Asuteka Nagao

Human mitochondrial tRNAs: biogenesis, function, structural aspects, and diseases.

Mitochondria are eukaryotic organelles that generate most of the energy in the cell by oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Each mitochondrion contains multiple copies of a closed circular double-stranded DNA genome (mtDNA). Human (mammalian) mtDNA encodes 13 essential subunits of the inner membrane complex responsible for OXPHOS. These mRNAs are translated by the mitochondrial protein synthesis machinery, which uses the 22 species of mitochondrial tRNAs (mt tRNAs) encoded by mtDNA. The unique structural features of mt tRNAs distinguish them from cytoplasmic tRNAs bearing the canonical cloverleaf structure. The genes encoding mt tRNAs are highly susceptible to point mutations, which are a primary cause of mitochondrial dysfunction and are associated with a wide range of pathologies. A large number of nuclear factors involved in the biogenesis and function of mt tRNAs have been identified and characterized, including processing endonucleases, tRNA-modifying enzymes, and aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. These nuclear factors are also targets of pathogenic mutations linked to various diseases, indicating the functional importance of mt tRNAs for mitochondrial activity.

LRPPRC/SLIRP suppresses PNPase-mediated mRNA decay and promotes polyadenylation in human mitochondria

In human mitochondria, 10 mRNAs species are generated from a long polycistronic precursor that is transcribed from the heavy chain of mitochondrial DNA, in theory yielding equal copy numbers of mRNA molecules. However, the steady-state levels of these mRNAs differ substantially. Through absolute quantification of mRNAs in HeLa cells, we show that the copy numbers of all mitochondrial mRNA species range from 6000 to 51 000 molecules per cell, indicating that mitochondria actively regulate mRNA metabolism. In addition, the copy numbers of mitochondrial mRNAs correlated with their cellular half-life. Previously, mRNAs with longer half-lives were shown to be stabilized by the LRPPRC/SLIRP complex, which we find that cotranscriptionally binds to coding sequences of mRNAs. We observed that the LRPPRC/SLIRP complex suppressed 3′ exonucleolytic mRNA degradation mediated by PNPase and SUV3. Moreover, LRPPRC promoted the polyadenylation of mRNAs mediated by mitochondrial poly(A) polymerase (MTPAP) in vitro. These findings provide a framework for understanding the molecular mechanism of mRNA metabolism in human mitochondria.

Biogenesis of glutaminyl-mt tRNAGln in human mitochondria

Mammalian mitochondrial (mt) tRNAs, which are required for mitochondrial protein synthesis, are all encoded in the mitochondrial genome, while mt aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) are encoded in the nuclear genome. However, no mitochondrial homolog of glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase (GlnRS) has been identified in mammalian genomes, implying that Gln-tRNAGln is synthesized via an indirect pathway in the mammalian mitochondria. We demonstrate here that human mt glutamyl-tRNA synthetase (mtGluRS) efficiently misaminoacylates mt tRNAGln to form Glu-tRNAGln. In addition, we have identified a human homolog of the Glu-tRNAGln amidotransferase, the hGatCAB heterotrimer. When any of the hGatCAB subunits were inactivated by siRNA-mediated knock down in human cells, the Glu-charged form of tRNAGln accumulated and defects in respiration could be observed. We successfully reconstituted in vitro Gln-tRNAGln formation catalyzed by the recombinant mtGluRS and hGatCAB. The misaminoacylated form of tRNAGln has a weak binding affinity to the mt elongation factor Tu (mtEF-Tu), indicating that the misaminoacylated form of tRNAGln is rejected from the translational apparatus to maintain the accuracy of mitochondrial protein synthesis.

A Comprehensive Genomic Analysis Reveals the Genetic Landscape of Mitochondrial Respiratory Chain Complex Deficiencies

Mitochondrial disorders have the highest incidence among congenital metabolic disorders characterized by biochemical respiratory chain complex deficiencies. It occurs at a rate of 1 in 5,000 births, and has phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity. Mutations in about 1,500 nuclear encoded mitochondrial proteins may cause mitochondrial dysfunction of energy production and mitochondrial disorders. More than 250 genes that cause mitochondrial disorders have been reported to date. However exact genetic diagnosis for patients still remained largely unknown. To reveal this heterogeneity, we performed comprehensive genomic analyses for 142 patients with childhood-onset mitochondrial respiratory chain complex deficiencies. The approach includes whole mtDNA and exome analyses using high-throughput sequencing, and chromosomal aberration analyses using high-density oligonucleotide arrays. We identified 37 novel mutations in known mitochondrial disease genes and 3 mitochondria-related genes (MRPS23, QRSL1, and PNPLA4) as novel causative genes. We also identified 2 genes known to cause monogenic diseases (MECP2 and TNNI3) and 3 chromosomal aberrations (6q24.3-q25.1, 17p12, and 22q11.21) as causes in this cohort. Our approaches enhance the ability to identify pathogenic gene mutations in patients with biochemically defined mitochondrial respiratory chain complex deficiencies in clinical settings. They also underscore clinical and genetic heterogeneity and will improve patient care of this complex disorder.

