Knockdown of Arginyl-tRNA Synthetase Attenuates Ischemia-Induced Cerebral Cortex Injury in Rats After Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion.

Some researchers have previously shown that RNAi knockdown of arginyl-tRNA synthetase (ArgRS) before or after a hypoxic injury can rescue animals from death, based on the model organism, C. elegans. However, there has been no study on the application of arginyl-tRNA synthetase knockdown in treating mammalian ischemic stroke, and its potential mechanism and effect on ischemic brain damage are still unknown. Here, we focused on the Rars gene, which encodes an arginyl-tRNA synthetase, and examined the effects of Rars knockdown in a permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion model in rats. To achieve this aim, adult male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were given right cerebral cortex injections of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) adenovirus (AV) particles to knock down arginyl-tRNA synthetase, and a non-targeting control (NTC) vector or phosphate-buffered solution served as the controls. After 4 days, the rats were exposed to permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO). Then, the right cerebral cortex level of arginyl-tRNA synthetase was examined, and the effects of the Rars knockdown were evaluated by differences in infarction volume, oxidative stress, blood-brain barrier, mitochondrial function, and glucose metabolism at 1 day and 3 days after MCAO. The injection of shRNA adenovirus particles successfully suppressed the expression of arginyl-tRNA synthetase in the cerebral cortex. We observed an improvement in oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, and glucose utilization and a reduction in brain edema compared with the non-targeting control rats with suppressed expression of arginyl-tRNA synthetase mRNA in the ipsilateral ischemic cortex of the brain. Our findings indicate that knockdown of arginyl-tRNA synthetase in the cerebral cortex exerted neuroprotective effects, which were achieved not only by the improvement of oxidative stress and glucose utilization but also by the maintenance of mitochondrial morphological integrity and the preservation of mitochondrial function. Knockdown of ArgRS administration could be a promising approach to protect ischemic stroke.

Analysis of the kinetic mechanism of arginyl-tRNA synthetase.

A kinetic analysis of the arginyl-tRNA synthetase (ArgRS) from Escherichia coli was accomplished with the goal of improving the rate equations so that they correspond more closely to the experimental results. 22 different steady-state kinetic two-ligand experiments were statistically analysed simultaneously. A mechanism and values for the ArgRS constants were found where the average error was only 6.2% and ranged from 2.5 to 11.2% in the different experiments. The mechanism included not only the normal activation and transfer reactions but also an additional step which may be a conformational change after the transfer reaction but before the dissociation of the product Arg-tRNA from the enzyme. The forward rate constants in these four steps were low, 8.3-27 s(-1), but the reverse rate constants of the activation and transfer reactions were considerably higher (230 and 161 s(-1)). Therefore, in the presence of even low concentrations of PP(i) and AMP, the rate limitation occurs at the late steps of the total reaction. AMP increases the rate of the ATP-PP(i) exchange reaction due to the high reverse rate in the transfer reaction. The rate equation obtained was used to calculate the steady-state enzyme intermediate concentrations and rates between the intermediates. Three different Mg2+ binding sites were required to describe the Mg2+ dependence. One of them was the normal binding to ATP and the others to tRNA or enzyme. The measured Mg2+ dependence of the apparent equilibrium constant of the ArgRS reaction was consistent with the Mg2+ dependences of the reaction rates on the rate equation. Chloride inhibits the ArgRS reaction, 160 mM KCl caused a 50% inhibition if the ionic strength was kept constant with K-acetate. KCl strongly affected the K(m)(app) (tRNA) value. A difference was detected in the progress curves between the aminoacylation and ATP-PP(i) exchange rates. When all free tRNA(Arg) had been used from the reaction mixture, the aminoacylation reaction stopped, but the ATP-PP(i) exchange continued at a lowered rate.

Determinants in tRNA for activation of arginyl-tRNA synthetase: evidence that tRNA flexibility is required for the induced-fit mechanism.

Arginyl-tRNA synthetase (ArgRS) catalyzes formation of arginyl-adenylate in a tRNA-dependent reaction. Previous studies have revealed that conformational changes occur upon tRNA binding. In this study, we analyzed the sequence and structural features of tRNA that are essential to activate the catalytic center of mammalian arginyl-tRNA synthetase. Here, tRNA variants with different activator potential are presented. The three regions that are crucial for activation of ArgRS are the terminal adenosine, the D-loop, and the anticodon stem-loop of tRNA. The Add-1 N-terminal domain of ArgRS, which has the very unique property among aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases to interact with the D-loop in the corner of the convex side of tRNA, has an essential role in anchoring tRNA and participating in tRNA-induced amino acid activation. The results suggest that locking the acceptor extremity, the anticodon loop, and the D-loop of tRNA on the catalytic, anticodon-binding, and Add-1 domains of ArgRS also requires some flexibility of the tRNA molecule, provided by G:U base pairs, to achieve the productive conformation of the active site of the enzyme by induced fit.

