» Articles » PMID: 16272149

Starvation-induced Cleavage of the TRNA Anticodon Loop in Tetrahymena Thermophila

Overview
Journal J Biol Chem
Specialty Biochemistry
Date 2005 Nov 8
PMID 16272149
Citations 140
Authors
Affiliations
Soon will be listed here.
Abstract

Amino acid deprivation triggers dramatic physiological responses in all organisms, altering both the synthesis and destruction of RNA and protein. Here we describe, using the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila, a previously unidentified response to amino acid deprivation in which mature transfer RNA (tRNA) is cleaved in the anticodon loop. We observed that anticodon loop cleavage affects a small fraction of most or all tRNA sequences. Accumulation of cleaved tRNA is temporally coordinated with the morphological and metabolic changes of adaptation to starvation. The starvation-induced endonucleolytic cleavage activity targets tRNAs that have undergone maturation by 5' and 3' end processing and base modification. Curiously, the majority of cleaved tRNAs lack the 3' terminal CCA nucleotides required for aminoacylation. Starvation-induced tRNA cleavage is inhibited in the presence of essential amino acids, independent of the persistence of other starvation-induced responses. Our findings suggest that anticodon loop cleavage may reduce the accumulation of uncharged tRNAs as part of a specific response induced by amino acid starvation.

Citing Articles

tRF-Pro-CGG Suppresses Cell Proliferation and Promotes Apoptosis in Pancreatic Cancer.

Zhu J, Zhang X, Luo T, Xue C, Chao J, Li J Dig Dis Sci. 2025; .

PMID: 40056302 DOI: 10.1007/s10620-025-08943-x.


Role of tRNA-Derived Fragments in Protozoan Parasite Biology.

Sharma M, Singh U Cells. 2025; 14(2).

PMID: 39851543 PMC: 11764236. DOI: 10.3390/cells14020115.


tsRNAs: A Prospective, Effective Therapeutic Intervention for Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Li T, Zhen H, Wu W, Yang F, Cao Z CNS Neurosci Ther. 2024; 30(12):e70177.

PMID: 39690867 PMC: 11652788. DOI: 10.1111/cns.70177.


Deciphering the role of VapBC13 and VapBC26 toxin antitoxin systems in the pathophysiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Sharma A, Singh N, Bhasin M, Tiwari P, Chopra P, Varadarajan R Commun Biol. 2024; 7(1):1417.

PMID: 39478197 PMC: 11525840. DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06998-6.


Emerging roles of tRNA-derived small RNAs in injuries.

Wang M, Guo J, Chen W, Wang H, Hou X PeerJ. 2024; 12:e18348.

PMID: 39465146 PMC: 11512806. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.18348.