Variations in transfer and ribosomal RNA epitranscriptomic status can adapt eukaryote translation to changing physiological and environmental conditions

Abstract

The timely reprogramming of gene expression in response to internal and external cues is essential to eukaryote development and acclimation to changing environments. Chemically modifying molecular receptors and transducers of these signals is one way to efficiently induce proper physiological responses. Post-translation modifications, regulating protein biological activities, are central to many well-known signal-responding pathways. Recently, messenger RNA (mRNA) chemical (i.e. epitranscriptomic) modifications were also shown to play a key role in these processes. In contrast, transfer RNA (tRNA) and ribosomal RNA (rRNA) chemical modifications, although critical for optimal function of the translation apparatus, and much more diverse and quantitatively important compared to mRNA modifications, were until recently considered as mainly static chemical decorations. We present here recent observations that are challenging this view and supporting the hypothesis that tRNA and rRNA modifications dynamically respond to various cell and environmental conditions and contribute to adapt translation to these conditions.

mRNAs encoding neurodevelopmental regulators have equal N6-methyladenosine stoichiometry in Drosophila neuroblasts and neurons

“…3 D). 5S rRNA served as a negative control in these experiments as it was not identified as a m6A target in our experiments and is known to lack methyladenosine in metazoans [ 23 ]. meRIP and RT-qPCR confirmed Sp1 and run as m6A targets and ruled out differential m6A between neuroblast-biased and neuron-biased brains.…”

mRNAs encoding neurodevelopmental regulators have equal m6A stoichiometry in Drosophila neuroblasts and neurons

“…3D). 5S rRNA served as a negative control in these experiments as it was not identi ed as a m6A target in our experiments and is known to lack methyladenosine in metazoans [23]. meRIP and RT-qPCR con rmed Sp1 and run as m6A targets and ruled out differential m6A between neuroblast-biased and neuron-biased brains.…”

The Diversity and Functions of Plant RNA Modifications: What We Know and Where We Go from Here

“…They are an indispensable part of the protein translation machinery responsible for correctly pairing with the 3-nt codon of the mRNA and bringing the correct amino acids to the ribosome for polypeptide synthesis. tRNAs have also been found to be the most highly modified RNA (20,30), with between 10-20% of their nucleotides modified (83). Given the universally conserved role of tRNAs in translation, most studies focusing on eukaryotic tRNA structure and function have been done in yeast, and these foundational discoveries are assumed to be conserved across kingdoms.…”

“…This review attempts to provide a high-level overview of the vast diversity of RNA modifications, the modification machinery, and the implicated functions of said modifications in plant species. Given the amount of attention garnered by m 6 A research, many comprehensive review articles have been published that discuss in depth its profiling, machinery, and function in plants (4,20,46,65). Other review articles have focused on earlier developments in the field of eukaryotic and plant RNA modifications that have been found in rRNAs, tRNAs, and mRNAs (130).…”