tRNA biology charges to the front

Abstract

tRNA biology has come of age, revealing an unprecedented level of understanding and many unexpected discoveries along the way. This review highlights new findings on the diverse pathways of tRNA maturation, and on the formation and function of a number of modifications. Topics of special focus include the regulation of tRNA biosynthesis, quality control tRNA turnover mechanisms, widespread tRNA cleavage pathways activated in response to stress and other growth conditions, emerging evidence of signaling pathways involving tRNA and cleavage fragments, and the sophisticated intracellular tRNA trafficking that occurs during and after biosynthesis.

tRNA modifications: Necessary for correct tRNA‐derived fragments during the recovery from stress?

“…The question whether these ancient molecules can also serve other biological functions is intriguing and has been discussed previously [1]. The combined evidence from many years of tRNA biology indicates that a common denominator for the involvement of tRNAs in processes beyond their mRNA decoding capacity is the cellular stress response [2].…”

Identification of factors that promote biogenesis of tRNACGASer

“…Eukaryotic transfer RNA genes are transcribed by RNA polymerase III generating precursor tRNAs (pre-tRNAs) that undergo a series of processing steps to generate mature functional tRNAs [1–3]. These steps include the removal of 5´ leader and 3´ trailer sequences, posttranscriptional addition of CCA to the 3´ termini, and the removal of intervening sequences in pre-tRNAs transcribed from intron-containing genes.…”

“…These steps include the removal of 5´ leader and 3´ trailer sequences, posttranscriptional addition of CCA to the 3´ termini, and the removal of intervening sequences in pre-tRNAs transcribed from intron-containing genes. All pre-tRNAs also undergo post-transcriptional modification of a subset of their nucleosides [1–3]. Some modified nucleosides are found in essentially all tRNA species while others are present in a specific or a subclass of tRNAs.…”

“…Some modified nucleosides are found in essentially all tRNA species while others are present in a specific or a subclass of tRNAs. Many pre-tRNA processing steps occur in the nucleus, including end-maturation and numerous nucleoside modifications [1–3]. However, some nucleoside modifications only occur after nuclear export.…”

Publisher's Note

“…Each molecule carries, on average, 14 modifications that contribute to its function. 18,52 While a detailed description of all the known modifications on tRNA, their respective functions, and their regulatory machineries is beyond the scope of this overview, decades of work have revealed some interesting paradigms by which modifications influence tRNA function.…”