Activation mode of the eukaryotic m2G10 tRNA methyltransferase Trm11 by its partner protein Trm112

AtTRM11 as a tRNA 2-methylguanosine methyltransferase modulates flowering and bacterial resistance via translational regulation

2-methylguanosine is an eukaryote-specific modified nucleoside in transfer RNAs, and m2G10 is catalyzed by Trm11-Trm112 protein complex in eukaryotic tRNAs. Here, we show that loss-of-function mutation of the Arabidopsis Trm11 homolog AtTRM11 resulted in m2G deficiency associated with disturbed ribosome assembly and overall transcriptome changes, including genes involved in flowering regulation and plant-pathogen interaction. The attrm11 mutant showed phenotypes of enlarged rosette leaves and early flowering, as well as enhanced resistance to Pseudomonas bacterial infection. AtTRM11 could partially rescue the m2G nucleoside level in yeast trm11 mutant, and AtTRM11 protein mostly resided in cytosol and physically interacted with AtTRM112b in planta. AtTRM11 was mostly expressed in shoot apex, root tip, and distal end of rosette leaves. KEGG enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes between trm11 mutant and wild type indicated changes in pathways including phenopropanoid biosynthesis, plant-pathogen interaction, plant hormone signal transduction and MAPK signaling, suggesting that the pleiotropic phenotypes of the attrm11 mutant can be ascribed to translational and transcriptional changes.

Dysregulation of tRNA methylation in cancer: Mechanisms and targeting therapeutic strategies

tRNA is the RNA type that undergoes the most modifications among known RNA, and in recent years, tRNA methylation has emerged as a crucial process in regulating gene translation. Dysregulation of tRNA abundance occurs in cancer cells, along with increased expression and activity of tRNA methyltransferases to raise the level of tRNA modification and stability. This leads to hijacking of translation and synthesis of multiple proteins associated with tumor proliferation, metastasis, invasion, autophagy, chemotherapy resistance, and metabolic reprogramming. In this review, we provide an overview of current research on tRNA methylation in cancer to clarify its involvement in human malignancies and establish a theoretical framework for future therapeutic interventions targeting tRNA methylation processes.

Coordination of RNA modifications in the brain and beyond

Gene expression regulation is a critical process throughout the body, especially in the nervous system. One mechanism by which biological systems regulate gene expression is via enzyme-mediated RNA modifications, also known as epitranscriptomic regulation. RNA modifications, which have been found on nearly all RNA species across all domains of life, are chemically diverse covalent modifications of RNA nucleotides and represent a robust and rapid mechanism for the regulation of gene expression. Although numerous studies have been conducted regarding the impact that single modifications in single RNA molecules have on gene expression, emerging evidence highlights potential crosstalk between and coordination of modifications across RNA species. These potential coordination axes of RNA modifications have emerged as a new direction in the field of epitranscriptomic research. In this review, we will highlight several examples of gene regulation via RNA modification in the nervous system, followed by a summary of the current state of the field of RNA modification coordination axes. In doing so, we aim to inspire the field to gain a deeper understanding of the roles of RNA modifications and coordination of these modifications in the nervous system.

