Overexpression of initiator methionine tRNA leads to global reprogramming of tRNA expression and increased proliferation in human epithelial cells

Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are typically considered housekeeping products with little regulatory function. However, several studies over the past 10 years have linked tRNA misregulation to cancer. We have previously reported that tRNA levels are significantly elevated in breast cancer and multiple myeloma cells. To further investigate the cellular and physiological effects of tRNA overexpression, we overexpressed tRNA_i^Met in two human breast epithelial cell lines. We then determined tRNA abundance changes and performed phenotypic characterization. Overexpression of tRNA_i^Met significantly altered the global tRNA expression profile and resulted in increased cell metabolic activity and cell proliferation. Our results extend the relevance of tRNA overexpression in human cells and underscore the complexity of cellular regulation of tRNA expression.     

Genes, enzymes and coenzymes of queuosine biosynthesis in procaryotes

In almost all known tRNAs that are specific for Asp, Asn, His or Tyr the wobble position of the anticodon is occupied by the hypermodified tRNA nucleoside queuosine. This unusual deazaguanine derivative is synthesised only in eubacteria. The biosynthesis, as investigated in Escherichia coli, is accomplished in four steps involving many unprecedented enzymatic reactions.     

人线粒体tRNA基因突变与疾病

线粒体是体内重要的细胞器,存在于胞质内。许多生物化学反应都在线粒体内进行,其中尤为重要的是通过氧化磷酸化作用产生ＡＴＰ,供生命活动需要。线粒体内ｔＲＮＡ的总数只有２２个（核编码的ｔＲＮＡ总数至少为３０多个）。这样,线粒体ｔＲＮＡ与编码氨基酸之比基本是...     

tRNA体外抑制L929细胞生长的作用观察

目的:探讨tRNA对不同哺乳动物细胞生长的影响.方法:L929细胞、NIH3T3细胞、MCF-7细胞和PC12细胞接种96孔板,37℃,5% CO2细胞培养箱中培养4 h后,直接加入酵母tRNA,继续培养一定时间后采用MTT法检测细胞生长情况;将200 μg/ml酵母tRNA加入至L929细胞中,在不同时间点观察细胞形态并收集细胞进行细胞流式分析.结果:tRNA对L929细胞有特异的抑制作用,并且表现出一定的剂量依赖性;tRNA处理后L929细胞与正常细胞相比,形态明显变大,而且突起增长;流式细胞仪分析进一步发现tRNA使细胞阻滞于S期.结论:tRNA的这种细胞生长的抑制效应可能是通过其一些小的降解片段发挥的,提示tRNA或者其降解片段可能具有调控L929细胞增殖的重要作用.     

镁离子稳定tRNA高级结构及其重要意义--生化所tRNA研究的一段历史回顾

镁离子稳定tRNA高级结构并具有重要的生理功能已经写入生物化学教科书。上世纪60年代初,中国科学院上海生物化学研究所的研究者与国外同行同时发现了这一现象。镁离子稳定tRNA的高级结构在tRNA的序列分析中可以得到较大的片段,甚至tRNA半分子。将这一事实运用于“片段重叠”法测定tRNA序列工作中,极大地推动了tRNA的序列测定。     

Origin and formation of 1,7-dimethylguanosine in tRNA chemical and enzymatic methylation

tRNA chemical methylation: 1. 1,7-Dimethylguanosine was found in in vivo methylated tRNA from liver and kidney of rat after exposure to a low dose of dimethylnitrosamine (4 mg/kg body weight). 2. At 4 h after dimethylnitrosamine administration, the 1,7-dimethylguanosine:7-methylguanine ratio (product ratio) for liver and kidney tRNA was 0.017 and 0.091, respectively. At 24 h after dimethylnitrosamine administration, the product ratio was lower in both hepatic and renal tRNA. 3. When dimethylnitrosamine was given in four separate daily injections, the product ratio in hepatic tRNA 4 h after the last dose was the same as for the same total dose given by a single injection, but in renal tRNA it was lower. No dialkyl compound was found in liver and kidney tRNA 24 h after the last multiple injection. tRNA enzymatic methylation: 1. Base analyses of Escherichia coli B tRNA methylated in vitro, by using S-adenosylmethionine as physiological methyl donor and enzyme preparations from liver and kidney of normal rat, indicated that 1,7-dimethylguanosine was also a product of enzymatic methylation. 2. The amount of 1,7-dimethylguanosine formed by kidney enzyme preparation was 3-times that produced by the liver extract. 3. A second type of enzymatic methylation assay where chemically methylated tRNA was used as substrate indicated that the 7-methylguanosine residues in the nucleic acid are not the substrate of the methylase activity forming the 1,7-dimethylguanosine moieties. Analogous data were obtained for the origin of 1,7-dimethylguanosine residues in tRNA chemical methylation by dimethyl sulphate.     

