Crystal structure of RNA-DNA duplex provides insight into conformational changes induced by RNase H binding

RNA-DNA hybrids play essential roles in a variety of biological processes, including DNA replication, transcription, and viral integration. Ribonucleotides incorporated within DNA are hydrolyzed by RNase H enzymes in a removal process that is necessary for maintaining genomic stability. In order to understand the structural determinants involved in recognition of a hybrid substrate by RNase H we have determined the crystal structure of a dodecameric nonpolypurine/ polypyrimidine tract RNA-DNA duplex. A comparison to the same sequence bound to RNase H, reveals structural changes to the duplex that include widening of the major groove to 12.5 A from 4.2 Å and decreasing the degree of bending along the axis which may play a crucial role in the ribonucleotide recognition and cleavage mechanism within RNase H. This structure allows a direct comparison to be made about the conformational changes induced in RNA-DNA hybrids upon binding to RNase H and may provide insight into how dysfunction in the endonuclease causes disease.