The Arabidopsis TRM61/TRM6 complex is a bona fide tRNA N1-methyladenosine methyltransferase.

tRNA molecules, which contain the most abundant post-transcriptional modifications, are crucial for proper gene expression and protein biosynthesis. Methylation at N1 of adenosine 58 (A58) is critical for maintaining the stability of initiator methionyl-tRNA (tRNAiMet) in bacterial, archaeal, and eukaryotic tRNAs. However, although research has been conducted in yeast and mammals, it remains unclear how A58 in plant tRNAs is modified and involved in development. In this study, we identify the nucleus-localized complex AtTRM61/AtTRM6 in Arabidopsis as tRNA m1A58 methyltransferase. Deficiency or a lack of either AtTRM61 or AtTRM6 leads to embryo arrest and seed abortion. The tRNA m1A level decreases in conditionally complemented Attrm61/LEC1pro::AtTRM61 plants and this is accompanied by reduced levels of tRNAiMet, indicating the importance of the tRNA m1A modification for tRNAiMet stability. Taken together, our results demonstrate that tRNA m1A58 modification is necessary for tRNAiMet stability and is required for embryo development in Arabidopsis. © The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Citation

Jun Tang, Pengfei Jia, Peiyong Xin, Jinfang Chu, Dong-Qiao Shi, Wei-Cai Yang. The Arabidopsis TRM61/TRM6 complex is a bona fide tRNA N1-methyladenosine methyltransferase. Journal of experimental botany. 2020 May 30;71(10):3024-3036

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PMID: 32095811

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