Kinetic Analysis of tRNA Methyltransferases

Novel heterozygous compound TRMT5 mutations associated with combined oxidative phosphorylation deficiency 26 in a Chinese family: a case report

Background

Combined oxidative phosphorylation deficiency 26 (COXPD26) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by early onset, developmental delay, gastrointestinal dysfunction, shortness of breath, exercise intolerance, hypotonia and muscle weakness, neuropathy, and spastic diplegia. This disease is considered to be caused by compound heterozygous mutations in the TRMT5 gene.

Case presentation

In this study, we report a female child with COXPD26 manifesting as shortness of breath, gastrointestinal dysmotility, severe developmental delay, muscle hypotonia and weakness, exercise intolerance, renal and hepatic defects, and recurrent seizures with spastic diplegia. Interestingly, the hepatic feature was first observed in a COXPD26 patient. Medical exome sequencing with high coverage depth was employed to identify potential genetic variants in the patient. Novel compound heterozygous mutations of the TRMT5 gene were detected, which were c.881A>C (p.E294A) from her mother and c.1218G>C (p.Q406H) and c.1481C>T (p.T494M) from her father.

Conclusion

The newly emerged clinical features and mutations of this patient provide useful information for further exploration of genotype–phenotype correlations in COXPD26.

RNA-hydrolyzing activity of metallo-β-lactamase IMP-1

Metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) hydrolyze a wide range of β-lactam antibiotics. While all MBLs share a common αβ/βα-fold, there are many other proteins with the same folding pattern that exhibit different enzymatic activities. These enzymes, together with MBLs, form the MBL superfamily. Thermotoga maritima tRNase Z, a tRNA 3′ processing endoribonuclease of MBL-superfamily, and IMP-1, a clinically isolated MBL, showed a striking similarity in tertiary structure, despite low sequence homology. IMP-1 hydrolyzed both total cellular RNA and synthetic small unstructured RNAs. IMP-1 also hydrolyzed pre-tRNA, but its cleavage site was different from those of T. maritima tRNase Z and human tRNase Z long form, indicating a key difference in substrate recognition. Single-turnover kinetic assays suggested that substrate-binding affinity of T. maritima tRNase Z is much higher than that of IMP-1.

Structural and biochemical analysis of the dual-specificity Trm10 enzyme from Thermococcus kodakaraensis prompts reconsideration of its catalytic mechanism

tRNA molecules get heavily modified post-transcriptionally. The N-1 methylation of purines at position 9 of eukaryal and archaeal tRNA is catalyzed by the SPOUT methyltranferase Trm10. Remarkably, while certain Trm10 orthologs are specific for either guanosine or adenosine, others show a dual specificity. Structural and functional studies have been performed on guanosine- and adenosine-specific enzymes. Here we report the structure and biochemical analysis of the dual-specificity enzyme from Thermococcus kodakaraensis (TkTrm10). We report the first crystal structure of a construct of this enzyme, consisting of the N-terminal domain and the catalytic SPOUT domain. Moreover, crystal structures of the SPOUT domain, either in the apo form or bound to S-adenosyl-l-methionine or S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine reveal the conformational plasticity of two active site loops upon substrate binding. Kinetic analysis shows that TkTrm10 has a high affinity for its tRNA substrates, while the enzyme on its own has a very low methyltransferase activity. Mutation of either of two active site aspartate residues (Asp206 and Asp245) to Asn or Ala results in only modest effects on the N-1 methylation reaction, with a small shift toward a preference for m1G formation over m1A formation. Only a double D206A/D245A mutation severely impairs activity. These results are in line with the recent finding that the single active-site aspartate was dispensable for activity in the guanosine-specific Trm10 from yeast, and suggest that also dual-specificity Trm10 orthologs use a noncanonical tRNA methyltransferase mechanism without residues acting as general base catalysts.

A novel, integrated PET-guided MRS technique resulting in more accurate initial diagnosis of high-grade glioma

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and lethal malignant glioma in adults. Currently, the modality of choice for diagnosing brain tumor is high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with contrast, which provides anatomic detail and localization. Studies have demonstrated, however, that MRI may have limited utility in delineating the full tumor extent precisely. Studies suggest that MR spectroscopy (MRS) can also be used to distinguish high-grade from low-grade gliomas. However, due to operator dependent variables and the heterogeneous nature of gliomas, the potential for error in diagnostic accuracy with MRS is a concern. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with (11)C-methionine (MET) and (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) has been shown to add additional information with respect to tumor grade, extent, and prognosis based on the premise of biochemical changes preceding anatomic changes. Combined PET/MRS is a technique that integrates information from PET in guiding the location for the most accurate metabolic characterization of a lesion via MRS. We describe a case of glioblastoma multiforme in which MRS was initially non-diagnostic for malignancy, but when MRS was repeated with PET guidance, demonstrated elevated choline/N-acetylaspartate (Cho/NAA) ratio in the right parietal mass consistent with a high-grade malignancy. Stereotactic biopsy, followed by PET image-guided resection, confirmed the diagnosis of grade IV GBM. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of an integrated PET/MRS technique for the voxel placement of MRS. Our findings suggest that integrated PET/MRS may potentially improve diagnostic accuracy in high-grade gliomas.