Overexpression of 18S rRNA methyltransferase CrBUD23 enhances biomass and lutein content in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Post-transcriptional modification of nucleic acids including transfer RNA (tRNA), ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and messenger RNA (mRNA) is vital for fine-tunning of mRNA translation. Methylation is one of the most widespread post-transcriptional modifications in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. HsWBSCR22 and ScBUD23 encodes a 18S rRNA methyltransferase that positively regulates cell growth by mediating ribosome maturation in human and yeast, respectively. However, presence and function of 18S rRNA methyltransferase in green algae are still elusive. Here, through bioinformatic analysis, we identified CrBUD23 as the human WBSCR22 homolog in genome of the green algae model organism Chlamydonomas reinhardtii. CrBUD23 was a conserved putative 18S rRNA methyltransferase widely exited in algae, plants, insects and mammalians. Transcription of CrBUD23 was upregulated by high light and down-regulated by low light, indicating its role in photosynthesis and energy metabolism. To characterize its biological function, coding sequence of CrBUD23 fused with a green fluorescence protein (GFP) tag was derived by 35S promoter and stably integrated into Chlamydomonas genome by glass bead-mediated transformation. Compared to C. reinhardtii wild type CC-5325, transgenic strains overexpressing CrBUD23 resulted in accelerated cell growth, thereby leading to elevated biomass, dry weight and protein content. Moreover, overexpression of CrBUD23 increased content of photosynthetic pigments but not elicit the activation of antioxidative enzymes, suggesting CrBUD23 favors growth and proliferation in the trade-off with stress responses. Bioinformatic analysis revealed the G1177 was the putative methylation site in 18S rRNA of C. reinhardtii CC-849. G1177 was conserved in other Chlamydonomas isolates, indicating the conserved methyltransferase activity of BUD23 proteins. In addition, CrTrm122, the homolog of BUD23 interactor Trm112, was found involved in responses to high light as same as CrBUD23. Taken together, our study revealed that cell growth, protein content and lutein accumulation of Chlamydomonas were positively regulated by the 18S rRNA methyltransferase CrBUD23, which could serve as a promising candidate for microalgae genetic engineering.

Required Elements in tRNA for Methylation by the Eukaryotic tRNA (Guanine-N2-) Methyltransferase (Trm11-Trm112 Complex)

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae Trm11 and Trm112 complex (Trm11-Trm112) methylates the 2-amino group of guanosine at position 10 in tRNA and forms N²-methylguanosine. To determine the elements required in tRNA for methylation by Trm11-Trm112, we prepared 60 tRNA transcript variants and tested them for methylation by Trm11-Trm112. The results show that the precursor tRNA is not a substrate for Trm11-Trm112. Furthermore, the CCA terminus is essential for methylation by Trm11-Trm112, and Trm11-Trm112 also only methylates tRNAs with a regular-size variable region. In addition, the G10-C25 base pair is required for methylation by Trm11-Trm112. The data also demonstrated that Trm11-Trm112 recognizes the anticodon-loop and that U38 in tRNA^Ala acts negatively in terms of methylation. Likewise, the U32-A38 base pair in tRNA^Cys negatively affects methylation. The only exception in our in vitro study was tRNA^Val_AAC1. Our experiments showed that the tRNA^Val_AAC1 transcript was slowly methylated by Trm11-Trm112. However, position 10 in this tRNA was reported to be unmodified G. We purified tRNA^Val_AAC1 from wild-type and trm11 gene deletion strains and confirmed that a portion of tRNA^Val_AAC1 is methylated by Trm11-Trm112 in S. cerevisiae. Thus, our study explains the m²G10 modification pattern of all S. cerevisiae class I tRNAs and elucidates the Trm11-Trm112 binding sites.

Human TRMT112-Methyltransferase Network Consists of Seven Partners Interacting with a Common Co-Factor

Methylation is an essential epigenetic modification mainly catalysed by S-Adenosyl methionine-dependent methyltransferases (MTases). Several MTases require a cofactor for their metabolic stability and enzymatic activity. TRMT112 is a small evolutionary conserved protein that acts as a co-factor and activator for different MTases involved in rRNA, tRNA and protein methylation. Using a SILAC screen, we pulled down seven methyltransferases-N6AMT1, WBSCR22, METTL5, ALKBH8, THUMPD2, THUMPD3 and TRMT11-as interaction partners of TRMT112. We showed that TRMT112 stabilises all seven MTases in cells. TRMT112 and MTases exhibit a strong mutual feedback loop when expressed together in cells. TRMT112 interacts with its partners in a similar way; however, single amino acid mutations on the surface of TRMT112 reveal several differences as well. In summary, mammalian TRMT112 can be considered as a central "hub" protein that regulates the activity of at least seven methyltransferases.

