Hyperactive Editing Domain Variants Switch the Stereospecificity of Tyrosyl-tRNA Synthetase

d-Amino acids are excluded at three different steps during protein synthesis: the aminoacylation of tRNA, binding of aminoacyl-tRNAs to EF-Tu, and selection of the aminoacyl-tRNA by the ribosome. We previously altered the enantioselectivity of tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase (TyrRS) by inserting the editing domain from phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase (FRSed) between Gly 161 and Ile 162 in tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase (the editing domain hydrolyzes l-Tyr-tRNA but not d-Tyr-tRNA). In this paper, we test the hypothesis that the enantioselectivity of this TyrRS-FRSed chimera can be shifted further toward the formation of d-Tyr-tRNA by introducing activating mutations into the editing site. Yokoyama and colleagues previously identified six alanine substitutions in phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase that increase its editing activity.1 We have introduced these alanine substitutions into TyrRS-FRSed in various combinations, generating 14 different variants. To analyze their editing activity, we developed a continuous, spectrophotometric, steady-state post-transfer editing assay in which l-Tyr-tRNA is generated in situ, resulting in the release of one molecule of AMP during each editing cycle. Post-transfer editing is monitored by coupling the release of AMP to the reduction of NAD(+) (via the actions of AMP deaminase and IMP dehydrogenase), resulting in an increase in absorbance at 340 nm. In general, TyrRS-FRSed variants containing two activating mutations are the most active, with additional alanine substitutions decreasing the activity of the editing domain. Linear free energy relationships indicate that high kcat values are correlated with high binding affinities for l-Tyr-tRNA. Lastly, competition assays indicate that at least one TyrRS-FRSed variant (F145A/S211A) preferentially aminoacylates tRNA with d-tyrosine, demonstrating that the enantioselectivity of tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase can be inverted using hyperactive editing domains.