In the course of systematic analysis of protein sequences containing the purine NTP-binding motif, a new superfamily was delineated which included 25 established or putative helicases of Escherichia coli, yeast, insects, mammals, pox- and herpesviruses, a yeast mitochondrial plasmid and three groups of positive strand RNA viruses. These proteins contained 7 distinct highly conserved segments two of which corresponded to the "A" and "B" sites of the NTP-binding motif. Typical of the new superfamily was an abridged consensus for the "A" site, GxGKS/T, instead of the classical G/AxxxxGKS/T. Secondary structure predictions indicated that each of the conserved segments might constitute a separate structural unit centering at a beta-turn. All previously characterized mutations impairing the function of the yeast helicase RAD3 in DNA repair mapped to one of the conserved segments. A degree of similarity was revealed between the consensus pattern of conserved amino acid residues derived for the new superfamily and that of another recently described protein superfamily including a different set of prokaryotic, eukaryotic and viral (putative) helicases.

Amino acid sequences of 2 giant non-structural polyproteins (F1 and F2) of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), a member of Coronaviridae, were compared, by computer-assisted methods, to sequences of a number of other positive strand RNA viral and cellular proteins. By this approach, juxtaposed putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, nucleic acid binding ("finger"-like) and RNA helicase domains were identified in F2. Together, these domains might constitute the core of the protein complex involved in the primer-dependent transcription, replication and recombination of coronaviruses. In F1, two cysteine protease-like domains and a growth factor-like one were revealed. One of the putative proteases of IBV is similar to 3C proteases of picornaviruses and related enzymes of como- nepo- and potyviruses. Search of IBV F1 and F2 sequences for sites similar to those cleaved by the latter proteases and intercomparison of the surrounding sequence stretches revealed 13 dipeptides Q/S(G) which are probably cleaved by the coronavirus 3C-like protease. Based on these observations, a partial tentative scheme for the functional organization and expression strategy of the non-structural polyproteins of IBV was proposed. It implies that, despite the general similarity to other positive strand RNA viruses, and particularly to potyviruses, coronaviruses possess a number of unique structural and functional features.

Although the primary structures of class 1 polypeptide release factors (RF1 and RF2 in prokaryotes, eRF1 in eukaryotes) are known, the molecular basis by which they function in translational termination remains obscure. Because all class 1 RFs promote a stop-codon-dependent and ribosome-dependent hydrolysis of peptidyl-tRNAs, one may anticipate that this common function relies on a common structural motif(s). We have compared amino acid sequences of the available class 1 RFs and found a novel, common, unique, and strictly conserved GGQ motif that should be in a loop (coil) conformation as deduced by programs predicting protein secondary structure. Site-directed mutagenesis of the human eRF1 as a representative of class 1 RFs shows that substitution of both glycyl residues in this motif, G183 and G184, causes complete inactivation of the protein as a release factor toward all three stop codons, whereas two adjacent amino acid residues, G181 and R182, are functionally nonessential. Inactive human eRF1 mutants compete in release assays with wild-type eRF1 and strongly inhibit their release activity. Mutations of the glycyl residues in this motif do not affect another function, the ability of eRF1 together with the ribosome to induce GTPase activity of human eRF3, a class 2 RF. We assume that the novel highly conserved GGQ motif is implicated directly or indirectly in the activity of class 1 RFs in translation termination.

Evidence is presented, based on sequence comparison and secondary structure prediction, of structural and evolutionary relationship between chymotrypsin-like serine proteases, cysteine proteases of positive strand RNA viruses (3C proteases of picornaviruses and related enzymes of come-, nepo-and potyviruses) and putative serine protease of a sobemovirus. These observations lead to re-identification of principal catalytic residues of viral proteases. Instead of the pair of Cys and His, both located in the C-terminal part of 3C proteases, a triad of conserved His, Asp(Glu) and Cys(Ser) has been identified, the first two residues resident in the N-terminal, and Cys in the C-terminal fl-barrel domain. These residues are suggested to form a charge-transfer system similar to that formed by the catalytic triad of chymotrypsin-like proteases. Based on the structural analogy with chymotrypsin-like proteases, the His residue previously implicated in catalysis, together with two partially conserved Gly residues, is predicted to constitute part of the substrate-binding pocket of 3C proteases. A partially conserved ThrLys/Arg dipeptide located in the loop preceding the catalytic Cys is suggested to confer the primary cleavage specificity of 3C toward Glx/Gly(Ser) sites. These observations provide the first example of relatedness between proteases belonging, by definition, to different classes.

A statistically significant similarity was demonstrated between the amino acid sequences of 4 Escherichiu coli helicases and helicase subunits, a family of non-structural proteins of eukaryotic positive-strand RNA viruses and 2 herpesvirus proteins all of which contain an NTP-binding sequence motif. Based on sequence analysis and secondary structure predictions, a generalized structural model for the ATP-binding core is proposed. It is suggested that all these proteins constitute a superfamily of hehcases (or helicase subunits) involved in NTP-dependent duplex unwinding during DNA and RNA replication and recombination.