Kinetic analysis of RNA cleavage by coronavirus Nsp15 endonuclease: Evidence for acid–base catalysis and substrate-dependent metal ion activation

Understanding the functional properties of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 nonstructural proteins is essential for defining their roles in the viral life cycle, developing improved therapeutics and diagnostics, and countering future variants. Coronavirus nonstructural protein Nsp15 is a hexameric U-specific endonuclease whose functions, substrate specificity, mechanism, and dynamics are not fully defined. Previous studies report that Nsp15 requires Mn(2+) ions for optimal activity; however, the effects of divalent ions on Nsp15 reaction kinetics have not been investigated in detail. Here, we analyzed the single- and multiple-turnover kinetics for model ssRNA substrates. Our data confirm that divalent ions are dispensable for catalysis and show that Mn(2+) activates Nsp15 cleavage of two different ssRNA oligonucleotide substrates but not a dinucleotide. Biphasic kinetics of ssRNA substrates demonstrates that Mn(2+) stabilizes alternative enzyme states that have faster substrate cleavage on the enzyme. However, we did not detect Mn(2+)-induced conformational changes using CD and fluorescence spectroscopy. The pH-rate profiles in the presence and absence of Mn(2+) reveal active-site ionizable groups with similar pK(a)s of ca. 4.8 to 5.2. An Rp stereoisomer phosphorothioate modification at the scissile phosphate had minimal effect on catalysis supporting a mechanism involving an anionic transition state. However, the Sp stereoisomer is inactive because of weak binding, consistent with models that position the nonbridging phosphoryl oxygen deep in the active site. Together, these data demonstrate that Nsp15 employs a conventional acid–base catalytic mechanism passing through an anionic transition state, and that divalent ion activation is substrate dependent.