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Jones JD, Franco MK, Giles RN, Eyler DE, Tardu M, Smith TJ, Snyder LR, Polikanov YS, Kennedy RT, Niederer RO, Koutmou KS. Conserved 5-methyluridine tRNA modification modulates ribosome translocation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2401743121. [PMID: 39159370 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2401743121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/21/2024] Open
Abstract
While the centrality of posttranscriptional modifications to RNA biology has long been acknowledged, the function of the vast majority of modified sites remains to be discovered. Illustrative of this, there is not yet a discrete biological role assigned for one of the most highly conserved modifications, 5-methyluridine at position 54 in tRNAs (m5U54). Here, we uncover contributions of m5U54 to both tRNA maturation and protein synthesis. Our mass spectrometry analyses demonstrate that cells lacking the enzyme that installs m5U in the T-loop (TrmA in Escherichia coli, Trm2 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae) exhibit altered tRNA modification patterns. Furthermore, m5U54-deficient tRNAs are desensitized to small molecules that prevent translocation in vitro. This finding is consistent with our observations that relative to wild-type cells, trm2Δ cell growth and transcriptome-wide gene expression are less perturbed by translocation inhibitors. Together our data suggest a model in which m5U54 acts as an important modulator of tRNA maturation and translocation of the ribosome during protein synthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua D Jones
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Monika K Franco
- Program in Chemical Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Rachel N Giles
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Daniel E Eyler
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Mehmet Tardu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Tyler J Smith
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Laura R Snyder
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Yury S Polikanov
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois, Chicago, IL 60607
| | - Robert T Kennedy
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Rachel O Niederer
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Kristin S Koutmou
- Department of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
- Program in Chemical Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
- Department of Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
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2
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Schuntermann DB, Jaskolowski M, Reynolds NM, Vargas-Rodriguez O. The central role of transfer RNAs in mistranslation. J Biol Chem 2024:107679. [PMID: 39154912 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2024] [Revised: 07/22/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Transfer RNAs (tRNA) are essential small non-coding RNAs that enable the translation of genomic information into proteins in all life forms. The principal function of tRNAs is to bring amino acid building blocks to the ribosomes for protein synthesis. In the ribosome, tRNAs interact with messenger RNA (mRNA) to mediate the incorporation of amino acids into a growing polypeptide chain following the rules of the genetic code. Accurate interpretation of the genetic code requires tRNAs to carry amino acids matching their anticodon identity and decode the correct codon on mRNAs. Errors in these steps cause the translation of codons with the wrong amino acids (mistranslation), compromising the accurate flow of information from DNA to proteins. Accumulation of mutant proteins due to mistranslation jeopardizes proteostasis and cellular viability. However, the concept of mistranslation is evolving, with increasing evidence indicating that mistranslation can be used as a mechanism for survival and acclimatization to environmental conditions. In this review, we discuss the central role of tRNAs in modulating translational fidelity through their dynamic and complex interplay with translation factors. We summarize recent discoveries of mistranslating tRNAs and describe the underlying molecular mechanisms and the specific conditions and environments that enable and promote mistranslation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik B Schuntermann
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zurich, Otto-Stern-Weg 5 HPK H10, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mateusz Jaskolowski
- Department of Biology, Institute of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, ETH Zurich, Otto-Stern-Weg 5 HPK H10, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Noah M Reynolds
- School of Integrated Sciences, Sustainability, and Public Health, University of Illinois Springfield, Springfield, Illinois, USA
| | - Oscar Vargas-Rodriguez
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, Connecticut 06030-3305, USA.
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3
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Yuan W, Zhang R, Lyu H, Xiao S, Guo D, Zhang Q, Ali DW, Michalak M, Chen XZ, Zhou C, Tang J. Dysregulation of tRNA methylation in cancer: Mechanisms and targeting therapeutic strategies. Cell Death Discov 2024; 10:327. [PMID: 39019857 PMCID: PMC11254935 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-024-02097-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2024] [Revised: 07/04/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/19/2024] Open
Abstract
tRNA is the RNA type that undergoes the most modifications among known RNA, and in recent years, tRNA methylation has emerged as a crucial process in regulating gene translation. Dysregulation of tRNA abundance occurs in cancer cells, along with increased expression and activity of tRNA methyltransferases to raise the level of tRNA modification and stability. This leads to hijacking of translation and synthesis of multiple proteins associated with tumor proliferation, metastasis, invasion, autophagy, chemotherapy resistance, and metabolic reprogramming. In this review, we provide an overview of current research on tRNA methylation in cancer to clarify its involvement in human malignancies and establish a theoretical framework for future therapeutic interventions targeting tRNA methylation processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenbin Yuan
- National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, School of Life and Health Sciences, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Rui Zhang
- National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, School of Life and Health Sciences, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Hao Lyu
- National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, School of Life and Health Sciences, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Shuai Xiao
- National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, School of Life and Health Sciences, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Dong Guo
- National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, School of Life and Health Sciences, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, School of Life and Health Sciences, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Declan William Ali
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Marek Michalak
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Xing-Zhen Chen
- Membrane Protein Disease Research Group, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Cefan Zhou
- National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, School of Life and Health Sciences, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China.
| | - Jingfeng Tang
- National "111" Center for Cellular Regulation and Molecular Pharmaceutics, Key Laboratory of Fermentation Engineering (Ministry of Education), Cooperative Innovation Center of Industrial Fermentation (Ministry of Education & Hubei Province), Hubei Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, School of Life and Health Sciences, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China.