RNase E cleavage in the 5' leader of a tRNA precursor

In this study, we have used various tRNA(Tyr)Su3 precursor (pSu3) derivatives that are processed less efficiently by RNase P to investigate if the 5' leader is a target for RNase E. We present data that suggest that RNase E cleaves the 5' leader of pSu3 both in vivo and in vitro. The site of cleavage in the 5' leader corresponds to the cleavage site for a previously identified endonuclease activity referred to as RNase P2/O. Thus, our findings suggest that RNase P2/O and RNase E activities are of the same origin. These data are in keeping with the suggestion that the structure of the 5' leader influences tRNA expression by affecting tRNA processing and indicate the involvement of RNase E in the regulation of cellular tRNA levels.     

膜上tRNA结合蛋白的分离与初步鉴定

用ＴｒｉｔｏｎＸ－１１４分相法分离啤酒酵母的膜总蛋白,经过酵母ｔＲＮＡ分子交联的Ｓｅｐｈａｒｏｓｅ４Ｂ亲和层析,用０－０．８ｍｏｌ／Ｌ（ＮＨ４０２ＳＯ４梯度缓冲液洗脱ｔＲＮＡ结合的蛋白质。凝胶阻滞电泳实验室鉴定出两种主要的与ｔＲＮＡ分子特异性结合的蛋白质。     

第18届国际tRNA学术研讨会介绍

第 18届国际ｔＲＮＡ学术研讨会于 2 0 0 0年 4月8— 12日在英国剑桥大学皇后学院举行。来自各国的 2 4 0名科学家参加了会议。提交会议的论文共2 0 0篇。会议由新当选的国际生物化学与分子生物学联合会 (ＩＵＢＭＢ)主席Ｂ .Ｃｌａｒｋ主持 ,每天从上午 8点 4 5分开始 ,进行到晚上 11点 ,实际会议时间达10小时。共有 80位科学家作了学术报告。其余论文以墙报形式交流。这次会议原安排在去年 ,以纪念国际ｔＲＮＡ学术研讨会 30周年。故会议的第一部分 ,放了很多旧照片 ,回忆ｔＲＮＡ学术研讨会和ｔＲＮＡ研究的历史。在Ｈｏｌｌｙ因测定了第…     

细菌的毒力岛

毒力岛是指细菌染色体上一段具有典型结构特征的基因簇,主要编码与细菌的毒力及代谢等功能相关的产物,已在致病菌中发现了30几个毒力岛。由于毒力岛具有可移动性,使其在细菌的进化,毒力的获得,以及新病原的出现中均具有重要的意义。     

Avoidance of antisense, antiterminator tRNA anticodons in vertebrate mitochondria

Protein synthesis (translation) stops at stop codons, codons not complemented by tRNA anticodons. tRNAs matching stops, antitermination (Ter) tRNAs, prevent translational termination, producing dysfunctional proteins. Genomes avoid tRNAs with anticodons whose complement (the anticodon of the ‘antisense’ tRNA) matches stops. This suggests that antisense tRNAs, which also form cloverleaves, are occasionally expressed. Mitochondrial antisense tRNA expression is plausible, because both DNA strands are transcribed as single RNAs, and tRNA structures signal RNA maturation. Results describe potential antisense Ter tRNAs in mammalian mitochondrial genomes detected by tRNAscan-SE, and evidence for adaptations preventing translational antitermination: genomes possessing Ter tRNAs use less corresponding stop codons; antisense Ter tRNAs form weaker cloverleaves than homologuous non-Ter antisense tRNAs; and genomic stop codon usages decrease with stabilities of codon-anticodon interactions and of Ter tRNA cloverleaves. This suggests that antisense tRNAs frequently function in translation. Results suggest that opposite strand coding is exceptional in modern genes, yet might be frequent for mitochondrial tRNAs. This adds antisense tRNA templating to other mitochondrial tRNA functions: sense tRNA templating, formation and regulation of secondary (light strand DNA) replication origins. Antitermination probably affects mitochondrial degenerative diseases and ageing: pathogenic mutations are twice as frequent in tRNAs with antisense Ter anticodons than in other tRNAs, and species lacking mitochondrial antisense Ter tRNAs have longer mean maximal lifespans than those possessing antisense Ter tRNAs.     