The mechanism of L-canavanine cytotoxicity: arginyl tRNA synthetase as a novel target for anticancer drug discovery.

There is a clear need for agents with novel mechanisms of action to provide new therapeutic approaches for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Owing to its structural similarity to L-arginine, L-canavanine, the beta-oxa-analog of L-arginine, is a substrate for arginyl tRNA synthetase and is incorporated into nascent proteins in place of L-arginine. Although L-arginine and L-canavanine are structurally similar, the oxyguanidino group of L-canavanine is significantly less basic than the guanidino group of L-arginine. Consequently, L-canavanyl proteins lack the capacity to form crucial ionic interactions, resulting in altered protein structure and function, which leads to cellular death. Since L-canavanine is selectively sequestered by the pancreas, it may be especially useful as an adjuvant therapy in the treatment of pancreatic cancer. This novel mechanism of cytotoxicity forms the basis for the anticancer activity of L-canavanine and thus, arginyl tRNA synthetase may represent a novel target for the development of such therapeutic agents.

[Interaction of amino acyl-tRNA-synthetases from the rabbit liver with RNA and polyanions]. / Vzaimodeistvie aminoatil-tRNK-sintetaz iz pecheni krolika s RNK i polianionami.

The interaction of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase with RNA and polyanions was studied. The inhibition of the enzymes by polyU, polyI and heparin was demonstrated. It was found that this interaction is of limited specificity and is typical of single-stranded RNAs which possess no orderly secondary structure as well as of other polyanions possessing similar polyelectrolytic properties. Data from kinetic analysis and lysyl-tRNA synthetase modification by pyridoxal phosphate are suggestive of participation of the tRNA binding site in the enzyme interaction with polyanions.

Inhibition of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases by the mycotoxin patulin.

The effect of patulin on tRNA aminoacylation has been determined. This mycotoxin inhibits the aminoacylation process by irreversibly inactivating aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. At neutral and alkaline pH-values, the inactivation occurs mainly by modification of essential thiol groups of the protein, whereas at acidic pH, where the effect is the most pronounced, the modification of other amino acid residues cannot be excluded.

Arginyl-tRNA synthetase from Baker's yeast. Order of substrate addition and action of ATP analogs in the aminoacylation reaction; influence of pyrophosphate on the catalytic mechanism.

The order of substrate addition to arginyl-tRNA synthetase from baker's yeast has been investigated by bisubstrate kinetics, product inhibition and inhibition by three different inhibiting ATP analogs, the 6-N-benzyl, 8-bromo and 3'-deoxy derivatives of ATP, each acting competitively with respect to one of the substrates. The kinetic patterns are consistent with a random ter-ter mechanism, an addition of the three substrates and release of the products in random order. The different inhibitors are bound to different enzyme . substrate complexes of the reaction sequence. Addition of inorganic pyrophosphatase changes the inhibition patterns and addition of methylenediphosphonate as pyrophosphate analog abolishes the effect of pyrophosphatase, showing that the concentration of pyrophosphate is determinant for the mechanism of catalysis.

Arginyl-tRNA synthetase from Escherichia coli K12. Purification, properties, and sequence of substrate addition.

Arginyl-tRNA synthetase from Escherichia coli K12 has been purified more than 1000-fold with a recovery of 17%. The enzyme consists of a single polypeptide chain of about 60 000 molecular weight and has only one cysteine residue which is essential for enzymatic activity. Transfer ribonucleic acid completely protects the enzyme against inactivation by p-hydroxymercuriben zoate. The enzyme catalyzes the esterification of 5000 nmol of arginine to transfer ribonucleic acid in 1 min/mg of protein at 37 degrees C and pH 7.4. One mole of ATP is consumed for each mole of arginyl-tRNA formed. The sequence of substrate binding has been investigated by using initial velocity experiments and dead-end and product inhibition studies. The kinetic patterns are consistent with a random addition of substrates with all steps in rapid equilibrium except for the interconversion of the cental quaternary complexes. The dissociation constants of the different enzyme-substrate complexes and of the complexes with the dead-end inhibitors homoarginine and 8-azido-ATP have been calculated on this basis. Binding of ATP to the enzyme is influenced by tRNA and vice versa.