Effect of ribothymidine in specific eukaryotic tRNAs on their efficiency in in vitro protein synthesis

The gene for a tRNA modifying enzyme, m5U54-methyltransferase, is essential for viability in Escherichia coli

One of the most abundant modified nucleosides in tRNA is 5-methyluridine (m5U or rT, ribothymidine). The enzyme tRNA(m5U54)methyltransferase [S-adenosyl-L-methionine:tRNA (uracil-5-)-methyltransferase, EC 2.1.1.35] (the trmA gene product) catalyzes S-adenosylmethionine-dependent methylation of the uracil in position 54 (T psi C loop) in all Escherichia coli tRNAs to form m5U. Hitherto no modified nucleoside in tRNA has been shown to be essential for growth, although their importance in fine tuning the function of tRNA is well established. In this paper, we show that the structural gene trmA is essential for viability, although the known catalytic activity of the tRNA(m5U54)methyltransferase is not.

Analysis of the complicated dynamics of some harvesting models

In this paper we will study in a qualitative way discrete single species population models including harvesting. The class of models under consideration is quite general. In fact, we will study models with fixed parameter values. However, the obtained results do have implications for the models if one varies the parameters slightly. The models with so-called "Allee-effect", i.e. the population will die out whenever the size of the population is below some threshold, are included in the class of models we studied.

A single tRNA (guanine)-methyltransferase from Tetrahymena with both mono- and di-methylating activity

A tRNA (guanine-2) methyltransferase has been purified to homogeneity from the protozoan Tetrahymena pyriformis. The enzyme methylates purified E. coli tRNAs which have a guanine residue at position 26 from the 5' end; it also methylates tRNA prepared from the m22G- yeast mutant trm 1. This methyltransferase is therefore equivalent to the guanine methyltransferase 2mGII found in mammalian extracts. The purified 2mGII from Tetrahymena is capable of forming both N2-methylguanine and N22-dimethylguanine on a single tRNA isoaccepting species; under conditions of limiting tRNA or long reaction times the predominant product is dimethylguanine. Analysis of the products formed under varying reaction conditions suggests that dimethylguanine formation is a two step process requiring dissociation of the enzyme-monomethylated tRNA intermediate.

Perturbation of the mitochondrial lysine tRNA population by virus-induced transformation or stress of mammalian cells: functional properties and nucleotide sequence of a mitochondrially associated lysine tRNA

Eleven isoaccepting lysine tRNAs from mammalian sources are demonstrable by RPC-5 chromatography and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The appearance and amounts of these isoacceptors varies with the source and growth state of cells. One isoacceptor, tRNALys6, observed in preparations of tRNA from some virus-transformed cells in culture, has been characterized by determining functional properties, cellular location, and its nucleotide sequence. tRNALys6 responds primarily to the lysine codon AAA, but it is not used efficiently in a wheat germ translational system in vitro. Compared with lysine isoacceptors 1, 2, 4, 5a, and 5, [3H]lysine appears in vivo in tRNALys6 with a delay of about 3 h. This delay may in part be a result of a less functional tRNA, but a compartmented state of tRNALys6 also appears to be important. tRNALys6 is associated with mitoplasts prepared from KA31 fibroblasts. The nucleotide sequence of tRNALys6 was determined by rapid postlabeling procedures involving limited hydrolysis in formamide, 32P-labeling of 5' ends of fragments with polynucleotide kinase, separation of the nested set of fragments in polyacrylamide denaturing gels, release of 5'-labeled nucleotides with RNase T2, and identification of the released nucleotides by chromatography on PEI cellulose. Confirmation of the positions of major nucleotides was done by using limited digestions by RNases of tRNALys6 labeled with 32P on the 3' terminus in a gel readout procedure. The nucleotide sequence of tRNALys6 differs from that of cytoplasmic lysine tRNAs and mammalian mitochondrial lysine tRNAs. It contains U*, an unidentified modified uridine occurring in the anticodon of some mitochondrial tRNAs. tRNALys6 appears to occur in very limited amounts, or not at all, in most cells unless stressed, but when present it is associated with mitochondria, although it is probably coded in the nucleus.

