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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Genetic Improvement for Fruits & Vegetables Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #402842
Research Project: Potato and Other Solanaceous Crop Improvement and Disease Management

Location: Genetic Improvement for Fruits & Vegetables Laboratory

Title: Mistranslation of the genetic code by a new family of bacterial transfer RNAs

Author
item SCHUNTERMANN, DOMINIK - Yale University
item FISCHER, JONATHAN - Yale University
item BILE, JON - Yale University
item GAIER, SARAH - Yale University
item SHELLEY, BRETT - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE)
item JAHN, MARTINA - Technical University Of Braunschweig
item HOFFMAN, KYLE - Bioinformatics Solutions Inc
item WESTHOF, ERIC - Université De Strasbourg: Accueil
item SOLL, DIETER - Yale University
item Clarke, Christopher
item VARGAS-RODRIGUEZ, OSCAR - Yale University

Submitted to: Journal of Biological Chemistry
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/25/2023
Publication Date: 5/22/2023
Citation: Schuntermann, D., Fischer, J., Bile, J., Gaier, S., Shelley, B., Jahn, M., Hoffman, K., Westhof, E., Soll, D., Clarke, C.R., Vargas-Rodriguez, O. 2023. Mistranslation of the genetic code by a new family of bacterial transfer RNAs. Journal of Biological Chemistry. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2023.104852.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbc.2023.104852

Interpretive Summary: When synthesizing proteins, several species of Streptomyces bacteria harbor molecular tools that allow substitutions of the protein’s amino acid building blocks, thus resulting in varied proteins. These events are theorized to enable more flexibility in bacterial response to the environment. This work describes the molecular characterization of such an alternative protein synthesis system in Streptomyces. This system was originally thought to be primarily found in Streptomyces that cause plant disease, but more robust sample selection and genomic searching indicated that it is distributed throughout disease-causing and non-disease-causing Streptomyces species. This alternative system helps the bacteria survive environmental stresses such as exposure to antibiotics. Understanding how Streptomyces survive and respond to harsh soil environments can guide researchers in how to select for beneficial Streptomyces in soil systems while selecting against disease-causing Streptomyces.

Technical Abstract: The correct coupling of amino acids with transfer RNAs (tRNAs) is vital for translating genetic information into functional proteins. Here we report two novel families of bacterial tRNA that translate threonine and asparagine codons with proline. When expressed in Escherichia coli, the tRNAs cause varying growth defects due to global Thr-to-Pro and Asn-to-Pro mutations. Yet, tRNA expression increased cell tolerance to the antibiotic carbenicillin, indicating that proteome-wide substitutions of Asn with Pro can be beneficial under certain conditions. Together our results reveal distinct degrees of tolerance of E. coli to Pro mistranslation and provide new evidence supporting the concept of mistranslation as a mechanism for cellular resiliency against environmental stress.