Hormonal effect on transfer ribonucleic acid methylases and on serine transfer ribonucleic acid

Variations in tRNA modifications, particularly of their queuine content in higher eukaryotes. Its relation to malignancy grading

Literature references dealing with the variations in the modification level of nucleosides in total eukaryotic tRNAs as a function of different physiological status and after drug administration as well as in sequenced cytoplasmic tRNAs between normal and tumor cells and in SV40-transformed cells are reviewed. In addition, special attention is given to guanine replacement of queuine in the first position of the anticodon of tRNAs. A correlation between the level of this undermodification in cancer tissues and the malignancy grading could be found in human ovarian tumors, confirming the results reported in several laboratories for lymphomas and lung cancer tissues. Indeed tRNAs from primary and metastatic human ovarian malignant tumors are Q deficient as compared to tRNAs from normal tissues or benign tumors: thus queuine deficiency increases with malignancy and grading of differentiation.

Inhibition of the aminoacylation of selected tRNA molecules by an estrogen-regulated factor on uterine ribosomes. Regulation of aminoacylation of tRNA by estrogens

Administration of estradiol to ovariectomized mature rats for 1 h induces a transient increase in the peptide elongation rate on uterine ribosomes. An inhibitor of the peptide elongation rate, which appears to be regulated by estrogen treatment in vivo, can be extracted from ribosomes of estrogen-deprived rats. The extracted inhibitor or a native inhibitor-ribosome complex affects the rate of the peptide elongation reaction in a uterine cell-free protein synthesis system by inhibiting the ability of selected tRNAs in the assay to be charged with amino acids by their respective aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. The degree of inhibition of charging of the affected tRNAs ranges from 22% to 78%, the order of inhibition being Pro greater than Val greater than Arg greater than Try greater than Leu greater than Glu greater than Ile greater than Gly greater than His greater than Ser greater than Lys. Inhibition results from a specific dose-dependent, and presumably reversible, effect of the inhibitor on tRNA, but not on the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase. The effect does not result from removal of A-C-C terminal nucleotides from the 3' end of tRNA, but does inhibit the ability of selected tRNAs to bind to the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. We propose that regulation of the peptide elongation rate on uterine ribosomes by estradiol occurs through the estradiol-induced inactivation of a ribosome-associated inhibitor, which causes a reversible alteration to selected tRNAs. The modified tRNAs are unable to bind to their respective aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase to become charged with an amino acid thus causing the availability of selected aminoacyl-tRNAs to become rate-limiting in the sequential elongation of peptides.

Effects of thyroidectomy on heart and liver rat tRNAs: study of chromatographic and electrophoretic behaviour

Modifications of tRNAs in various physiological or experimental conditions are well documented. We have compared isoacceptor tRNAs extracted from target organs (heart and liver) from thyroidectomized rats to those of control animals. Nine liver aminoacyl-tRNAs and eight heart aminoacyl-tRNAs from thyroidectomized and control rats were analysed by RPC-5 chromatography. Quantitative differences were demonstrated in the relative proportions of the various liver tRNA isoacceptors for glycine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine and serine and of the heart isoacceptor tRNAs for glycine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine and valine. A qualitative variation was noted only for tRNATyr from the heart and liver of thyroidectomized rats. Isoacceptor tRNAs were obtained at a high resolution using a two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Isoacceptor tRNAs corresponding to 14 amino acids for the liver and 12 amino acids for the heart were identified. Although for most of the tRNAs examined the number of isoacceptors remained unchanged, the number of spots corresponding to tRNAGlu and tRNAHis from the liver and tRNAAla from the heart was different after thyroidectomy. Furthermore the change in electrophoretic behaviour of tRNATyr from the liver of thyroidectomized rats suggests a structural modification of one of the isoacceptors in relation to the change in thyroid status. Thus, thyroid hormones appear to induce some modification of the isoacceptor tRNAs in their target organs.

Effects of cortisol on tRNA methylase activities in rat mammary carcinoma

Mammary carcinomas induced in rats by DMBA were divided into three types: I, hard proliferating tumors; II, tumors presenting from an early stage the first signs of cystic degeneration; III, lactating tumors. In all three types, cortisol reduced the protein content by 26%-30%. The already high tRNA methyltransferase activity in type I increased by 200% after cortisol treatment. Hormonal treatment of type II increased the previously reduced control methyltransferases by 37%. In the type III lactating tumors, the total tRNA methyltransferases were inhibited by 35% after cortisol treatment. The methyltransferases of types I and II were separated chromatographically into seven analogous peaks, while the enzymes from type III presented a modified pattern. In each case, cortisol treatment affected the activities of several methyltransferases simultaneously without obvious specificity.

