A Truncated Aminoacyl–Trna Synthetase Modifies RNA
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A truncated aminoacyl–tRNA synthetase modifies RNA Juan C. Salazar*, Alexandre Ambrogelly*, Pamela F. Crain†, James A. McCloskey†‡, and Dieter So¨ ll*§¶ Departments of *Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, and §Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8114; and Departments of †Medicinal Chemistry and ‡Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-5820 Contributed by Dieter So¨ll, March 21, 2004 Aminoacyl–tRNA synthetases are modular enzymes composed of a tRNA in trans (11, 12), a mechanism that should increase the central active site domain to which additional functional domains fidelity of the translation process. were appended in the course of evolution. Analysis of bacterial Here we report the characterization of another widely distrib- genome sequences revealed the presence of many shorter amino- uted aaRS paralog, a glutamyl–tRNA synthetase (GluRS)- acyl–tRNA synthetase paralogs. Here we report the characteriza- related protein encoded by yadB in E. coli. tion of a well conserved glutamyl–tRNA synthetase (GluRS) paralog Materials and Methods (YadB in Escherichia coli) that is present in the genomes of >40 species of proteobacteria, cyanobacteria, and actinobacteria. The E. Oligonucleotides, DNA Sequencing, Radiochemicals, and Bacterial coli yadB gene encodes a truncated GluRS that lacks the C-terminal Strains. Oligonucleotides synthesis and DNAs sequencing was third of the protein and, consequently, the anticodon binding performed by the Keck Foundation Biotechnology Resource 14 domain. Generation of a yadB disruption showed the gene to be Laboratory at Yale University. Uniformly labeled [ C]Glu (254 ͞ ϭ 32 dispensable for E. coli growth in rich and minimal media. Unlike mCi mmol; 1 Ci 37 GBq), sodium [ P]pyrophosphate (1–60 ͞ ␥ 32 ͞ GluRS, the YadB protein was able to activate glutamate in presence Ci mmol), and [ - P]ATP (6,000 Ci mmol) were from Amer- 14 ͞ of ATP in a tRNA-independent fashion and to transfer glutamate sham Biosciences. [ C]Asp (208 mCi mmol) was from Ameri- Asp Glu Gln can Radiolabeled Chemicals, St. Louis. onto tRNA . Neither tRNA nor tRNA were substrates. In ⌬ ␣ contrast to canonical aminoacyl–tRNA, glutamate was not esteri- E. coli strains W3110, W3110 yadB, DH5 , and the queu- .fied to the 3-terminal adenosine of tRNAAsp. Instead, it was osine-deficient JE7350 (13) were used for tRNA preparations attached to the 2-amino-5-(4,5-dihydroxy-2-cyclopenten-1-yl) moi- Cloning of the E. coli yadB Gene. The E. coli yadB gene (GenBank ety of queuosine, the modified nucleoside occupying the first accession no. AE000123) was obtained by PCR from E. coli anticodon position of tRNAAsp. Glutamyl–queuosine, like canonical W3110 genomic DNA using the Expand High Fidelity PCR Glu–tRNA, was hydrolyzed by mild alkaline treatment. Analysis of System (Roche Molecular Biochemicals). Oligonucleotide prim- tRNA isolated under acidic conditions showed that this novel ers introduced an NdeI site at the 5Ј end and a BamHI site at the modification is present in normal E. coli tRNA; presumably it 3Ј end of the gene. The PCR product was cloned into the previously escaped detection as the standard conditions of tRNA pCR2.1–TOPO vector (Invitrogen). After sequence confirma- isolation include an alkaline deacylation step that also causes tion, the DNA was digested with NdeI and BamHI and cloned hydrolysis of glutamyl–queuosine. Thus, this aminoacyl–tRNA syn- into the pET15b vector (Novagen) digested with the same thetase fragment contributes to standard nucleotide modification enzymes to form plasmid pDJSyadB. of tRNA. Inactivation of yadB in E. coli. The deletion of the yadB gene was aithful translation of the mRNA genetic information into carried out by using the Red disruption system (14). Confirma- Fproteins relies on the correct attachment of an amino acid to tion of the deletion was done by PCR using oligonucleotides its corresponding tRNA(s) by enzymes collectively known as complementary to the upstream and downstream sequence of aminoacyl–tRNA synthetases (aaRSs). These essential enzymes yadB and complementary to the kanamycin gene. The sizes of are structurally conserved (1, 2) and easily detected in the the PCR products expected are 850 bp for the PCR using primers analysis of genome sequences (e.g., ref. 3). Prokaryotes usually upstream of yadB and internal to the kanamycin gene, 1,280 bp have one gene for each aaRS, although the presence of two for the PCR using primers downstream of yadB and internal to functional paralogous genes for a synthetase (e.g., lysS and lysU the kanamycin gene, and 471 bp as the amplified fragment of the for Escherichia coli lysyl–tRNA synthetase; ref. 4) is well known. kanamycin gene. Fragments of these lengths were observed on Analysis of the ever larger number