Evolving Mistranslating tRNAs Through a Phenotypically Ambivalent Intermediate in Saccharomyces cerevisiae [Gene Expression]

The genetic code converts information from nucleic acid into protein. The genetic code was thought to be immutable, yet many examples in nature indicate that variations to the code provide a selective advantage. We used a sensitive selection system involving suppression of a deleterious allele (tti2-L187P) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to detect mistranslation and identify mechanisms that allow genetic code evolution. Though tRNASer containing a proline anticodon (UGG) is toxic, using our selection system we identified four tRNASer UGG variants, each with a single mutation, that mistranslate at a tolerable level. Mistranslating tRNALeu UGG variants were also obtained, demonstrating the generality of the approach. We characterized two of the tRNASer UGG variants. One contained a G26A mutation, which reduced cell growth to 70% of the wild-type rate, induced a heat shock response, and was lost in the absence of selection. The reduced toxicity of tRNASer UGG-G26A is likely through increased turnover of the tRNA, as lack of methylation at G26 leads to degradation via the rapid tRNA decay pathway. The second tRNASer UGG variant, with a G9A mutation, had minimal effect on cell growth, was relatively stable in cells, and gave rise to less of a heat shock response. In vitro, the G9A mutation decreases aminoacylation and affects folding of the tRNA. Notably, the G26A and G9A mutations were phenotypically neutral in the context of an otherwise wild-type tRNASer. These experiments reveal a...

Source: Genetics - August 4, 2017 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Berg, M. D., Hoffman, K. S., Genereaux, J., Mian, S., Trussler, R. S., Haniford, D. B., ODonoghue, P., Brandl, C. J. Tags: Gene Expression Source Type: research