Expanding Role of the Jumonji C Domain as an RNA Hydroxylase

JmjC (Jumonji C) domain-containing proteins are known to be an extensive family of Fe(II)/2-oxoglutarate-dependent oxygenases involved in epigenetic regulation of gene expression by catalyzing oxidative demethylation of methylated histones. We report here that a human JmjC protein named Tyw5p (TYW5) unexpectedly acts in the biosynthesis of a hypermodified nucleoside, hydroxywybutosine, in tRNAPhe by catalyzing hydroxylation. The finding provides an insight into the expanding role of JmjC protein as an RNA hydroxylase.

Crystal structure of a novel JmjC-domain-containing protein, TYW5, involved in tRNA modification

Wybutosine (yW) is a hypermodified nucleoside found in position 37 of tRNAPhe, and is essential for correct phenylalanine codon translation. yW derivatives widely exist in eukaryotes and archaea, and their chemical structures have many species-specific variations. Among them, its hydroxylated derivative, hydroxywybutosine (OHyW), is found in eukaryotes including human, but the modification mechanism remains unknown. Recently, we identified a novel Jumonji C (JmjC)-domain-containing protein, TYW5 (tRNA yW-synthesizing enzyme 5), which forms the OHyW nucleoside by carbon hydroxylation, using Fe(II) ion and 2-oxoglutarate (2-OG) as cofactors. In this work, we present the crystal structures of human TYW5 (hTYW5) in the free and complex forms with 2-OG and Ni(II) ion at 2.5 and 2.8 Å resolutions, respectively. The structure revealed that the catalytic domain consists of a β-jellyroll fold, a hallmark of the JmjC domains and other Fe(II)/2-OG oxygenases. hTYW5 forms a homodimer through C-terminal helix bundle formation, thereby presenting a large, positively charged patch involved in tRNA binding. A comparison with the structures of other JmjC-domain-containing proteins suggested a mechanism for substrate nucleotide recognition. Functional analyses of structure-based mutants revealed the essential Arg residues participating in tRNA recognition by TYW5. These findings extend the repertoire of the tRNA modification enzyme into the Fe(II)/2-OG oxygenase superfamily.

Measuring mRNA decay in human mitochondria.

Human mitochondria contain a genome encoding 13 proteins, all of which are components of respiratory chain complexes. Mutations in human mitochondrial DNA often have pathological consequences. Although 12 of the mitochondrial mRNAs are generated from the same polycistronic transcript, the steady-state level of each mRNA differs. The stability of each mitochondrial mRNA is post-transcriptionally controlled by polyadenylation and deadenylation. However, the molecular mechanism by which each mRNA attains a unique stability is not fully understood. In this report, we describe a practical method for measuring the half-lives of human mitochondrial mRNAs using quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR.

Intrinsic Ribosome Destabilization Underlies Translation and Provides an Organism with a Strategy of Environmental Sensing

Nascent polypeptides can modulate the polypeptide elongation speed on the ribosome. Here, we show that nascent chains can even destabilize the translating Escherichia coli ribosome from within. This phenomenon, termed intrinsic ribosome destabilization (IRD), occurs in response to a special amino acid sequence of the nascent chain, without involving the release or the recycling factors. Typically, a consecutive array of acidic residues and those intermitted by alternating prolines induce IRD. The ribosomal protein bL31, which bridges the two subunits, counteracts IRD, such that only strong destabilizing sequences abort translation in living cells. We found that MgtL, the leader peptide of a Mg2+ transporter (MgtA), contains a translation-aborting sequence, which sensitizes the ribosome to a decline in Mg2+ concentration and thereby triggers the MgtA-upregulating genetic scheme. Translation proceeds at an inherent risk of ribosomal destabilization, and nascent chain-ribosome complexes can function as a Mg2+ sensor by harnessing IRD.