THUMPD3-TRMT112 is a m2G methyltransferase working on a broad range of tRNA substrates

Post-transcriptional modifications affect tRNA biology and are closely associated with human diseases. However, progress on the functional analysis of tRNA modifications in metazoans has been slow because of the difficulty in identifying modifying enzymes. For example, the biogenesis and function of the prevalent N2-methylguanosine (m2G) at the sixth position of tRNAs in eukaryotes has long remained enigmatic. Herein, using a reverse genetics approach coupled with RNA-mass spectrometry, we identified that THUMP domain-containing protein 3 (THUMPD3) is responsible for tRNA: m2G6 formation in human cells. However, THUMPD3 alone could not modify tRNAs. Instead, multifunctional methyltransferase subunit TRM112-like protein (TRMT112) interacts with THUMPD3 to activate its methyltransferase activity. In the in vitro enzymatic assay system, THUMPD3-TRMT112 could methylate all the 26 tested G6-containing human cytoplasmic tRNAs by recognizing the characteristic 3'-CCA of mature tRNAs. We also showed that m2G7 of tRNATrp was introduced by THUMPD3-TRMT112. Furthermore, THUMPD3 is widely expressed in mouse tissues, with an extremely high level in the testis. THUMPD3-knockout cells exhibited impaired global protein synthesis and reduced growth. Our data highlight the significance of the tRNA: m2G6/7 modification and pave a way for further studies of the role of m2G in sperm tRNA derived fragments.

A comprehensive review of m6A/m6Am RNA methyltransferase structures

Gene expression is regulated at many levels including co- or post-transcriptionally, where chemical modifications are added to RNA on riboses and bases. Expression control via RNA modifications has been termed 'epitranscriptomics' to keep with the related 'epigenomics' for DNA modification. One such RNA modification is the N6-methylation found on adenosine (m6A) and 2'-O-methyladenosine (m6Am) in most types of RNA. The N6-methylation can affect the fold, stability, degradation and cellular interaction(s) of the modified RNA, implicating it in processes such as splicing, translation, export and decay. The multiple roles played by this modification explains why m6A misregulation is connected to multiple human cancers. The m6A/m6Am writer enzymes are RNA methyltransferases (MTases). Structures are available for functionally characterized m6A RNA MTases from human (m6A mRNA, m6A snRNA, m6A rRNA and m6Am mRNA MTases), zebrafish (m6Am mRNA MTase) and bacteria (m6A rRNA MTase). For each of these MTases, we describe their overall domain organization, the active site architecture and the substrate binding. We identify areas that remain to be investigated, propose yet unexplored routes for structural characterization of MTase:substrate complexes, and highlight common structural elements that should be described for future m6A/m6Am RNA MTase structures.

Structural and functional insights into Archaeoglobus fulgidus m2G10 tRNA methyltransferase Trm11 and its Trm112 activator

tRNAs play a central role during the translation process and are heavily post-transcriptionally modified to ensure optimal and faithful mRNA decoding. These epitranscriptomics marks are added by largely conserved proteins and defects in the function of some of these enzymes are responsible for neurodevelopmental disorders and cancers. Here, we focus on the Trm11 enzyme, which forms N2-methylguanosine (m2G) at position 10 of several tRNAs in both archaea and eukaryotes. While eukaryotic Trm11 enzyme is only active as a complex with Trm112, an allosteric activator of methyltransferases modifying factors (RNAs and proteins) involved in mRNA translation, former studies have shown that some archaeal Trm11 proteins are active on their own. As these studies were performed on Trm11 enzymes originating from archaeal organisms lacking TRM112 gene, we have characterized Trm11 (AfTrm11) from the Archaeoglobus fulgidus archaeon, which genome encodes for a Trm112 protein (AfTrm112). We show that AfTrm11 interacts directly with AfTrm112 similarly to eukaryotic enzymes and that although AfTrm11 is active as a single protein, its enzymatic activity is strongly enhanced by AfTrm112. We finally describe the first crystal structures of the AfTrm11-Trm112 complex and of Trm11, alone or bound to the methyltransferase inhibitor sinefungin.

