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Undermodification in the first position of the anticodon of supG-tRNA reduces translational efficiency

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Summary

Two mutants of Escherichia coli, trmC1 and trmC2, which are both defective in the synthesis of 5-methylaminomethyl-2-thiouridine (mnm5s2U) were utilized to study the function of this complex modified nucleoside. Transfer RNAs specific for glutamine, glutamic acid and lysine as well as a specific ochre suppressor derived from lysine tRNA (tRNA lysUAA encoded by the supG allele), contain this modified nucleoside at position 34 (the wobble position). It was found that two different undermodified derivatives of mnm5s2U were present in the two trmC mutants, which suggests that the two mutations affect two different enzymatic activities. Using the lacI-Z fusion system (Miller and Albertini 1983), we found that the efficiency of supG-mediated suppression was reduced to 30%–90% of the wild-type value in the trmC mutants. The modificationdeficient supG-tRNA in the mutants showed a higher sensitivity to codon context than the normal tRNA lysUAA .

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  1. Department of Microbiology, S-901 87, Umeå, Sweden

    Tord G. Hagervall & Glenn R. Björk

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  1. Tord G. Hagervall
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  2. Glenn R. Björk
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Communicated by A. Böck

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Hagervall, T.G., Björk, G.R. Undermodification in the first position of the anticodon of supG-tRNA reduces translational efficiency. Mol Gen Genet 196, 194–200 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00328050

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