Misacylation of yeast amber suppressor tRNA(Tyr) by E. coli lysyl-tRNA synthetase and its effective repression by genetic engineering of the tRNA sequence

J Biochem. 2006 Apr;139(4):689-96. doi: 10.1093/jb/mvj078.

Abstract

Through an exhaustive search for Escherichia coli aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase(s) responsible for the misacylation of yeast suppressor tRNA(Tyr), E. coli lysyl-tRNA synthetase was found to have a weak activity to aminoacylate yeast amber suppressor tRNA(Tyr) (CUA) with L-lysine. Since our protein-synthesizing system for site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids into proteins is based on the use of yeast suppressor tRNA(Tyr)/tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase (TyrRS) pair as the "carrier" of unusual amino acid in E. coli translation system, this misacylation must be repressed as low as possible. We have succeeded in effectively repressing the misacylation by changing several nucleotides in this tRNA by genetic engineering. This "optimized" tRNA together with our mutant TyrRS should serve as an efficient and faithful tool for site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids into proteins in a protein-synthesizing system in vitro or in vivo.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases / genetics
  • Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases / metabolism
  • Base Sequence
  • Escherichia coli / genetics*
  • Escherichia coli / metabolism
  • Escherichia coli Proteins / genetics
  • Escherichia coli Proteins / metabolism
  • Genes, Fungal / genetics
  • Genes, Suppressor*
  • Genetic Engineering / methods*
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / chemistry
  • Lysine-tRNA Ligase / genetics*
  • Lysine-tRNA Ligase / metabolism
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
  • Nucleic Acid Conformation
  • RNA, Transfer, Tyr / chemistry
  • RNA, Transfer, Tyr / genetics*
  • RNA, Transfer, Tyr / metabolism
  • Time Factors
  • Transfer RNA Aminoacylation
  • Yeasts / genetics
  • Yeasts / metabolism

Substances

  • Escherichia coli Proteins
  • RNA, Transfer, Tyr
  • enhanced green fluorescent protein
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins
  • Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases
  • Lysine-tRNA Ligase