The length of the 5' leader of Escherichia coli tRNA precursors influences bacterial growth

Based on a computational analysis of the 5' regions of tRNA-encoding genes, the average length of the 5' leaders in tRNA precursors in Escherichia coli appears to be 17-18 residues long. An in vivo assay based on tRNA nonsense suppression was developed and used to investigate the function of the 5' leader of the tRNA precursors on tRNA processing and bacterial growth. Our data indicate that the 5' leader influences bacterial growth but is surprisingly not absolutely necessary for growth. These findings are consistent with previous in vitro data where it was demonstrated that the 5' leader plays a role in the interaction with RNase P, the endoribonuclease responsible for removing the 5' leader in the cell. We discuss the plausible role of the 5' leader in processing and tRNA gene expression.     

线粒体tRNAThr G15927A突变可能影响耳聋相关的12S rRNA A1555G突变的表型表达

摘要: 对1个中国汉族耳聋家系进行了临床和分子遗传学特征分析。家系中听力下降的母系成员表现为程度不等、听力图形态不同的听力损害, 但同为双侧对称的感觉神经性耳聋。该家系耳聋外显率很高, 包括药物致聋的耳聋外显率为75%, 而非药物致聋的外显率为41.7%。对母系成员进行线粒体DNA(mtDNA)全序列扩增分析, 发现了耳聋相关12S rRNA A1555G同质性突变位点和多态性位点, 属于东亚人群B5b单体型。在这些变异位点中, mtDNA 15927位点的G-A碱基变化破坏tRNA^Thr反密码子结构上十分保守的C-G碱基对, 这可能加重由A1555G突变造成的线粒体功能缺陷。这表明tRNAThrG15927A突变可能增强携带12S rRNA A1555G的中国汉族耳聋家系的外显率和表现度。     

tRNA个性研究进展

ｔＲＮＡ参与蛋白质生物合成中至关重要的两个功能上相连的生物化学事件。一种是由氨基酰－ｔＲＮＡ合成酶（ａａＲＳ）催化的ｔＲ－ＮＡ的氨基酰化（ｔＲＮＡ的个性）,通过ａａＲＳ对ｔＲＮＡ的序列和结构元件的专一识别和氨基酰化,使ｔＲＮＡ转化为氨基酰ｔＲＮＡ。另...     

tRNA转录后修饰的功能及其与人类疾病的关系

转移核糖核酸(tRNA)的转录后修饰对tRNA正常行使生物学功能具有重要意义,这些功能包括tRNA的正确折叠和维持其稳定性、在核糖体上正确解码。虽然tRNA转录后大部分核苷酸修饰形式在20世纪70年代已被鉴定出,但最近才在大肠杆菌及酵母中鉴定出催化这些tRNA核苷酸修饰的酶的绝大部分基因。这些修饰酶基因的鉴定为研究tRNA转录后修饰的生物功能开启了新的大门。人胞质tRNA和线粒体tRNA(mt tRNA)都存在大量核苷酸修饰,这些修饰的缺陷常常与多种人类疾病相关。因此,研究tRNA核苷酸修饰有助于我们了解相关疾病的发病机理。     

微生物tRNA与密码子系统应用研究进展*

tRNA作为生命中心法则中翻译过程的重要参与分子,其种类、丰度都会对蛋白质的正常合成产生巨大影响。近年来通过对微生物tRNA的结构功能以及合成修饰过程的解析获得诸多启发,开展密码子扩展的研究,实现将非天然氨基酸引入特定位置从而获得新功能蛋白。同时,通过化学合成微生物基因组开展的密码子重编码工作将释放更多的密码子与tRNA用于更加广泛的密码子扩展研究。对微生物tRNA与密码子系统在合成生物学中的最新应用研究进展进行了综述,并讨论其未来的发展趋势。