The nucleotide sequence of phenylalanine tRNA of Xenopus laevis

The nucleotide sequence of Xenopus laevis phenylalanine tRNA extracted from oocytes was determined to be: pGCCGAAAUAm2GCUCm1AG DDGGGAGAGCm22 G psi psi AGACmUGmAAYA psi C UAAAGm7GDCm5CCUGGT psi CGm1AUCCCGG GUUUCGGCACCAoH. This result was achieved by analysing, with classical procedures [6], the oligonucleotides obtained after digestion by T1 or pancreatic ribonuclease. This sequence is identical to the mammalian sequence. It has been entirely conserved during 10(8) years, the time lapse between the divergence of amphibians and mammals in evolution. In contrast to 5S RNA, no important heterogeneity has been found in the oocyte sequence, suggesting that there is only a single sequence for tRNAphe in X. laevis. Small differences are seen in the elution pattern from RPC-5 columns for immature oocyte and somatic tRNAphe. They are probably due to a submodification of methyl-5-cytidine residues, which appear to be about half methylated in tRNAphe as well as in total tRNA from immature oocytes.

Loss of tRNA 5-methyluridine methyltransferase and pseudouridine synthetase activities in 5-fluorouracil and 1-(tetrahydro-2-furanyl)-5-fluorouracil (ftorafur)-treated Escherichia coli

Transfer RNAs from Escherichia coli B treated with either 5-fluorouracil or its analog, 1-(tetrahydro-2-furanyl)-5-fluorouracil (ftorafur), contain low levels of 5-fluorouracil, but are grossly deficient in pseudouridine and 5-methyluridine. The enzymes responsible for the formation of these two modified nucleosides, tRNA pseudouridine synthetase and (5-methyluridine)-methyltransferase, show substantially reduced activity levels in extracts from ftorafur- and 5-fluorouracil-treated cells relative to preparations from normal cells. When these tRNA-modifying activities are examined in vitro, both are inhibited by the addition of fluorouridine-containing tRNAs to the reaction mixtures. Pseudouridine synthetase activity shows potent inhibition. These inhibitory properties of fluorouridine-containing tRNAs, plus the inability of tRNA (5-methyluridine)-methyl-transferase to efficiently use fluorouridine-containing tRNAs as substrates, appear to account for the deficiency of 5-methyluridine and pseudouridine in tRNAs from cells containing low levels of 5-fluorouracil.

Codon binding and translational properties of an isoaccepting lysine tRNA peculiar to virus-transformed Cells

Isoaccepting lysyl-tRNAs from virus-transformed cells in culture were fractionated in the RPC-5 system into peaks 1, 2, 4, 5a, 5, and 6. tRNALys6 previously was found predominantly associated with transformed cells. The codon response of each peak was determined in an E. coli ribosomal binding assay. tRNALys1, tRNALys2, and tRNALys4 are highly specific for the 5'AAG3' codon. tRNALys5 and tRNALys5a preferentially bind in response to AAA. tRNALys6 binds in response to AAA 3-fold better than in response to AAG. The presence of thiolated nucleosides in the anticodon regions of tRNALys5a, tRNALys5, and tRNALys6 is indicated by I2-inactivation of aminoacylation ability with no effect on the other is isoacceptors. Functional abilities of the isoacceptors were compared in a wheat germ translational system with tobacco mosaic virus RNA as messenger. All of the isoacceptors function about equally well in translation except for tRNALys6, which is only 14 to 24% as effective as the other isoacceptors.

Effect of transfer ribonucleic acid dimer formation on polyphenylalanine biosynthesis

Escherichia coli tRNAPhe (anticodon GAA) as well as yeast tRNAPhe (anticodon GmAA) forms a strong complex with E. coli tRNAGlu (anticodon s2UUC) through an interaction between their complementary anticodons. This interaction inhibits aminocylation of tRNAPhe but not the formation of a complex with elongation factor Tu. Moreover, at 0 degrees C, tRNAGlu strongly inhibits the binding of Phe-tRNA to poly(U)-programmed ribosomes via either the enzymic (EF-Tu-promoted) or nonenzymic pathway. At 15 degrees C, tRNAGlu effectively inhibits polyphenylanine synthesis in the E. coli system. The inhibition is reversed at 37 degrees C, where the Phe-tRNA.tRNAGlu dimer is dissociated. Calculations based upon the E. coli intracellular concentrations of tRNAs and the published rates of association and dissociation of the tRNA dimers suggest that this interaction may inhibit protein synthesis in vivo at temperatures below 15 degrees C.