Distinct Modified Nucleosides in tRNATrp from the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Thermococcus kodakarensis and Requirement of tRNA m2G10/m2 2G10 Methyltransferase (Archaeal Trm11) for Survival at High Temperatures

tRNA m²G10/m² ₂G10 methyltransferase (archaeal Trm11) methylates the 2-amino group in guanosine at position 10 in tRNA and forms N ²,N ²-dimethylguanosine (m² ₂G10) via N ²-methylguanosine (m²G10). We determined the complete sequence of tRNA^Trp, one of the substrate tRNAs for archaeal Trm11 from Thermococcus kodakarensis, a hyperthermophilic archaeon. Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry following enzymatic digestion of tRNA^Trp identified 15 types of modified nucleoside at 21 positions. Several modifications were found at novel positions in tRNA, including 2'-O-methylcytidine at position 6, 2-thiocytidine at position 17, 2'-O-methyluridine at position 20, 5,2'-O-dimethylcytidine at position 32, and 2'-O-methylguanosine at position 42. Furthermore, methylwyosine was found at position 37 in this tRNA^Trp, although 1-methylguanosine is generally found at this location in tRNA^Trp from other archaea. We constructed trm11 (Δtrm11) and some gene disruptant strains and compared their tRNA^Trp with that of the wild-type strain, which confirmed the absence of m² ₂G10 and other corresponding modifications, respectively. The lack of 2-methylguanosine (m²G) at position 67 in the trm11 trm14 double disruptant strain suggested that this methylation is mediated by Trm14, which was previously identified as an m²G6 methyltransferase. The Δtrm11 strain grew poorly at 95°C, indicating that archaeal Trm11 is required for T. kodakarensis survival at high temperatures. The m² ₂G10 modification might have effects on stabilization of tRNA and/or correct folding of tRNA at the high temperatures. Collectively, these results provide new clues to the function of modifications and the substrate specificities of modification enzymes in archaeal tRNA, enabling us to propose a strategy for tRNA stabilization of this archaeon at high temperatures.IMPORTANCE Thermococcus kodakarensis is a hyperthermophilic archaeon that can grow at 60 to 100°C. The sequence of tRNA^Trp from this archaeon was determined by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Fifteen types of modified nucleoside were observed at 21 positions, including 5 modifications at novel positions; in addition, methylwyosine at position 37 was newly observed in an archaeal tRNA^Trp The construction of trm11 (Δtrm11) and other gene disruptant strains confirmed the enzymes responsible for modifications in this tRNA. The lack of 2-methylguanosine (m²G) at position 67 in the trm11 trm14 double disruptant strain suggested that this position is methylated by Trm14, which was previously identified as an m²G6 methyltransferase. The Δtrm11 strain grew poorly at 95°C, indicating that archaeal Trm11 is required for T. kodakarensis survival at high temperatures.

Structural insight into human N6amt1-Trm112 complex functioning as a protein methyltransferase

DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification in many organisms and can occur on cytosine or adenine. N⁶-methyladenine (6mA) exists widespreadly in bacterial genomes, which plays a vital role in the bacterial restriction-modification system. Recently, 6mA has also been reported to exist in the genomes of a variety of eukaryotes from unicellular organisms to metazoans. There were controversial reports on whether human N6amt1, which was originally reported as a glutamine MTase for eRF1, is a putative 6mA DNA MTase. We report here the crystal structure of human N6amt1–Trm112 in complex with cofactor SAM. Structural analysis shows that Trm112 binds to a hydrophobic surface of N6amt1 to stabilize its structure but does not directly contribute to substrate binding and catalysis. The active site and potential substrate-binding site of N6amt1 are dominantly negatively charged and thus are unsuitable for DNA binding. The biochemical data confirm that the complex cannot bind DNA and has no MTase activity for DNA, but exhibits activity for the methylation of Gln185 of eRF1. Our structural and biochemical data together demonstrate that N6amt1 is a bona fide protein MTase rather than a DNA MTase.

The human 18S rRNA m6A methyltransferase METTL5 is stabilized by TRMT112

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) has recently been found abundantly on messenger RNA and shown to regulate most steps of mRNA metabolism. Several important m6A methyltransferases have been described functionally and structurally, but the enzymes responsible for installing one m6A residue on each subunit of human ribosomes at functionally important sites have eluded identification for over 30 years. Here, we identify METTL5 as the enzyme responsible for 18S rRNA m6A modification and confirm ZCCHC4 as the 28S rRNA modification enzyme. We show that METTL5 must form a heterodimeric complex with TRMT112, a known methyltransferase activator, to gain metabolic stability in cells. We provide the first atomic resolution structure of METTL5-TRMT112, supporting that its RNA-binding mode differs distinctly from that of other m6A RNA methyltransferases. On the basis of similarities with a DNA methyltransferase, we propose that METTL5-TRMT112 acts by extruding the adenosine to be modified from a double-stranded nucleic acid.

