This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Guillon, J M Articles by Fayat, G Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Guillon, J M Articles by Fayat, G

research-article

Importance of formylability and anticodon stem sequence to give a tRNA(Met) an initiator identity in Escherichia coli.

Laboratoire de Biochimie, Unité Associée au Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique 240, Palaiseau, France.

ABSTRACT

In bacteria, the free amino group of the methionylated initiator tRNA is specifically modified by the addition of a formyl group. The functional relevance of such a formylation for the initiation of translation is not yet precisely understood. Advantage was taken here of the availability of the fmt gene, encoding the Escherichia coli Met-tRNA(fMet) formyltransferase, to measure the influence of variations in the level of formyltransferase activity on the involvement of various mutant tRNA(fMet) and tRNA(mMet) species in either initiation or elongation in vivo. The data obtained established that formylation plays a dual role, firstly, by dictating tRNA(fMet) to engage in the initiation of translation, and secondly, by preventing the misappropriation of this tRNA by the elongation apparatus. The importance of formylation in the initiator identity of tRNA(fMet) was further shown by the demonstration that elongator tRNA(fMet) may be used in initiation and no longer in elongation, provided that it is mutated into a formylatable species and is given the three G.C base pairs characteristic of the anticodon stem of initiator tRNAs.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Steiner-Mosonyi, M., Creuzenet, C., Keates, R. A. B., Strub, B. R., Mangroo, D. (2004). The Pseudomonas aeruginosa Initiation Factor IF-2 Is Responsible for Formylation-independent Protein Initiation in P. aeruginosa. J. Biol. Chem. 279: 52262-52269 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Stortchevoi, A., Varshney, U., RajBhandary, U. L. (2003). Common Location of Determinants in Initiator Transfer RNAs for Initiator-Elongator Discrimination in Bacteria and in Eukaryotes. J. Biol. Chem. 278: 17672-17679 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Berlyn, M. K. B. (1998). Linkage Map of Escherichia coli K-12, Edition 10: The Traditional Map. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 62: 814-984 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Gite, S., RajBhandary, U. L. (1997). Lysine 207as the Site of Cross-linking between the 3'-End of Escherichia coli Initiator tRNA and Methionyl-tRNA Formyltransferase. J. Biol. Chem. 272: 5305-5312 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Guillon, J.-M., Heiss, S., Soutourina, J., Mechulam, Y., Laalami, S., Grunberg-Manago, M., Blanquet, S. (1996). Interplay of Methionine tRNAs with Translation Elongation Factor Tu and Translation Initiation Factor 2in Escherichia coli. J. Biol. Chem. 271: 22321-22325 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Li, S., Kumar, N. V., Varshney, U., RajBhandary, U. L. (1996). Important Role of the Amino Acid Attached to tRNA in Formylation and in Initiation of Protein Synthesis in Escherichia coli. J. Biol. Chem. 271: 1022-1028 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Meinnel, T., Blanquet, S. (1995). Maturation of Pre-tRNA[IMAGE] by Escherichia coli RNase P Is Specified by a Guanosine of the 5`-Flanking Sequence. J. Biol. Chem. 270: 15908-15914 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Mangroo, D., RajBhandary, U. L. (1995). Mutants of Escherichia coli Initiator tRNA Defective in Initiation. J. Biol. Chem. 270: 12203-12209 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Thanedar, S., Kumar, N. V., Varshney, U. (2000). The Fate of the Initiator tRNAs Is Sensitive to the Critical Balance between Interacting Proteins. J. Biol. Chem. 275: 20361-20367 [Abstract] [Full Text]