Eukaryotic tRNAs fingerprint invertebrates vis-à-vis vertebrates

J Biomol Struct Dyn. 2015;33(10):2104-20. doi: 10.1080/07391102.2014.990925. Epub 2015 Jan 12.

Abstract

During translation, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases recognize the identities of the tRNAs to charge them with their respective amino acids. The conserved identities of 58,244 eukaryotic tRNAs of 24 invertebrates and 45 vertebrates in genomic tRNA database were analyzed and their novel features extracted. The internal promoter sequences, namely, A-Box and B-Box, were investigated and evidence gathered that the intervention of optional nucleotides at 17a and 17b correlated with the optimal length of the A-Box. The presence of canonical transcription terminator sequences at the immediate vicinity of tRNA genes was ventured. Even though non-canonical introns had been reported in red alga, green alga, and nucleomorph so far, fairly motivating evidence of their existence emerged in tRNA genes of other eukaryotes. Non-canonical introns were seen to interfere with the internal promoters in two cases, questioning their transcription fidelity. In a first of its kind, phylogenetic constructs based on tRNA molecules delineated and built the trees of the vast and diverse invertebrates and vertebrates. Finally, two tRNA models representing the invertebrates and the vertebrates were drawn, by isolating the dominant consensus in the positional fluctuations of nucleotide compositions.

Keywords: conserved and identity elements of Eukaryotic tRNAs; eukaryotic tRNA model; internal promoter; non-canonical intron; tRNA based phylogeny; transcription termination signal.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases / chemistry*
  • Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases / genetics
  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Binding Sites
  • Databases, Genetic
  • Evolution, Molecular
  • Fungi / classification
  • Fungi / genetics*
  • Invertebrates / classification
  • Invertebrates / genetics*
  • Models, Biological
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Nucleic Acid Conformation
  • Phylogeny
  • Plants / classification
  • Plants / genetics*
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic
  • Protein Binding
  • RNA, Transfer / chemistry*
  • RNA, Transfer / genetics
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Transcription, Genetic
  • Vertebrates / classification
  • Vertebrates / genetics*

Substances

  • RNA, Transfer
  • Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases