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Queuine in plants and plant tRNAs: Differences between embryonic tissue and mature leaves

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Abstract

In eubacterial and eukaryotic tRNAs specific for Asn, Asp, His and Tyr the modified deazaguanosinederivative queuosine occurs in position 34, the first position of the anticodon. Analysis of unfractionated tRNAs from wheat and from tobacco leaves shows that these tRNAs contain high amounts of guanosine (G) in place of queuosine (Q). This was measured by the exchange of G34 for [3H]guanine catalysed by the specific tRNA guanine transglycosylase from E. coli. Upon gel electrophoretic separation of the labeled tRNAs, seven Q-deficient tRNA species including isoacceptors are detectable. Two are identified as cytoplasmic tRNAsTyr and tRNAAsp and two represent chloroplast tRNATyr isoacceptors. In contrast to leaf cytoplasm and chloroplasts, wheat germ has low amounts of tRNAs with G34 in place of Q.

A new enzymatic assay is described for quantitation of free queuine in cells and tissues. Analysis of queuine in plant tissues shows that wheat germ contains about 200 ng queuine per g wet weight. In wheat and tobacco leaves queuine is present, if at all, in amounts lower than 10 ng/g wet weight. The absence of Q in tRNAs from plant leaves is therefore caused by a deficiency of queuine. Tobacco cells cultivated in a synthetic medium without added queuine do not contain Q in tRNA, indicating that these rapidly growing cells do not synthesize queuine de novo.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Biochemie, Bayerische Julius-Maximilians-Universität, Röntgenring 11, D-8700, Würzburg, FRG

    Hildburg Beier

  2. Erlangen-Nürzburg, Institut für Physiologische Chemie der Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Fahrstrasse 17, D-8520, Erlangen, FRG

    Ute Zech, Eva Zubrod & Helga Kersten

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  1. Hildburg Beier
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  2. Ute Zech
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  3. Eva Zubrod
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  4. Helga Kersten
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Beier, H., Zech, U., Zubrod, E. et al. Queuine in plants and plant tRNAs: Differences between embryonic tissue and mature leaves. Plant Mol Biol 8, 345–353 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00021314

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00021314

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