of bacterial genome se- gel analysis (data not shown). quences revealed the occurrence of many aaRS paralogs con- taining regional deletions (compared to the full-length genes Purification of YadB. The plasmid pDJSyadB was transformed into also present in the genome). Given the modular nature of the E. coli BL21(DE3) (Invitrogen). The expression of yadB was aaRS proteins (5), the presence of synthetase gene pieces in a performed by incubating the cells at 37°C until an absorbance of 0.6–0.8 A was reached, at which point 1 mM IPTG was added genome was not surprising, because they are likely remnants of 600 and incubated for3hat25°C. Purification was performed with a complex evolutionary history (2, 3, 6, 7). Although these an Amersham Biosciences A¨ kta FPLC system using a TALON truncated aaRSs were considered to be pseudogenes (8), more ϩ superflow Co2 -column (BD Biosciences͞Clontech), followed recent attention to particular aaRSs paralogs revealed their by gel filtration on Superdex 200. involvement in important biological processes. For instance, HisZ, a histidyl–tRNA synthetase-like protein lacking the anti- Preparation of E. coli tRNAs. Unfractionated tRNA was prepared codon domain, was shown to be essential for histidine biosyn- from freshly grown or frozen E. coli cells as described (15). E. coli thesis in a number of bacteria (9). Likewise, an archaeal aspar- aginyl–tRNA synthetase paralog, lacking the anticodon-binding domain, is able to carry out tRNA-independent asparagine Abbreviations: aaRS, aminoacyl–tRNA synthetase; GluRS, glutamyl–tRNA synthetase; synthesis (10). The function of aaRS paralogs is not restricted to AspRS, aspartyl–tRNA synthetase. amino acid biosynthesis. Truncated alanyl–, prolyl–, and threo- See Commentary on page 7493. nyl–tRNA synthetase-like proteins were shown to possess ester- ¶To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: [email protected]. ase function and be capable of specific hydrolysis of misacylated © 2004 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA 7536–7541 ͉ PNAS ͉ May 18, 2004 ͉ vol. 101 ͉ no. 20 www.pnas.org͞cgi͞doi͞10.1073͞pnas.0401982101 Downloaded by guest on September 26, 2021 tRNA was fractionated by reverse-phase HPLC (Varian Pro- both samples was treated in the dark with 2.5 mM NaIO4 in 50 Star, Palo Alto, CA): 5 mg of unfractionated E. coli tRNA in 0.1 mM sodium acetate, pH 5.0, for1hat37°C. The reaction was ml of sterile water was injected on a ProSphere 300 C4 column stopped by adding 50 mM glucose and incubated at 0°C for 1.5 h. SEE COMMENTARY (250 mm ϫ 10 mm, Alltech). The column was washed with 5 The tRNA was precipitated and further processed as described ͞ ͞ volumes of buffer A [20 mM NH4OAc 10 mM Mg(OAc)2 400 (18). tRNAs were detected by Northern blotting. For this mM NaCl] ata5ml͞min flow rate. RNA was eluted in a 300 ml purpose, the portion of the gel containing the tRNAs was ͞ (0–55%) gradient of buffer B [20 mM NH4OAc 10 mM electroblotted onto a Hybond-Nϩ membrane (Amersham Bio- ͞ ͞ Mg(OAc)2 400 mM NaCl 60% EtOH]. Fractions were col- science) by using a Hoefer Electroblot apparatus (Amersham lected (1 ml) and ethanol precipitated in the presence of Pharmacia) at 20 V for1hwith40mMTris-acetate, pH 4.2 and glycogen (20 g͞ml), washed with cold 70% ethanol, dried, and 2 mM EDTA as transfer buffer. Membranes were then baked at resuspended in sterile water. 72°C for 2 h, and tRNAs detected by hybridization with a 5Ј-[32P]-oligo-deoxyribonucleotide probe complementary to nu- Purification of tRNAAsp. E. coli tRNAAsp was purified from unfrac- cleotides 32–51 of tRNAAsp. tionated tRNA by affinity chromatography on immobilized Thermus thermophilus EF-Tu (16) as follows. Unfractionated E. Digestion of tRNA to Nucleosides. tRNA was hydrolyzed to nucleo- coli tRNA was aminoacylated with pure E. coli aspartyl–tRNA sides by using nuclease P1 and Antarctic (acid) phosphatase synthetase (AspRS) and the aminoacyl–tRNA was separated (New England BioLabs); enzyme amounts are per 20 g tRNA. from the uncharged tRNA by the formation of a ternary complex Typically, 1͞10 vol 10ϫ Antarctic phosphatase buffer (pH 5) was with the EF-Tu-GTP immobilized on a nickel nitrilotriacetic– added to the tRNA solution in water, followed by 2 units of Asp agarose column. The eluted Asp–tRNA was deacylated for 1 h nuclease P1 (2 units͞l; Boehringer). After incubation for2hat at 37°C in 0.2 mM Tris-acetate, pH 9.0. This tRNAAsp could be ͞ ͞ 37°C, 1 unit of acid phosphatase (1 unit l) was added, and the charged to 1,100 pmol A260. reaction was continued a further 2 h. Asp Cloning and in Vitro Transcription of the E. coli tRNA Gene. The Liquid Chromatography͞Electrospray Ionization-Mass Spectrometry Asp tRNA gene suited for in vitro T7 RNA polymerase transcrip- of Digested tRNA. tRNA hydrolyzates were analyzed directly, tion was cloned by annealing of two complementary DNA without cleanup.