Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Volume 106, Issue 13, Pages 5088-5092Publisher
NATL ACAD SCIENCES
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0901575106
Keywords
phosphoseryl-tRNASec kinase; selenocysteine tRNA; Sep-tRNA:Sec-tRNA synthase; Trypanosoma brucei; selenoprotein
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Funding
- Swiss National Foundation [3100-067906]
- National Institutes of Health [A1028798, GM22854]
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The micronutrient selenium is found in proteins as selenocysteine (Sec), the 21st amino acid cotranslationally inserted in response to a UGA codon. In vitro studies in archaea and mouse showed that Sec-tRNA(Sec) formation is a 3-step process starting with serylation of tRNA(Sec) by seryl-tRNA synthetase (SerRS), phosphorylation of serine to form phosphoserine (Sep)-tRNA(Sec) by phosphoseryl-tRNA(Sec) kinase (PSTK), and conversion to Sec-tRNA(Sec) by SeptRNA:Sec-tRNA synthase (SepSecS). However, a complete study of eukaryotic selenoprotein synthesis has been lacking. Here, we present an analysis of Sec-tRNASec formation in the parasitic protozoon Trypanosoma brucei in vivo. Null mutants of either PSTK or SepSecS abolished selenoprotein synthesis, demonstrating the essentiality of both enzymes for Sec-tRNA(Sec) formation. Growth of the 2 knockout strains was not impaired; thus, unlike mammals, trypanosomes do not require selenoproteins for viability. Analysis of conditional RNAi strains showed that SerRS, selenophosphate synthase, and the Sec-specific elongation factor, EFSec, are also essential for selenoprotein synthesis. These results with T. brucei imply that eukaryotes have a single pathway of Sec-tRNA(Sec) synthesis that requires Sep-tRNA(Sec) as an intermediate.
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