Determinants of RNA recognition by the FinO domain of the Escherichia coli ProQ protein

The regulation of gene expression by small RNAs in Escherichia coli depends on RNA binding proteins Hfq and ProQ, which bind mostly distinct RNA pools. To understand how ProQ discriminates between RNA substrates, we compared its binding to six different RNA molecules. Full-length ProQ bound all six RNAs similarly, while the isolated N-terminal FinO domain (NTD) of ProQ specifically recognized RNAs with Rho-independent terminators. Analysis of malM 3-UTR mutants showed that tight RNA binding by the ProQ NTD required a terminator hairpin of at least two base pairs preceding an 3 oligoU tail of at least four uridine residues. Substitution of an A-rich sequence on the 5 side of the terminator to uridines strengthened the binding of several ProQ-specific RNAs to the Hfq protein, but not to the ProQ NTD. Substitution of the motif in the malM-3 and cspE-3 RNAs also conferred the ability to bind Hfq in E. coli cells, as measured using a three-hybrid assay. In summary, these data suggest that the ProQ NTD specifically recognizes 3 intrinsic terminators of RNA substrates, and that the discrimination between RNA ligands by E. coli ProQ and Hfq depends both on positive determinants for binding to ProQ and negative determinants against binding to Hfq.