either Trf4 or Trf5 assemble into a TRAMP complex. However, how these enzymes assemble into a TRAMP complex and the functional consequences of TRAMP complex assembly remain unknown. Here, we identify an important interaction site between Mtr4 and Trf5, and show that disrupting the Mtr4/Trf interaction disrupts specific TRAMP and exosome functions, including snoRNA processing.

Traditionally, curriculum change is a faculty responsibility. However, a first-year medical student, inspired by previous interactions with cancer patients and disillusioned with her education on the physician's role at the end of life, successfully initiated and sustained an end-of-life curriculum change. This article briefly describes the Preceptorship on End of Life Care and then shifts focus to five key dilemmas associated with student-led curriculum change. These dilemmas include articulating the benefits of student-initiated curriculum change, securing resources for curriculum change, the use of peer versus faculty facilitators, determining whether to create an elective or required curriculum, when to offer the course, and how to transition to new student leadership. Recommendations for students/residents seeking to initiate curriculum change are provided, highlighting the need for a collaborative approach of faculty, community affiliates, and students for sustained success.

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