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4
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Schultz SK, Katanski CD, Halucha M, Peña N, Fahlman RP, Pan T, Kothe U. Modifications in the T arm of tRNA globally determine tRNA maturation, function, and cellular fitness. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2401154121. [PMID: 38889150 PMCID: PMC11214086 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2401154121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Almost all elongator tRNAs (Transfer RNAs) harbor 5-methyluridine 54 and pseudouridine 55 in the T arm, generated by the enzymes TrmA and TruB, respectively, in Escherichia coli. TrmA and TruB both act as tRNA chaperones, and strains lacking trmA or truB are outcompeted by wild type. Here, we investigate how TrmA and TruB contribute to cellular fitness. Deletion of trmA and truB in E. coli causes a global decrease in aminoacylation and alters other tRNA modifications such as acp3U47. While overall protein synthesis is not affected in ΔtrmA and ΔtruB strains, the translation of a subset of codons is significantly impaired. As a consequence, we observe translationally reduced expression of many specific proteins, that are either encoded with a high frequency of these codons or that are large proteins. The resulting proteome changes are not related to a specific growth phenotype, but overall cellular fitness is impaired upon deleting trmA and truB in accordance with a general protein synthesis impact. In conclusion, we demonstrate that universal modifications of the tRNA T arm are critical for global tRNA function by enhancing tRNA maturation, tRNA aminoacylation, and translation, thereby improving cellular fitness irrespective of the growth conditions which explains the conservation of trmA and truB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah K. Schultz
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MBR3T 2N2, Canada
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, ABT1K 3M4, Canada
| | | | - Mateusz Halucha
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL60637
| | - Noah Peña
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL60637
| | - Richard P. Fahlman
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, ABT6G 2H7, Canada
| | - Tao Pan
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL60637
| | - Ute Kothe
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MBR3T 2N2, Canada
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Alberta RNA Research and Training Institute, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, ABT1K 3M4, Canada
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5
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Yared MJ, Marcelot A, Barraud P. Beyond the Anticodon: tRNA Core Modifications and Their Impact on Structure, Translation and Stress Adaptation. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:374. [PMID: 38540433 PMCID: PMC10969862 DOI: 10.3390/genes15030374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are heavily decorated with post-transcriptional chemical modifications. Approximately 100 different modifications have been identified in tRNAs, and each tRNA typically contains 5-15 modifications that are incorporated at specific sites along the tRNA sequence. These modifications may be classified into two groups according to their position in the three-dimensional tRNA structure, i.e., modifications in the tRNA core and modifications in the anticodon-loop (ACL) region. Since many modified nucleotides in the tRNA core are involved in the formation of tertiary interactions implicated in tRNA folding, these modifications are key to tRNA stability and resistance to RNA decay pathways. In comparison to the extensively studied ACL modifications, tRNA core modifications have generally received less attention, although they have been shown to play important roles beyond tRNA stability. Here, we review and place in perspective selected data on tRNA core modifications. We present their impact on tRNA structure and stability and report how these changes manifest themselves at the functional level in translation, fitness and stress adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Pierre Barraud
- Expression Génétique Microbienne, Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, F-75005 Paris, France; (M.-J.Y.); (A.M.)
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6
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Witzenberger M, Janowski R, Niessing D. Crystal structure of the RNA-recognition motif of Drosophila melanogaster tRNA (uracil-5-)-methyltransferase homolog A. Acta Crystallogr F Struct Biol Commun 2024; 80:36-42. [PMID: 38270511 PMCID: PMC10836426 DOI: 10.1107/s2053230x24000645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Human tRNA (uracil-5-)-methyltransferase 2 homolog A (TRMT2A) is the dedicated enzyme for the methylation of uridine 54 in transfer RNA (tRNA). Human TRMT2A has also been described as a modifier of polyglutamine (polyQ)-derived neuronal toxicity. The corresponding human polyQ pathologies include Huntington's disease and constitute a family of devastating neurodegenerative diseases. A polyQ tract in the corresponding disease-linked protein causes neuronal death and symptoms such as impaired motor function, as well as cognitive impairment. In polyQ disease models, silencing of TRMT2A reduced polyQ-associated cell death and polyQ protein aggregation, suggesting this protein as a valid drug target against this class of disorders. In this paper, the 1.6 Å resolution crystal structure of the RNA-recognition motif (RRM) from Drosophila melanogaster, which is a homolog of human TRMT2A, is described and analysed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Witzenberger
- Institute of Structural Biology, Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Munich, Germany
| | - Robert Janowski
- Institute of Structural Biology, Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Munich, Germany
| | - Dierk Niessing
- Institute of Structural Biology, Molecular Targets and Therapeutics Center, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstaedter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Munich, Germany
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