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Potential functions of aminoacyl‐tRNA synthetases in apoptosis
Author(s) -
White Aubrey Renee,
Rothman Joel H,
Perona John J
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.20.5.a901-a
Subject(s) - caenorhabditis elegans , biology , rna interference , transfer rna , aminoacyl trna synthetase , mutant , sterility , genetics , phenotype , amino acid , programmed cell death , protein biosynthesis , microbiology and biotechnology , apoptosis , biochemistry , rna , gene
Aminoacyl‐tRNA synthetases are required for the formation of aminoacylated tRNAs, which are essential substrates for protein synthesis. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans , preliminary data from RNA interference (RNAi) screens have implicated several tRNA synthetases in the process of apoptosis, or programmed cell death. Nine of the tRNA synthetases screened have shown a suppression of sterility phenotype in ced‐4(‐) mutant C. elegans progeny, in contrast to a total sterility phenotype in wild type (N2) C. elegans progeny. CED‐4, an Apaf‐1 homologue, is one of the critical components of the apoptotic cascade in C. elegans . One of the candidate tRNA synthetases, cysteinyl‐tRNA synthetase‐1 (CRS‐1), has a novel 160 amino acid N‐terminal extension as compared to its homologs in H. sapiens, D. melanogaster, M. musculus, S. cerevisiae and E. coli , suggesting a possible novel function in mediating apoptosis. The potential new interaction between CRS‐1 and CED‐4 is being further investigated by genetic and biochemical approaches.