RESEARCH ARTICLE Translation in amino-acid-poor environments is limited by tRNAGln charging Natalya N Pavlova1, Bryan King1†, Rachel H Josselsohn1†‡, Sara Violante2, Victoria L Macera1, Santosha A Vardhana1, Justin R Cross2, Craig B Thompson1* 1Cancer Biology & Genetics Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, United States; 2The Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Cancer Metabolism Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, United States Abstract An inadequate supply of amino acids leads to accumulation of uncharged tRNAs, which can bind and activate GCN2 kinase to reduce translation. Here, we show that glutamine- specific tRNAs selectively become uncharged when extracellular amino acid availability is compromised. In contrast, all other tRNAs retain charging of their cognate amino acids in a manner that is dependent upon intact lysosomal function. In addition to GCN2 activation and reduced total translation, the reduced charging of tRNAGln in amino-acid-deprived cells also leads to specific *For correspondence: depletion of proteins containing polyglutamine tracts including core-binding factor a1, mediator
[email protected] subunit 12, transcriptional coactivator CBP and TATA-box binding protein. Treating amino-acid- deprived cells with exogenous glutamine or glutaminase inhibitors restores tRNAGln charging and †These authors contributed the levels of polyglutamine-containing proteins. Together, these results demonstrate that the equally to this work activation of GCN2 and the translation of polyglutamine-encoding transcripts serve as key sensors ‡ Present address: Donald and of glutamine availability in mammalian cells. Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University and Northwell Health, Hempstead, United States Introduction Competing interest: See To be utilized in protein synthesis, amino acids must be first covalently attached, or charged, onto page 24 corresponding tRNA isoacceptors by amino-acid-specific tRNA synthetases.