[Methylation of tRNA in Carcinus maenas gonadal cultures: inhibition by purified androgenic gland extract]

Subcultures of ovaries and testis of the crab Carcinus maenas have been performed in the presence of L-[Me-14C]methionine. Introduction in the medium of a chromatographically-purified liposoluble fraction from the androgenic glands of the same animal inhibits the biological methylation of the tRNA of the ovaries by 62%. The inhibition of methylation of five individual bases varies from 45% to 84%. No inhibition of tRNA methylation is observed under the same conditions with testis subcultures.

The methylation of tRNA

The methylation of tRNA is a post-transcriptional modification which is achieved by specific enzymes, the tRNA methylases, with S adenosylmethionine as a methyl donor. The level and pattern of methylation are characteristic of the tRNA species and origin. Abnormally methylated tRNAs have been obtained, in vivo and in vitro, by a variety of methods, and their properties have been studied. The tRNA methylases are found in all cells and tissues. Their activity varies with the differentiation state of the cells, and under the influence of many internal and external factors ; it is especially elevated in embryonic and cancerous tissues. These enzymes are very unstable, and none of them has been purified to homogeneity. We present here their known properties and we propose a theory concerning their specificity. Finally, after reviewing the few available experimental data, we discuss the current hypotheses and speculations about the roles and functions of tRNA methylation.

Mouse histidyl-tRNAs during pregnancy. Differentiation of activity profiles within and between organs

Optimal conditions for in vitro formation of His-tRNA were established. Transfer RNA of maternal mouse organs and total embryo at 13 and 17 days of pregnancy was acylated in vitro with [3H] or [14C] histidine and examined by reversed-phase plaskon chromatography. Most tissues show different radioactive profiles reflecting a varying activity of six to eight isoaccepting His-tRNA species. Quantitative differences in profile were observed for liver tRNA during pregnancy. Profiles of embryo and uterus, kidney, heart and muscle changes less, and that of brain did not change during pregnancy. The significance of these observations with respect to molecular differentiation of His-tRNAs during pregnancy is discussed.

Enzymatic modification of transfer RNA

The molecular events leading to the synthesis of mature tRNA are only now becoming amenable to experimental study. In bacterial and mammalian cells tRNA genes are transcribed into precursor tRNA. These molecules, when isolated, contain additional nucleotides at both ends (20) of the mature tRNA and lack most modified nucleosides. Presumably, specific nucleases ("trimming" enzymes) cut the precursor to proper tRNA size. The C-C-A nucleotide sequence of the amino acid acceptor end common to all tRNA's does not seem to be coded by tRNA genes (30), and may be added to the trimmed molecules by the tRNA-CMP-AMP-pyrophosphorylase (71). Modifications at the polynucleotide level of the heterocyclic bases or the sugar residues give rise to the modified nucleosides in tRNA. Although newly available substrates have allowed the detection of more of the enzymes involved in these reactions, there is still no knowledge about the sequence of modification or trimming events leading to the synthesis of active tRNA. Progress in these studies may not be easy because enzyme preparations free of nucleases or other tRNA modifying enzymes are required. The role of the modified nucleosides in the biological functions of tRNA is still unknown. Possibly pseudouridine is required for ribosome mediated protein synthesis; some other modified nucleosides in tRNA are not required for this reaction, but may enhance its rate. What might be the role of the large variety of modified nucleosides in tRNA? One is tempted to speculate that such nucleosides are important in other cellular processes in which tRNA is thought to participate such as virus infection, cell differentiation, and hormone action (2, 3). Mutants in a number of tRNA-modifying enzymes are needed in order to extend our knowledge of their purpose and of tRNA involvement in other biological processes. But unless tRNA-modifying enzymes specific for a particular tRNA species exist, no simple selection procedure can be devised. Possibly some of the regulatory mutants of amino acid biosynthesis may prove to affect tRNA-modifying enzymes (72). Transfer RNA's are macromolecules well suited for the study of nucleic acid-protein interactions. The tRNA molecules are structurally very similar, and they interact with a large number of enzymes or protein factors (2, 3). Each aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase, for instance, very precisely recognizes a set of cognate isoacceptor tRNA's (2, 73). The availability of the tRNA- modifying enzymes adds another dimension to the problem of the nature of specific recognition of tRNA by proteins. There are some tRNA-modifying enzymes, such as the uracil-tRNA methylase, which may recognize all tRNA species, while others, such as the isopentenyl-tRNA transferase, probably recognize only a selected set of tRNA molecules, even with different amino acid accepting capacities. With well-characterized RNA precursor and tRNA molecules we can hope to delineate those features of primary, secondary, and tertiary structure involved in the specific interactions of tRNA with these enzymes.