The t⁶A modification acts as a positive determinant for the anticodon nuclease PrrC, and is distinctively nonessential in Streptococcus mutans.

ABSTRACT: Endoribonuclease toxins (ribotoxins) are produced by bacteria and fungi to respond to stress, eliminate non-self competitor species, or interdict virus infection. PrrC is a bacterial ribotoxin that targets and cleaves tRNA^Lys_UUU in the anticodon loop. In vitro studies suggested that the post-transcriptional modification threonylcarbamoyl adenosine (t⁶A) is required for PrrC activity but this prediction had never been validated in vivo. Here, by using t⁶A-deficient yeast derivatives, it is shown that t⁶A is a positive determinant for PrrC proteins from various bacterial species. Streptococcus mutans is one of the few bacteria where the t⁶A synthesis gene tsaE (brpB) is dispensable and its genome encodes a PrrC toxin. We had p

SUBMITTER: Bacusmo JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6103680 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature