CP1 domain in Escherichia coli leucyl-tRNA synthetase is crucial for its editing function

Biochemistry. 2000 Jun 6;39(22):6726-31. doi: 10.1021/bi000108r.

Abstract

The amino acid discrimination by aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase is achieved through two sifting steps; amino acids larger than the cognate substrate are rejected by a "coarse sieve", while the reaction products of amino acids smaller than the cognate substrate will go through a "fine sieve" and be hydrolyzed. This "double-sieve" mechanism has been proposed for IleRS, a class I aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase. In this study, we created LeuRS-B, a mutant leucyl-tRNA synthetase from Escherichia coli with a duplication of the peptide fragment from Met328 to Pro368 (within its CP1 domain). This mutant has 50% of the leucylation activity of the wild-type enzyme and has the same ability to discriminate noncognate amino acids in the first step of the reaction. However, LeuRS-B can catalyze mischarging of tRNA(Leu) by methionine or isoleucine, suggesting that it is impaired in the ability to edit incorrect products. Wild-type leucyl-tRNA synthetase can edit the mischarged tRNA(Leu) made by LeuRS-B, while a separated CP1 domain cannot. These data suggest that the CP1 domain of leucyl-tRNA synthetase is crucial to the second editing sieve and that CP1 needs the structural context in leucyl-tRNA synthetase to fulfill its editing function.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases / chemistry
  • Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases / genetics
  • Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases / metabolism*
  • Circular Dichroism
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Escherichia coli / enzymology*
  • Isoleucine / metabolism
  • Kinetics
  • Methionine / metabolism
  • Mutagenesis, Insertional
  • RNA Editing / genetics*
  • RNA, Transfer, Amino Acyl / biosynthesis*

Substances

  • RNA, Transfer, Amino Acyl
  • Isoleucine
  • Methionine
  • Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases