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Ribosome assembly is a complex process reliant on the coordination of trans-acting enzymes to produce functional ribosomal subunits and secure the translational capacity of cells. The endoribonuclease (RNase) Las1 and the poly-nucleotide kinase (PNK) Grc3 assemble into a multienzyme complex, herein designated RNase PNK, to orchestrate processing of precursor ribosomal RNA. RNase PNK belongs to the functionally-diverse HEPN nuclease superfamily, whose members rely on distinct cues for nuclease activation. To establish how RNase PNK coordinates its dual enzymatic activities, we solved a series of cryo-electron microscopy structures of Chaetomium thermophilum RNase PNK in multiple conformational states. The structures reveal that RNase PNK adopts a butterfly-like architecture harboring a composite HEPN nuclease active site flanked by discrete RNA kinase sites. We identify two molecular switches that coordinate nuclease and kinase function. Together our structures and corresponding functional studies establish a new mechanism of HEPN nuclease activation essential for ribosome production.

Nsp15, a uridine specific endoribonuclease conserved across coronaviruses, processes viral RNA to evade detection by host defense systems. Crystal structures of Nsp15 from different coronaviruses have shown a common hexameric assembly, yet how the enzyme recognizes and processes RNA remains poorly understood. Here we report a series of cryo-EM reconstructions of SARS-CoV-2 Nsp15, in both apo and UTP-bound states. The cryo-EM reconstructions, combined with biochemistry, mass spectrometry, and molecular dynamics, expose molecular details of how critical active site residues recognize uridine and facilitate catalysis of the phosphodiester bond. Mass spectrometry revealed the accumulation of cyclic phosphate cleavage products, while analysis of the apo and UTP-bound datasets revealed conformational dynamics not observed by crystal structures that are likely important to facilitate substrate recognition and regulate nuclease activity. Collectively, these findings advance understanding of how Nsp15 processes viral RNA and provide a structural framework for the development of new therapeutics.

DNA ligases finalize DNA replication and repair through DNA nick-sealing reactions that can abort to generate cytotoxic 5'-adenylation DNA damage. Aprataxin (Aptx) catalyzes direct reversal of 5'-adenylate adducts to protect genome integrity. Here the structure of a Schizosaccharomyces pombe Aptx-DNA-AMP-Zn(2+) complex reveals active site and DNA interaction clefts formed by fusing a histidine triad (HIT) nucleotide hydrolase with a DNA minor groove-binding C(2)HE zinc finger (Znf). An Aptx helical 'wedge' interrogates the base stack for sensing DNA ends or DNA nicks. The HIT-Znf, the wedge and an '[F/Y]PK' pivot motif cooperate to distort terminal DNA base-pairing and direct 5'-adenylate into the active site pocket. Structural and mutational data support a wedge-pivot-cut HIT-Znf catalytic mechanism for 5'-adenylate adduct recognition and removal and suggest that mutations affecting protein folding, the active site pocket and the pivot motif underlie Aptx dysfunction in the neurodegenerative disorder ataxia with oculomotor apraxia 1 (AOA1).