Polyamine requirement for microbial protein synthesis: structural specificity in cell-free systems of Escherichia coli.

Cell-free protein synthesis was performed with synthetic or natural mRNA in an E. coli system containing physiological concentrations of Ca2, Mg2 and either one or both of the two natural polyamines of E. coli, spermidine and putrescine, or corresponding homologues. Putrescine does not permit poly(U)-dependent poly(Phe) synthesis unless spermidine or nor-spermidine is added. Spermidine supports homopeptide synthesis sufficiently well, its effect being stimulated by putrescine or homologous diamines with increasing chain length from 4 to 7 carbon atoms. Diaminopropane completely inhibits the spermidine-activated system in a competitive manner. Translation of MS2 phage RNA is supported by putrescine, the rate and quality (read through to the termination signal) of translation is optimized by spermidine or triamine homologues. MS2 phage RNA translation is supported by spermidine, putrescine has no further stimulatory effect but diaminoheptane enhances the rate of translation. In this case, however, premature chain termination does occur. The results indicate that spermidine is necessary for optimal poly(U) and MS2 phage RNA translation, that the aminopropyl moiety is important for its function and that the remaining side chain can be extended from C4 to C8. Putrescine may cooperate with spermidine but its chain length is rather critical, it cannot substitute for spermidine. The results indicate that the polyamines facilitate mRNA/tRNA/ribosome interactions in a specific manner.

Specific changes in lactate levels, lactate dehydrogenase patterns and cytochrome b559 in Dictyostelium discoideum caused by queuine.

Higher eukaryotes contain tRNA transglycosylases that incorporate the guanine derivative queuine from the nutritional environment into specific tRNAs by exchange with guanine at position 34. Alterations in the queuosine content of specific tRNAs are suggested to be involved in regulatory mechanisms of major routes of metabolism during differentiation. Dictyostelium discoideum has been applied as a model to investigate the function of queuine or queuine-containing tRNAs. Axenic strains are supplied with queuine by peptone, but they grow equally well in a defined queuine-free medium. Queuine-lacking amoebae, starved in suspension culture for 24 h, lose their ability to differentiate into stalk cells and spores, whereas amoebae sufficiently supplied with queuine will overcome this metabolic stress and undergo further development when plated on agar. The results presented here show that D(-)-lactate occurs in the slime mould in millimolar amounts and that its level is remarkably decreased in queuine-lacking cells after 24 h of starvation in suspension culture. On isoelectric-focusing polyacrylamide gels, nine different forms of NAD-dependent D(-)-lactate dehydrogenase can be separated from extracts of vegetative cells, and six forms from extracts of the starved cells. Under queuine limitation, one form is missing in the starved cells. Low amounts of L(+)-lactate are usually found in vegetative amoebae but significantly less in queuine-lacking cells. Five forms of NAD-dependent L(+)-lactate dehydrogenase are detectable in extracts from vegetative, queuine-treated cells, and slight alterations occur in queuine-deficient amoebae. In the starved cells only one form of L(+)-lactate dehydrogenase is found, irrespective of the supply of queuine to the cells. A cytochrome of type b with an absorption maximum at 559 nm accumulates during starvation only in queuine-lacking cells; it might be a component of an NAD-independent lactic acid oxidoreductase as is cytochrome b 557 in yeast and be responsible for the reduced level of lactate in cells lacking queuine in tRNA.

Function of modified nucleosides 7-methylguanosine, ribothymidine, and 2-thiomethyl-N6-(isopentenyl)adenosine in procaryotic transfer ribonucleic acid.

To elucidate subtle functions of transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) modifications in protein synthesis, pairs of tRNA's that differ in modifications at specific positions were prepared from Bacillus subtilis. The tRNA's differ in modifications in the anticodon loop, the extra arm, and the TUC loop. The functional properties of these species were compared in aminoacylation, as well as in initiation and peptide bond formation, at programmed ribosomes. These experiments demonstrated the following. (i) In tRNA(f) (Met) the methylation of guanosine 46 in the extra arm to 7-methylguanosine by the 7-methylguanosine-forming enzyme from Escherichia coli changes the aminoacylation kinetics for the B. subtilis methionyl-tRNA synthetase. In repeated experiments the V(max) value is decreased by one-half. (ii) tRNA(f) (Met) species with ribothymidine at position 54 (rT54) or uridine at position 54 (U54) were obtained from untreated or trimethoprim-treated B. subtilis. The formylated fMet-tRNA(f) (Met) species with U54 and rT54, respectively, function equally well in an in vitro initiation system containing AUG, initiation factors, and 70s ribosomes. The unformylated Met-tRNA(t) (Met) species, however, differ from each other: "Met-tRNA(f) (Met) rT" is inactive, whereas the U54 counter-upart effectively forms the initiation complex. (iii) Two isoacceptors, tRNA(1) (Phe) and tRNA(2) (Phe), were obtained from B. subtilis. tRNA(1) (Phe) accumulates only under special growth conditions and is an incompletely modified precursor oftRNA(2) (Phe): in the first position of the anticodon, guanosine replaces Gm, and next to the 3' end of the anticodon (isopentenyl)adenosine replaces 2-thiomethyl-N(6)-(isopentenyl)adenosine. Both tRNA's behave identically in aminoacylation kinetics. In the factor-dependent AUGU(3)-directed formation of fMet-Phe, the undermodified tRNA(1) (Phe) is always less efficient at Mg(2+) concentrations between 5 and 15 mM than its mature counterpart.

7-Methylguanine specific tRNA-methyltransferase from Escherichia coli.

A 7-methylguanine (m7G) specific tRNA methyltransferase from E. coli MRE 600 was purified about 1000 fold by affinity chromatography on Sepharose bound with normal E. coli tRNA. The purified enzyme catalyzes exclusively the formation of m7G in submethylated bulk tRNA of E. coli K12 met- rel-. The purified enzyme transfers the methyl group from S-adenosyl-methionine to initiator tRNA of B. subtilis and 0.8 moles m7G residues are formed per mole tRNA. It is suggested that the enzyme specifically recognizes the extra arm unpaired guanylate residue.