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Sun Y, Piechotta M, Naarmann-de Vries I, Dieterich C, Ehrenhofer-Murray A. Detection of queuosine and queuosine precursors in tRNAs by direct RNA sequencing. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:11197-11212. [PMID: 37811872 PMCID: PMC10639084 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad826] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Queuosine (Q) is a complex tRNA modification found in bacteria and eukaryotes at position 34 of four tRNAs with a GUN anticodon, and it regulates the translational efficiency and fidelity of the respective codons that differ at the Wobble position. In bacteria, the biosynthesis of Q involves two precursors, preQ0 and preQ1, whereas eukaryotes directly obtain Q from bacterial sources. The study of queuosine has been challenging due to the limited availability of high-throughput methods for its detection and analysis. Here, we have employed direct RNA sequencing using nanopore technology to detect the modification of tRNAs with Q and Q precursors. These modifications were detected with high accuracy on synthetic tRNAs as well as on tRNAs extracted from Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Escherichia coli by comparing unmodified to modified tRNAs using the tool JACUSA2. Furthermore, we present an improved protocol for the alignment of raw sequence reads that gives high specificity and recall for tRNAs ex cellulo that, by nature, carry multiple modifications. Altogether, our results show that 7-deazaguanine-derivatives such as queuosine are readily detectable using direct RNA sequencing. This advancement opens up new possibilities for investigating these modifications in native tRNAs, furthering our understanding of their biological function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Sun
- Institut für Biologie, Lebenswissenschaftliche Fakultät, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Michael Piechotta
- Klaus Tschira Institute for Integrative Computational Cardiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Internal Medicine III (Cardiology, Angiology, and Pneumology), University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany; German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK)-Partner Site Heidelberg/Mannheim, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Isabel Naarmann-de Vries
- Klaus Tschira Institute for Integrative Computational Cardiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Internal Medicine III (Cardiology, Angiology, and Pneumology), University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany; German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK)-Partner Site Heidelberg/Mannheim, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christoph Dieterich
- Klaus Tschira Institute for Integrative Computational Cardiology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Internal Medicine III (Cardiology, Angiology, and Pneumology), University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany; German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK)-Partner Site Heidelberg/Mannheim, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ann E Ehrenhofer-Murray
- Institut für Biologie, Lebenswissenschaftliche Fakultät, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany
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Huber LB, Kaur N, Henkel M, Marchand V, Motorin Y, Ehrenhofer-Murray A, Marx A. A dual-purpose polymerase engineered for direct sequencing of pseudouridine and queuosine. Nucleic Acids Res 2023; 51:3971-3987. [PMID: 36971106 PMCID: PMC10164586 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkad177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
More than 170 posttranscriptional RNA modifications are so far known on both coding and noncoding RNA species. Within this group, pseudouridine (Ψ) and queuosine (Q) represent conserved RNA modifications with fundamental functional roles in regulating translation. Current detection methods of these modifications, which both are reverse transcription (RT)-silent, are mostly based on the chemical treatment of RNA prior to analysis. To overcome the drawbacks associated with indirect detection strategies, we have engineered an RT-active DNA polymerase variant called RT-KTq I614Y that produces error RT signatures specific for Ψ or Q without prior chemical treatment of the RNA samples. Combining this polymerase with next-generation sequencing techniques allows the direct identification of Ψ and Q sites of untreated RNA samples using a single enzymatic tool.
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