The Common Partner of Several Methyltransferases TRMT112 Regulates the Expression of N6AMT1 Isoforms in Mammalian Cells

Methylation is a widespread modification occurring in DNA, RNA and proteins. The N6AMT1 (HEMK2) protein has DNA N6-methyladenine as well as the protein glutamine and histone lysine methyltransferase activities. The human genome encodes two different isoforms of N6AMT1, the major isoform and the alternatively spliced isoform, where the substrate binding motif is missing. Several RNA methyltransferases involved in ribosome biogenesis, tRNA methylation and translation interact with the common partner, the TRMT112 protein. In this study, we show that TRMT112 regulates the expression of N6AMT1 isoforms in mammalian cells. Both isoforms are equally expressed on mRNA level, but only isoform 1 is detected on the protein level in human cells. We show that the alternatively spliced isoform is not able to interact with TRMT112 and when translated, is rapidly degraded from the cells. This suggests that TRMT112 is involved in cellular quality control ensuring that N6AMT1 isoform with missing substrate binding domain is eliminated from the cells. The down-regulation of TRMT112 does not affect the N6AMT1 protein levels in cells, suggesting that the two proteins of TRMT112 network, WBSCR22 and N6AMT1, are differently regulated by their common cofactor.

To be or not to be modified: Miscellaneous aspects influencing nucleotide modifications in tRNAs

Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are essential components of the cellular protein synthesis machineries, but are also implicated in many roles outside translation. To become functional, tRNAs, initially transcribed as longer precursor tRNAs, undergo a tightly controlled biogenesis process comprising the maturation of their extremities, removal of intronic sequences if present, addition of the 3'-CCA amino-acid accepting sequence, and aminoacylation. In addition, the most impressive feature of tRNA biogenesis consists in the incorporation of a large number of posttranscriptional chemical modifications along its sequence. The chemical nature of these modifications is highly diverse, with more than hundred different modifications identified in tRNAs to date. All functions of tRNAs in cells are controlled and modulated by modifications, making the understanding of the mechanisms that determine and influence nucleotide modifications in tRNAs an essential point in tRNA biology. This review describes the different aspects that determine whether a certain position in a tRNA molecule is modified or not. We describe how sequence and structural determinants, as well as the presence of prior modifications control modification processes. We also describe how environmental factors and cellular stresses influence the level and/or the nature of certain modifications introduced in tRNAs, and report situations where these dynamic modulations of tRNA modification levels are regulated by active demodification processes. © 2019 IUBMB Life, 71(8):1126-1140, 2019.

Detection of fusion transcripts in the serum samples of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most lethal cancers in the United States. Early detection of the disease is crucial for reducing the mortality of this malignancy. Recently, we identified a panel of fusion genes present in several types of human cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma. Among 8 fusion genes, MAN2A1-FER, TRMT11-GRIK2 and CCNH-C5orf30 appear most frequently in hepatocellular carcinoma samples. In this study, we showed that the fusion transcripts of MAN2A1-FER, CCNH-C5orf30 and SLC45A2-AMACR were detected in the serum samples of liver cancer patients as circulating cell-free RNA. The distributions of these gene fusion RNA fragments largely matched those of the primary HCC samples. In contrast, the sera of all healthy individuals free of human malignancies were shown to be negative for these fusion genes. These results suggest that gene fusion RNA is frequently shed from liver cancer cells. The detection of serum cell-free fusion transcripts may provide a new approach to aid in the diagnosis, follow-up or therapy of liver cancers.

