An Alternative Role of RluD in the Fidelity of Translation Initiation in Escherichia coli.

The fidelity of initiator tRNA (i-tRNA) selection in the ribosomal P-site is a key step in translation initiation. The highly conserved three consecutive G:C base pairs (3GC pairs) in the i-tRNA anticodon stem play a crucial role in its selective binding in the P-site. Mutations in the 3GC pairs (3GC mutant) render the i-tRNA inactive in initiation. Here, we show that a mutation (E265K) in the unique C-terminal tail domain of RluD, a large ribosomal subunit pseudouridine synthase, results in compromised fidelity of initiation and allows initiation with the 3GC mutant i-tRNA. RluD modifies the uridine residues in H69 to pseudouridines. However, the role of its C-terminal tail domain remained unknown. The E265K mutation does not diminish the pseudouridine synthase activity of RluD, or the growth phenotype of Escherichia coli, or cause any detectable defects in the ribosomal assembly in our assays. However, in our in vivo analyses, we observed that the E265K mutation resulted in increased retention of the ribosome binding factor A (RbfA) on 30S suggesting a new role of RluD in contributing to RbfA release, a function which may be attributed to its (RluD) C-terminal tail domain. The studies also reveal that deficiency of RbfA release from 30S compromises the fidelity of i-tRNA selection in the ribosomal P-site.

Emerging roles of RNA modifications in bacteria.

RNA modifications are known to abound in stable tRNA and rRNA, where they cluster around functionally important regions. However, RNA-seq based techniques profiling entire transcriptomes are now uncovering an abundance of modified ribonucleotides in mRNAs and noncoding RNAs, too. While most of the recent progress in understanding the regulatory influence of these new RNA modifications stems from eukaryotes, there is growing evidence in bacteria for modified nucleotides beyond the stable RNA species, including modifications of small regulatory RNAs. Given their small genome size, good genetic tractability, and ample knowledge of modification enzymes, bacteria offer excellent model systems to decipher cellular functions of RNA modifications in many diverse physiological contexts. This review highlights how new global approaches combining classic analysis with new sequencing techniques may usher in an era of bacterial epitranscriptomics.