Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The EMBO Journal logoLink to The EMBO Journal
. 1984 Jul;3(7):1603–1608. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1984.tb02017.x

Queuosine modification in tRNA and expression of the nitrate reductase in Escherichia coli.

G Jänel, U Michelsen, S Nishimura, H Kersten
PMCID: PMC557565  PMID: 6204866

Abstract

In eubacteria the modified nucleoside queuosine is present in tRNAAsn, tRNAAsp, tRNAHis and tRNATyr. A precursor of queuine, pre-queuine, is synthesized from GTP, inserted into the first position of the anticodon of the corresponding tRNAs by a specific tRNA-guanine transglycosylase and further modified to queuosine. Isogenic pairs of Escherichia coli, containing or lacking the tRNA-transglycosylase (JE 7335, tgt+ lacZ+ and JE 7337, tgt- lacZ+; JE 7334, tgt+ lacZ- and JE 7336, tgt- lacZ-), have been employed to study the function of queuosine in tRNA. Compared with the tgt+ strain (JE 7335), the tgt- mutant (JE 7337) grown under anaerobic conditions, is defective with respect to the nitrate respiration system, in which electrons are transported from D(-)-lactate via quinone and cytochrome bNO3-(556) to nitrate. Low temperature cytochrome spectra of the anaerobically grown tgt- mutant show a lowered amount of type b cytochromes involving the spectrum of cytochrome bNO3-(556). In the case of the anaerobically grown tgt- mutant three proteins are missing in the protein pattern of cytoplasmic membranes. Their mol. wts. correspond to those of the subunits of the nitrate reductase complex. In contrast to the tgt+ strains (JE 7334, JE 7335) both tgt- mutants (JE 7336, JE 7337) cannot grow on lactate under anaerobic conditions with nitrate offered as electron acceptor and NO3- is not reduced to NO2-. A possible link between Q-modification of tRNAs, the synthesis of proteins of the nitrate reductase complex and the synthesis of menaquinone or ubiquinone is discussed.

Full text

PDF
1603

Images in this article

1605Fig. 3.
on p.1605
1605Fig. 4.
on p.1605

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bachmann B. J. Linkage map of Escherichia coli K-12, edition 7. Microbiol Rev. 1983 Jun;47(2):180–230. doi: 10.1128/mr.47.2.180-230.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Björk G. R. A novel link between the biosynthesis of aromatic amino acids and transfer RNA modification in Escherichia coli. J Mol Biol. 1980 Jul 5;140(3):391–410. doi: 10.1016/0022-2836(80)90391-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Buck M., Ames B. N. A modified nucleotide in tRNA as a possible regulator of aerobiosis: synthesis of cis-2-methyl-thioribosylzeatin in the tRNA of Salmonella. Cell. 1984 Feb;36(2):523–531. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90245-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Farkas W. R. Effect of diet on the queuosine family of tRNAs of germ-free mice. J Biol Chem. 1980 Jul 25;255(14):6832–6835. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Forget P. The bacterial nitrate reductases. Solubilization, purification and properties of the enzyme A of Escherichia coli K 12. Eur J Biochem. 1974 Mar 1;42(2):325–332. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1974.tb03343.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hackett N. R., Bragg P. D. Membrane cytochromes of Escherichia coli grown aerobically and anaerobically with nitrate. J Bacteriol. 1983 May;154(2):708–718. doi: 10.1128/jb.154.2.708-718.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Haddock B. A., Jones C. W. Bacterial respiration. Bacteriol Rev. 1977 Mar;41(1):47–99. doi: 10.1128/br.41.1.47-99.1977. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Katze J. R., Basile B., McCloskey J. A. Queuine, a modified base incorporated posttranscriptionally into eukaryotic transfer RNA: wide distribution in nature. Science. 1982 Apr 2;216(4541):55–56. doi: 10.1126/science.7063869. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Katze J. R., Farkas W. R. A factor in serum and amniotic fluid is a substrate for the tRNA-modifying enzyme tRNA-guanine transferase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Jul;76(7):3271–3275. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.7.3271. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. LENNOX E. S. Transduction of linked genetic characters of the host by bacteriophage P1. Virology. 1955 Jul;1(2):190–206. doi: 10.1016/0042-6822(55)90016-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Laemmli U. K. Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature. 1970 Aug 15;227(5259):680–685. doi: 10.1038/227680a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. MacGregor C. H., Schnaitman C. A., Normansell D. E. Purification and properties of nitrate reductase from Escherichia coli K12. J Biol Chem. 1974 Aug 25;249(16):5321–5327. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Nakada D. Ribosome formation by puromycin-treated Bacillus subtilis. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1965 Jul 15;103(3):455–465. doi: 10.1016/0005-2787(65)90138-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Nishimura S. Structure, biosynthesis, and function of queuosine in transfer RNA. Prog Nucleic Acid Res Mol Biol. 1983;28:49–73. doi: 10.1016/s0079-6603(08)60082-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Noguchi S., Nishimura Y., Hirota Y., Nishimura S. Isolation and characterization of an Escherichia coli mutant lacking tRNA-guanine transglycosylase. Function and biosynthesis of queuosine in tRNA. J Biol Chem. 1982 Jun 10;257(11):6544–6550. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. O'Farrell P. H. High resolution two-dimensional electrophoresis of proteins. J Biol Chem. 1975 May 25;250(10):4007–4021. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Okada N., Noguchi S., Kasai H., Shindo-Okada N., Ohgi T., Goto T., Nishimura S. Novel mechanism of post-transcriptional modification of tRNA. Insertion of bases of Q precursors into tRNA by a specific tRNA transglycosylase reaction. J Biol Chem. 1979 Apr 25;254(8):3067–3073. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Ott G., Kersten H., Nishimura S. Dictyostelium discoideum: a useful model system to evaluate the function of queuine and of the Q-family of tRNAs. FEBS Lett. 1982 Sep 20;146(2):311–314. doi: 10.1016/0014-5793(82)80941-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Poole R. K., Scott R. I., Chance B. The light-reversible binding of carbon monoxide to cytochrome a1 in Escherichia coli K12. J Gen Microbiol. 1981 Aug;125(2):431–438. doi: 10.1099/00221287-125-2-431. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Schachner E., Aschhoff H. J., Kersten H. Specific changes in lactate levels, lactate dehydrogenase patterns and cytochrome b559 in Dictyostelium discoideum caused by queuine. Eur J Biochem. 1984 Mar 15;139(3):481–487. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1984.tb08031.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Scott R. I., Poole R. K. A re-examination of the cytochromes of Escherichia coli using fourth-order finite difference analysis: their characterization under different growth conditions and accumulation during the cell cycle. J Gen Microbiol. 1982 Aug;128(8):1685–1696. doi: 10.1099/00221287-128-8-1685. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Spratt B. G. Properties of the penicillin-binding proteins of Escherichia coli K12,. Eur J Biochem. 1977 Jan;72(2):341–352. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1977.tb11258.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. von Jagow G., Sebald W. b-Type cytochromes. Annu Rev Biochem. 1980;49:281–314. doi: 10.1146/annurev.bi.49.070180.001433. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The EMBO Journal are provided here courtesy of Nature Publishing Group

RESOURCES