Multi-Substrate Specificity and the Evolutionary Basis for Interdependence in tRNA Editing and Methylation Enzymes

Among tRNA modification enzymes there is a correlation between specificity for multiple tRNA substrates and heteromultimerization. In general, enzymes that modify a conserved residue in different tRNA sequences adopt a heterodimeric structure. Presumably, such changes in the oligomeric state of enzymes, to gain multi-substrate recognition, are driven by the need to accommodate and catalyze a particular reaction in different substrates while maintaining high specificity. This review focuses on two classes of enzymes where the case for multimerization as a way to diversify molecular recognition can be made. We will highlight several new themes with tRNA methyltransferases and will also discuss recent findings with tRNA editing deaminases. These topics will be discussed in the context of several mechanisms by which heterodimerization may have been achieved during evolution and how these mechanisms might impact modifications in different systems.

Identification of recurrent fusion genes across multiple cancer types

Chromosome changes are one of the hallmarks of human malignancies. Chromosomal rearrangement is frequent in human cancers. One of the consequences of chromosomal rearrangement is gene fusions in the cancer genome. We have previously identified a panel of fusion genes in aggressive prostate cancers. In this study, we showed that 6 of these fusion genes are present in 7 different types of human malignancies with variable frequencies. Among them, the CCNH-C5orf30 and TRMT11-GRIK2 gene fusions were found in breast cancer, colon cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, esophageal adenocarcinoma, glioblastoma multiforme, ovarian cancer and liver cancer, with frequencies ranging from 12.9% to 85%. In contrast, four other gene fusions (mTOR-TP53BP1, TMEM135-CCDC67, KDM4-AC011523.2 and LRRC59-FLJ60017) are less frequent. Both TRMT11-GRIK2 and CCNH-C5orf30 are also frequently present in lymph node metastatic cancer samples from the breast, colon and ovary. Thus, detecting these fusion transcripts may have significant biological and clinical implications in cancer patient management.

Evolutionary insights into Trm112-methyltransferase holoenzymes involved in translation between archaea and eukaryotes

Protein synthesis is a complex and highly coordinated process requiring many different protein factors as well as various types of nucleic acids. All translation machinery components require multiple maturation events to be functional. These include post-transcriptional and post-translational modification steps and methylations are the most frequent among these events. In eukaryotes, Trm112, a small protein (COG2835) conserved in all three domains of life, interacts and activates four methyltransferases (Bud23, Trm9, Trm11 and Mtq2) that target different components of the translation machinery (rRNA, tRNAs, release factors). To clarify the function of Trm112 in archaea, we have characterized functionally and structurally its interaction network using Haloferax volcanii as model system. This led us to unravel that methyltransferases are also privileged Trm112 partners in archaea and that this Trm112 network is much more complex than anticipated from eukaryotic studies. Interestingly, among the identified enzymes, some are functionally orthologous to eukaryotic Trm112 partners, emphasizing again the similarity between eukaryotic and archaeal translation machineries. Other partners display some similarities with bacterial methyltransferases, suggesting that Trm112 is a general partner for methyltransferases in all living organisms.

Trm112, a Protein Activator of Methyltransferases Modifying Actors of the Eukaryotic Translational Apparatus

Post-transcriptional and post-translational modifications are very important for the control and optimal efficiency of messenger RNA (mRNA) translation. Among these, methylation is the most widespread modification, as it is found in all domains of life. These methyl groups can be grafted either on nucleic acids (transfer RNA (tRNA), ribosomal RNA (rRNA), mRNA, etc.) or on protein translation factors. This review focuses on Trm112, a small protein interacting with and activating at least four different eukaryotic methyltransferase (MTase) enzymes modifying factors involved in translation. The Trm112-Trm9 and Trm112-Trm11 complexes modify tRNAs, while the Trm112-Mtq2 complex targets translation termination factor eRF1, which is a tRNA mimic. The last complex formed between Trm112 and Bud23 proteins modifies 18S rRNA and participates in the 40S biogenesis pathway. In this review, we present the functions of these eukaryotic Trm112-MTase complexes, the molecular bases responsible for complex formation and substrate recognition, as well as their implications in human diseases. Moreover, as Trm112 orthologs are found in bacterial and archaeal genomes, the conservation of this Trm112 network beyond eukaryotic organisms is also discussed.