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Effects of tRNA[Ser]Sec anticodon stem loop modifications on selenoprotein expression

ABSTRACT: Expression of selenoproteins requires the co-translational incorporation of selenocysteine (Sec) in response to an in-frame UGA codon. The machinery of UGA/Sec re-coding is complex and many factors affect the hierarchy of expression among selenoproteins, including modification of tRNA[Ser]Sec. Its hyper-modification in the anticodon stem loop is influenced by selenium bioavailability, and a mutation in adenosine 37 (A37) that abrogates isopentenylation, has a profound effect on selenoprotein expression in mice. Patients with mutations in tRNA-isopentenyl-transferase (TRIT1) show a severe neurological disorder and hence we wondered whether mutations in TRIT1 negatively affected the expression of selenoproteins. Fibroblasts from a patient carrying a pathogenic R323Q mutation in TRIT1 in homozygosity did not show decreased selenoprotein expression, although recombinant TRIT1R323Q had significantly reduced activity in vitro towards anticodon stem-loop substrates. We thus engineered mice conditionally deficient in Trit1 in hepatocytes and neurons. Selenoprotein expression as assessed by western blotting, 75Se metabolic labeling, and ribosomal profiling was not decreased despite the general reduction of N6-isopentenyl-adenosine in tRNAs. We show that 5-methylcarboxymethylation and 2’O-methylation of U34 occur independently of isopentenylation of A37 in tRNA[Ser]Sec. Reanalyzing previously published ribosomal profiling datasets, we demonstrate that (i) failure of 5-carboxymethylation at U34 is associated with reduced expression of GPX1, but not GPX4, and that (ii) FTSJ1 is not the elusive U34-2’O-methyltransferase involved in the methylation of tRNA[Ser]Sec.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE183923 | GEO | 2021/11/17

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Selenoproteins are a small family of proteins containing the trace element selenium in form of the rare amino acid selenocysteine (Sec), which is decoded by the UGA codon. In humans, a number of pathogenic mutations in genes encoding distinct selenoproteins or selenoprotein biosynthesis factors have been identified. Pathogenic mutations in selenocysteine synthase (SEPSECS), which catalyzes the last step in Sec-tRNA[Ser]Sec biosynthesis, were reported in children suffering from progressive cerebello-cerebral atrophy. To understand the underlying mechanisms of SEPSECS mutations, we generated a novel mouse model recapitulating the respective human pathogenic Y334C mutation in the murine Sepsecs gene (SepsecsY334C). Unlike in patients, homozygous mutant pups died perinatally with signs of cardio-respiratory failure. Perinatal death is reminiscent of the Sedaghatian spondylometaphyseal dysplasia disorder in humans, which is caused by inactivating mutations of the gene encoding the selenoprotein and key ferroptosis regulator glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4). Protein expression levels of distinct selenoproteins in SepsecsY334C/Y334C mice were found to be generally reduced in brain and isolated cortical neurons, while transcriptomics analysis uncovered an upregulation of NRF2-regulated genes. Crossbreeding of SepsecsY334C/Y334C mice with mice harboring a targeted mutation of the catalytically active site Sec to Cys in GPX4 surprisingly rescued perinatal death of SepsecsY334C/Y334C mice, showing that the cardio-respiratory defects of Sepsecs-mutant mice were caused by the lack of GPX4. Like in SepsecsY334C/Y334C mice, selenoprotein expression levels remained low and NRF2-regulated genes remained highly expressed in these compound mutant mice, indicating that selenium-independent GPX4, along with a sustained antioxidant response are sufficient to compensate for dysfunctional Sec-tRNA[Ser]Sec biosynthesis. Our findings imply that children with mutations in SEPSECS or GPX4 may benefit from treatments partially compensating for impaired GPX4 activity.

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Effects of tRNA[Ser]Sec anticodon stem loop modifications on selenoprotein expression

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