Human tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase can efficiently complement the Saccharoymces cerevisiae homologue, Wrs1P

Tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase mediates high-affinity tryptophan uptake into human cells

The tryptophan (Trp) transport system has a high affinity and selectivity toward Trp, and has been reported to exist in both human and mouse macrophages. Although this system is highly expressed in interferon-γ (IFN-γ)-treated cells and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1)-expressing cells, its identity remains incompletely understood. Tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (TrpRS) is also highly expressed in IFN-γ-treated cells and also has high affinity and selectivity for Trp. Here, we investigated the effects of human TrpRS expression on Trp uptake into IFN-γ-treated human THP-1 monocytes or HeLa cells. Inhibition of human TrpRS expression by TrpRS-specific siRNAs decreased and overexpression of TrpRS increased Trp uptake into the cells. Of note, the TrpRS-mediated uptake system had more than hundred-fold higher affinity for Trp than the known System L amino acid transporter, promoted uptake of low Trp concentrations, and had very high Trp selectivity. Moreover, site-directed mutagenesis experiments indicated that Trp- and ATP-binding sites, but not tRNA-binding sites, in TrpRS are essential for TrpRS-mediated Trp uptake into the human cells. We further demonstrate that the addition of purified TrpRS to cell culture medium increases Trp uptake into cells. Taken together, our results reveal that TrpRS plays an important role in high-affinity Trp uptake into human cells.

Identification of a residue crucial for the angiostatic activity of human mini tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase by focusing on its molecular evolution

Human tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (TrpRS) exists in two forms: a full-length TrpRS and a mini TrpRS. We previously found that human mini, but not full-length, TrpRS is an angiostatic factor. Moreover, it was shown that the interaction between mini TrpRS and the extracellular domain of vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin is crucial for its angiostatic activity. However, the molecular mechanism of the angiostatic activity of human mini TrpRS is only partly understood. In the present study, we investigated the effects of truncated (mini) form of TrpRS proteins from human, bovine, or zebrafish on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-stimulated chemotaxis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). We show that both human and bovine mini TrpRSs inhibited VEGF-induced endothelial migration, whereas zebrafish mini TrpRS did not. Next, to identify residues crucial for the angiostatic activity of human mini TrpRS, we prepared several site-directed mutants based on amino acid sequence alignments among TrpRSs from various species and demonstrated that a human mini K153Q TrpRS mutant cannot inhibit VEGF-stimulated HUVEC migration and cannot bind to the extracellular domain of VE-cadherin. Taken together, we conclude that the Lys153 residue of human mini TrpRS is a VE-cadherin binding site and is therefore crucial for its angiostatic activity.

Species-specific differences in the regulation of the aminoacylation activity of mammalian tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetases

Tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetases (TrpRSs) catalyze the aminoacylation of tRNA(Trp). Previously, I demonstrated that Zn(2+)-depleted human TrpRS is enzymatically inactive and that binding of Zn(2+) or heme to human TrpRS stimulates its aminoacylation activity. In the present study, bovine and mouse TrpRSs were found to be constitutively active regardless of the presence of Zn(2+) or ferriprotoporphyrin IX chloride. Mutagenesis experiments demonstrated that the human H130R mutant is constitutively active and that the bovine R135H, E438A double mutant binds with Zn(2+) or heme to enhance its aminoacylation activity as does human wild-type TrpRS. These results provide the first evidence of species-specific regulation of TrpRS activity.

Oxidative stress-responsive intracellular regulation specific for the angiostatic form of human tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase

Tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (TrpRS) exists in two forms in human cells, i.e., a major form which represents the full-length protein and a truncated form (mini TrpRS) in which an NH(2)-terminal extension is deleted because of alternative splicing of its pre-mRNA. Mini TrpRS can act as an angiostatic factor, while full-length TrpRS is inactive. We herein show that an oxidized form of human glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GapDH) interacts with both full-length and mini TrpRSs and specifically stimulates the aminoacylation potential of mini, but not full-length, TrpRS. In contrast, reduced GapDH did not bind to TrpRSs and did not influence their aminoacylation activity. Mutagenesis experiments clarified that the NH(2)-terminal Rossmann fold region of GapDH is crucial for its interaction with mini TrpRS as well as tRNA and for the regulation of its aminoacylation potential and suggested that monomeric GapDH can bind to mini TrpRS and stimulate its aminoacylation activity. These results suggest that the angiostatic human mini, but not the full-length, TrpRS may play an important role in the intracellular regulation of protein synthesis under conditions of oxidative stress.