Acylation of transfer ribonucleic acid with the N-hydroxysuccinimide ester of phenoxyacetic acid

Loss of m1acp3Ψ Ribosomal RNA Modification Is a Major Feature of Cancer

The ribosome is an RNA-protein complex that is essential for translation in all domains of life. The structural and catalytic core of the ribosome is its ribosomal RNA (rRNA). While mutations in ribosomal protein (RP) genes are known drivers of oncogenesis, oncogenic rRNA variants have remained elusive. We identify a cancer-specific single-nucleotide variation in 18S rRNA at nucleotide 1248.U in up to 45.9% of patients with colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and present across >22 cancer types. This is the site of a unique hyper-modified base, 1-methyl-3-α-amino-α-carboxyl-propyl pseudouridine (m¹acp³Ψ), a >1-billion-years-conserved RNA modification at the peptidyl decoding site of the ribosome. A subset of CRC tumors we call hypo-m¹acp³Ψ shows sub-stoichiometric m¹acp³Ψ modification, unlike normal control tissues. An m¹acp³Ψ knockout model and hypo-m¹acp³Ψ patient tumors share a translational signature characterized by highly abundant ribosomal proteins. Thus, m¹acp³Ψ-deficient rRNA forms an uncharacterized class of "onco-ribosome" which may serve as a chemotherapeutic target for treating cancer patients.

Rapid selection of aminoacyl-tRNAs based on biotinylation of alpha-NH2 group of charged amino acids

A rapid selection procedure to separate low amounts of aminoacylated tRNAs from large pools of inactive variants is described. The procedure involves a three-step protocol. After initial aminoacylation of a tRNA pool, N-hydroxysuccinimide ester chemistry is applied to biotinylate the alpha-NH2 group of the amino acid bound to the 3'-end of a tRNA. The biotin tag is used to capture the derivatized tRNAs on streptavidin-conjugated magnetic beads. Variants bound to the solid phase can be amplified by RT-PCR and transcription, providing tRNAs for subsequent selection rounds.

Isolation of tRNA isoacceptors by affinity chromatography on immobilized bacterial elongation factor Tu

Elongation factor Tu from Escherichia coli or Thermus thermophilus was immobilized on cyanogen bromide-activated Sepharose. Immobilized elongation factor Tu X GDP could be converted to Tu X GTP, which is able to bind aminoacyl-tRNA. When bulk tRNA from E. coli, baker's yeast, or bovine liver was aminoacylated by one amino acid only, the resulting aminoacyl-tRNA could be separated in one step from the rest of the tRNA using an affinity column of immobilized elongation factor Tu X GTP. Specific tRNA isoacceptors can be isolated in amounts sufficient for gel electrophorectic analysis, sequence determinations, and hybridization experiments.

General and specific effects of amino acid starvation on the formation of undermodified Escherichia coli phenylalanine tRNA

The heterogeneity of undermodified phenylalanine tRNA produced in relaxed control E. coli during amino acid starvation was investigated. Examination of the RPC-5 elution profiles of tRNAPhe prepared from non-starved cells and cells starved of a variety of amino acids, including some known to be involved in the formation of modified bases revealed that: (1) only one species of fully modified tRNAPhe appears to occur in cells grown in enriched medium; (2) at least two chromatographically unique isoacceptor species are observed in addition to the normal tRNAPhe in starved cells; (3) the unique, undermodified species of tRNAPhe from leucine-starved cells, known to be deficient in dihydrouridine, pseudouridine, 2-thiomethyl-N6-(delta2-isopentenyl) adenosine and 3-(3-amino-3-carboxypropyl) uridine, co-elute with the unique species produced in cells starved of histidine or arginine or treated with puromycin or chloramphenicol; (4) additional unique species of tRNAPhe can be detected in methyl- and sulfur-deficient tRNA from methionine- and cysteine-starved cells; (5) analysis of phenoxyacetylated tRNA revealed that the chromatographically unique and normal species from starved cells contain subspecies deficient in 3-(3-amino-3-carboxypropyl) uridine; and (6) using phenoxyacetylation as a means of effecting the resolution of undermodified subspecies, a total of at least ten chromatographically unique subspecies of rRNAPhe were detected in an organism that appears to posses only one gene for tRNAPhe. Taken together, the results support the view that there are both general and specific effects of amino acid starvation on the post-transcriptional modification of tRNA.

The involvement of the anticodon adjacent modified nucleoside N-(9-(BETA-D-ribofuranosyl) purine-6-ylcarbamoyl)-threonine in the biological function of E. coli tRNAile

tRNAile was isolated from E. coli Cp 79 (leu-, arg-, thr-, his-, thiamin-, RCrel) which had been grown on a sub-optimal concentration of thr and was found to contain an average of 50% less N-[9-(beta-D-ribofuranosyl)- purin-6-ylcarbamoyl]threonine, t6Ado, than tRNAile from cells grown on an optimum concentration of thr and containing a normal complement of t6Ado. The two tRNA's were identical in their ability to be aminoacylated, to accept the 3'-terminal dinucleotide, and to form an ile-tRNAile-Tu-GTP complex. In contrast, the t6Ado-deficient-tRNA was significantly less efficient in binding to ribosomes compared to the normal tRNA. This difference was seen in the binding of deacylated tRNA and in the nonenzymatic and enzymatic binding of ile-tRNA, all in response to poly AUC. The t6Ado-deficient ile-tRNA demonstrated no binding at Mg2+ concentrations less than or equal to 10 mM, while the normal ile-tRNA bound at low Mg2+ concentrations. Tetracycline had the same effect on the normal as on the t6Ado-deficient ile-tRNA binding. As a control, the binding of phe-tRNA (which does not contain t6Ado) from normal and thr-starved cells in response to poly U was identical. It was concluded that t6Ado is required for proper codon-anticodon interaction.

An improved method for the purification of tRNA by chromatography on dihydroxyboryl substituted cellulose

An improved method for the rapid separation of aminoacyl-tRNA from tRNA by chromatography on dihydroxyboryl-substituted cellulose has been developed. The method relies on the selective binding of unacylated tRNA to the cell cellulose support containing dihydroxyboryl groups. This binding is the result of complex formation between the cis-diol group of the 3'-terminal ribose in tRNA and the dihydroxyboryl groups immobilized on the resin. Aminoacyl-tRNA cannot undergo borate complex formation and is not retained on the resin. The separation is carried out at near neutral pH values ensuring stability of the aminoacyl ester linkage. The aminoacyl-tRNAs are obtained in very high purity. Aminoacyl-tRNA species containing the modified nucleoside Q are also retained on dihydroxyboryl cellulose. Conditions for isolating all Q base containing tRNA species from unfractionated tRNA are described.