On the role of ribosylthymine in prokaryotic tRNA function

tRNAPhe and tRNALys were isolated from an Escherichia coli K12 mutant deficient in ribosylthymine (rT) and from the wild-type strain. The sequence G-rT-psi-C which is common to loop IV of practically all tRNAs used in the elongation cycle of protein synthesis reads G-U-psi-C in the tRNAs of the mutant strain. The purified tRNAs were compared in various steps of protein biosynthesis. The poly(U)-dependent poly(Phe) synthesis performed with purified Phe-tRNAPhe and purified elongation factors showed no dependence on the presence or absence of ribosylthymine in the respective tRNAs. In contrast, the corresponding poly(A)-dependent poly(Lys) synthesis was markedly increased when Lys-tRNALys lacking rT was used. The analysis of individual functional steps of the poly(A)-dependent elongation cycle demonstrated that the absence of rT reduced the binding to the A-site and improved the translocation reaction, whereas the formation of the ternary complex EF-Tu . GTP . aa-tRNA as well as both tRNA binding to the P-site and the peptidyltransferase reaction remained unaffected. The presence of U in place of rT in tRNA increases the misincorporation of leucine in an optimized poly(U)/poly(Phe) system from about 3 in 10 000 to 3 in 1000. Our results are in agreement with the view that rT is involved in tRNA binding to the A-site in contrast to the P-site, and suggested that the presence of rT in tRNA improves the fidelity of the decoding process at the A-site of the ribosome.

Wheat germ tRNAs containing uridine in place of ribothymidine: a characterization of an unusual class of eukaryotic tRNAs

An unusual class of wheat germ tRNAs has been isolated which completely lacks ribothymidine (rT) and contains an unmodified uridine in its place. We discuss here the isolation, identification and properties of these tRNAs. The rT-lacking tRNAs of wheat germ are essentially limited to the glycine isoacceptors (a minimum of five identifiable species), three threonine and at least, one tyrosine tRNA. All tRNAs were obtained 70-100% pure by chromatographic methods, and were detected by their ability to be methylated by E. coli rT-forming uracil methyltransferase with methyl-labeled S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) as the methyl donor. In vitro methylation of each of the tRNAs resulted in the formation of 1 mole of rT per mole of tRNA. In the one case analyzed in detail (tRNA1Gly), all of the rT was found to be located at the 23rd position from the 3' end of the tRNA molecule. Following complete digestion of four highly purified glycine isoacceptors (tRNAGly1,4,5,6) to nucleosides and subsequent periodate oxidation and 3H potassium borohydride reduction, all were found to contain an unusually high level of 5-methylcytidine (m5C) (3-4 residues per molecule), and all contained no rT. The possible correlation between the presence of m5C and the absence of rT is discussed. All of the chromatographically purified glycine tRNAs function in a wheat germ cell-free protein synthesizing system and polymerize glycine in response to either poly G or poly (G, U).

Isolation and comparison of ribothymidine-lacking tRNAs of fetal, newborn and adult bovine tissues

Although ribothymidine (rT) is the most common methylated nucleoside in tRNA, a wide variety of bovine tissues have now been found to contain a class of tRNAs which totally lack rT and have an unmodified uridine in its place. The tissues studied include bovine brain, kidney, liver, thymus and testicles from adult, newborn and fetal stages. The class of tRNA was detected by its ability to be methylated with Escherichia coli rT-forming uracil methylase with radioactive S-adenosyl-L-methionine as the methyl donor. In each case rT was shown to account for at least 95% of the methylated products produced. In vitro methylated tRNA populations were compared by fractionation of double-labeled tRNAs on RPC-5 columns. Three major methyl-accepting tRNA peaks were found for all mammalian tissues studied. The level of methyl acceptance in these peaks was found to vary considerably between tRNAs of different tissues. A major difference in the methyl-accepting tRNA populations of bovine liver and calf thymus was observed. Little similarity was found in the rT-lacking class of tRNAs of bovine liver and wheat germ. Three members of the rT-lacking class of bovine liver tRNA were isolated and found to be two species of valine tRNA and one species of threonine tRNA. All three tRNA's completely lacked rT and could be quantitatively methylated with E. coli uracil methylase.

Transfer ribonucleic acid methylase activity in adult and foetal rat liver

Foetal rat liver extracts were found to have higher tRNA methylene activities than corresponding extracts of adult liver. When the specific activities were expressed per mg of liver or per mg of protein, the foetal tRNA methylating enzymes were respectively 2.5 and 6 times higher than those of adult livers. The presence of an inhibitor in adult liver can be excluded, since the same recoveries of total tRNA methylase activity were obtained after partial purification of both adult and foetal liver extracts: yields were close to 100%. The apparent Km's for the substrates in the methylating reactions were the same when tRNA methylases from either adult or foetal liver were used: values were 0.2 muM for Escherichia coli tRNA and 2.1 muM for S-adenosyl-L-methionine. After T1-T2 ribonuclease digestion of an in vitro methylated tRNA, similar methyl nucleotide patterns were observed in foetal and adult enzymatic extracts. It is concluded that the same tRNA methylase pool is present in adult and foetal liver. In addition, it is hypothesized that the different reaction rates exhibited by these enzymes might be due to the tRNA functional requirements rather than to the presence of a tRNA methylase inhibitor.