Ribosomal control of translational fidelity in Podospora anserina: A suppressor and an antisuppressor affecting the paromomycin-induced misreading in vitro

eEF1A Controls ascospore differentiation through elevated accuracy, but controls longevity and fruiting body formation through another mechanism in Podospora anserina

Antisuppressor mutations in the eEF1A gene of Podospora anserina were previously shown to impair ascospore formation, to drastically increase life span, and to permit the development of the Crippled Growth degenerative process. Here, we show that eEF1A controls ascospore formation through accuracy level maintenance. Examination of antisuppressor mutant perithecia reveals two main cytological defects, mislocalization of spindle and nuclei and nuclear death. Antisuppression levels are shown to be highly dependent upon both the mutation site and the suppressor used, precluding any correlation between antisuppression efficiency and severity of the sporulation impairment. Nevertheless, severity of ascospore differentiation defect is correlated with resistance to paromomycin. We also show that eEF1A controls fruiting body formation and longevity through a mechanism(s) different from accuracy control. In vivo, GFP tagging of the protein in a way that partly retains its function confirmed earlier cytological observation; i.e., this factor is mainly diffuse within the cytosol, but may transiently accumulate within nuclei or in defined regions of the cytoplasm. These data emphasize the fact that the translation apparatus exerts a global regulatory control over cell physiology and that eEF1A is one of the key factors involved in this monitoring.

Suppressors suaC109 and suaA101 of Aspergillus nidulans alter the ribosomal phenotype in vitro

A new homologous, cell-free system for protein synthesis has been devised for use with ribosomes and elongation factors from Aspergillus nidulans. Ribosome preparations from strains with either the suaA101 or suaC109 mutations have a higher misreading ratio (non-cognate:cognate amino acid incorporation) in the presence of hygromycin than controls. They can be classed as fidelity mutants. These results also prove that the mutations must be in genes coding for ribosomal proteins or enzymes which modify ribosomal proteins post-translationally. Alternatively, the genes could code for translation factors.

Antisuppressor mutations in Aspergillus nidulans: cold-resistant revertants of suppressor suaC109

Cold-resistant revertants of the cold-sensitive, ribosomal suppressorsuaC109have been isolated, with a view to obtaining mutations in new ribosomal protein genes. Many revertants had reduced suppressor activity and were classified as antisuppressor mutants. Both intragenic and extragenic reversions were found. In seven strains the extragenic reversion to cold resistance segregated with the antisuppressor phenotype, and these were designatedasumutations. Three of the fiveasugenes, C, B and D were mapped to linkage groups, I, II and V respectively. The antisuppressors are not gene-specific, although they mainly antagonize the activity of ribosomal suppressors. The antisuppressors altered all aspects of the phenotype of suppressorsuaC109including sensitivity to aminoglycoside antibiotics, and are therefore thought to be mutations in ribosomal protein genes.

At least seven ribosomal proteins are involved in the control of translational accuracy in a eukaryotic organism

In the filamentous fungus Podospora anserina, ribosomal proteins of 60 mutants impaired in the control of translational fidelity have been submitted to electrophoretic analysis. The "four corners" system combining four different two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic systems has been used. An altered electrophoretic pattern has been observed for 12 mutants. In mutants su3, su12 and su11 (decreased translational fidelity), proteins S1, S7 and S8, respectively, are altered. For AS mutants (increased translational fidelity), proteins S9, S12 and S19, respectively, are altered in AS9, AS1 and AS6 mutants, and protein S29 is lacking in AS3 mutants. The data suggest that five of these genes (at least) are the structural genes for the relevant proteins (su3:S1, su12:S7, AS1:S12, AS6:S19, AS9:S9), while the AS3 gene may code for a modifying enzyme.

Inherent resistance of HeLa cell derivatives to paromomycin

The human tumor-derived cell line HeLa S3 and nuclear and mitochondrial gene mutants derived from it are resistant to the aminoglycoside antibiotic, paromomycin (PAR). Other carcinoma-derived cells, SV40-transformed cells, and four human diploid fibroblast cell lines are all sensitive to PAR. Sensitivity is dependent on cell density, and at cell numbers greater than 400/cm2 sensitive cells will proliferate in PAR. The resistance to PAR is inherited in a dominant manner in cell-to-cell fusion hybrids, but is not transferred in cytoplast-to-cell fusions. PAR resistance is therefore encoded by a nuclear gene(s). Resistance to PAR is not caused by changes in the response of mitochondrial or cytoplasmic protein synthesis to PAR in vitro. The uptake of PAR is similar in resistant and sensitive cells, and dimethyl sulfoxide does not render resistant cells more sensitive. Thus, HeLa cell PAR resistance is unlike previously reported ribosomal mutations and may derive from differences in the intracellular metabolism of PAR.

Genetics of translational fidelity in Podospora anserina: are all the genes involved in this ribosomal function identified?

Su12-1 and su12-2 are two ribosomal suppressor mutations previously described in the fungus Podospora anserina. Revertants were isolated on the criteria of either improved growth at 27 degrees C (for su12-1) or suppression of the paromomycin hypersensitivity (for su12-2). Among 45 mutations lying outside the su12 locus, only one was found which defines a new antisuppressor locus, AS9. About 3/4 of these mutations are antisuppressor mutations localized in the previously identified AS6 and AS7 genes. While the AS6 mutations harbour diverse phenotypes, all the mutations lying in the AS7 gene lead to the same phenotypic alterations. In addition, two new su3 mutations were obtained and shown to display an antisuppressor effect on su12-1.

Ribosomal suppressors in Podospora anserina: evidence for two new loci by means of a new screening procedure

I describe here a new screening procedure to isolate ribosomal suppressors in Podospora anserina. I have used the sporulation defect displayed by an antisuppressor mutation AS7–2. The revertants able to sporulate are due to either true reversions or external mutations. The mutations which restore most efficiently the sporulation show all the properties of ribosomal suppressors and are localized in two new suppressor loci su11 and su12.

Does translational ambiguity increase during cell differentiation?

Several observations made in the fungus Podospora anserina suggest that translational ambiguity may increase, and possibly must increase, at specific stages of the life cycle. Such changes in the properties of the translational apparatus seem to occur as well in the yeast S. cerevisiae and in the alga C. reinhardii. A slight increase of the misreading level would allow readthrough or frameshifting necessary to synthesise regulatory proteins in low amount at key points of cellular differentiation.

Mutations relieving hypersensitivity to paromomycin caused by ribosomal suppressors in Podospora anserina

In the fungusPodospora anserina, mutations were selected which relieved the hypersensitivity to paromomycin caused by four suppressors assumed to be ribosomal ambiguity mutations (su1–31,su1–49,su1–60,su2–5). Our first purpose was to isolate new antisuppressor mutations and in fact a new antisuppressor gene,AS7was uncovered. TheAS7–1mutant displays a pleiotropic phenotype and particularly a sporulation defect. On the other hand, a newsu1mutant was obtained which acts as a suppressor and also as an antisuppressor: it can specifically reduce the suppressor effect of certainsu2mutations. This property of somesu1andsu2mutations was already known. Apart from these mutations probably involved in the control of translational fidelity, six mutations conferring cross-resistance to paromomycin and neomycin were isolated. While four of them are localized in thePm1andPm2loci previously identified, the two others define a new gene which controls paromomycin and neomycin resistance,Pm3. Strains carrying thePm3–1allele are sensitive to temperature at the level of growth and sporulation. The three last mutations which were obtained confer no mutant phenotype when separated from thesu1background. They are closely linked to thesu2locus.

Analysis of revertants of a ribosomal mutation in Podospora anserina: evidence for new ribosomal mutations which confer hypersensitivity to paromomycin

This paper describes the analysis of cold-resistant revertants of a cold-sensitive mutant. Pm1-1 is a ribosomal mutation screened for its paromomycin resistance. Suppression of its cold sensitivity occurs with two kinds of external mutations localized in two different loci. One of them, PmB, is assumed to be a ribosomal gene. PmB mutations confer hypersensitivity to paromomycin in vivo as well as in vitro in a cell-free protein synthesis system.