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Method Article

An In Vitro Assay to Detect tRNA-Isopentenyl Transferase Activity

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DOI:

10.3791/58100

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October 8th, 2018

 ,  ,  ,  ,  , 
1Department of Biology, Ball State University, 2Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, 3Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan

* These authors contributed equally

In This Article

Summary

Here, we describe a protocol for the biochemical characterization of the yeast RNA-modifying enzyme, Mod5, and discuss how this protocol could be applied to other RNA-modifying enzymes.

Abstract

N6-isopentenyladenosine RNA modifications are functionally diverse and highly conserved among prokaryotes and eukaryotes. One of the most highly conserved N6-isopentenyladenosine modifications occurs at the A37 position in a subset of tRNAs. This modification improves translation efficiency and fidelity by increasing the affinity of the tRNA for the ribosome. Mutation of enzymes responsible for this modification in eukaryotes are associated with several disease states, including mitochondrial dysfunction and cancer. Therefore, understanding the substrate specificity and biochemical activities of these enzymes is important for understanding of normal and pathologic eukaryotic biology. A diverse array of methods has been employed to characterize i6A modifications. Herein is described a direct approach for the detection of isopentenylation by Mod5. This method utilizes incubation of RNAs with a recombinant isopentenyl transferase, followed by RNase T1 digestion, and 1-dimensional gel electrophoresis analysis to detect i6A modifications. In addition, the potential adaptability of this protocol to characterize other RNA-modifying enzymes is discussed.

Introduction

At least 163 distinct posttranscriptional RNA modifications have been identified, with these modifications conferring diverse and context-dependent functions to RNAs, directly influencing RNA structure, and affecting interactions of RNA with other molecules1,2. As the appreciation for the number and variety of RNA modifications increases, it is critical to develop assays that can reliably interrogate both the RNA modifications and the enzymes that catalyze them.

One of the first RNA modifications to be identified occurs at base 37 in tRNAs, adjacent to the anti-codon on the 3' side3,4. An isopentenyl group is transferred from dimethylallylpyrophosphate (DMAPP) to the N6 position of adenosine 37 (i6A37) 3,5 on a subset of both cytoplasmic and mitochondrial tRNAs. i6A37 improves translation fidelity and efficiency by increasing the tRNA's affinity for the ribosome4,6 and i6A37 is important for stress response in bacteria7. The enzymes that perform this modification are termed tRNA isopentenyl transferases and are highly conserved in bacteria8,9, fungi10, worms11, plants12, and higher eukaryotes13, including humans14.

Mutations in the human tRNA isopentenyl transferase gene, TRIT1, are associated with human disease. For example, a mutation in TRIT1 is correlated with a severe mitochondrial disease, likely caused by a defect in mitochondrial protein synthesis15,16. Furthermore, TRIT1 has been described as a tumor suppressor gene17,18 and is implicated in several types of cancers including melanoma19, breast20, gastric21, and lung cancers22,23. Finally, TRIT1 and Mod5 (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) isopentenyl transferases are aggregation-prone proteins that form prion-like amyloid fibers24,25,26. These observations potentially implicate tRNA isopentenyl transferases in neurodegenerative diseases, although direct evidence for this has not yet been shown.

Given the role that isopentenyl transferases play in translation and disease, methods that directly measure i6A isopentenyl transferase activity are important for a mechanistic understanding of these enzymes under normal and disease states. An increasing number of methods are available to detect i6A RNA modifications, including in vitro isopentenylation assays, positive hybridization in the absence of i6A (PHA6) assays, thin layer chromatography (TLC), amino acid acceptance activity assays, and mass spectrometry approaches (Reviewed in Ref. 4).

An in vitro isopentenylation assay has been described that utilizes 14C-DMAPP and unlabeled tRNAs. In this assay, radioactive carbon is transferred to RNA from 14C-DMAPP by the isopentenyl transferase. While this assay is highly sensitive, it is often difficult to determine the specific residue that is modified9,20,27. PHA6 assays rely on the bulky i6A modification interfering with hybridization of a 32P-labeled probe spanning the modified residue. As such, hybridization is greater in the absence of an i6A modification18,28,29. PHA6 assays are highly sensitive, and capable of analyzing total RNA extracted from cellular lysates. Additionally, the ability to design probes specific to the RNA of interest gives this method substantial target flexibility. However, PHA6 assays are limited to the characterization of modifications that occur on residues within the targeted region of the probe and therefore are less likely to identify novel modification sites. In addition, as absence of binding is indicative of modification, other modifications or mutations that affect RNA binding will confound data analysis.

Another approach combines benzyl DEAE cellulose (BD) cellulose chromatography with amino acid acceptance activity as a readout of i6A modifications in tRNA30. This approach directly assays the function of the i6A modification, but it is an indirect approach to detect i6A modification and lacks resolution to map modifications to a specific residue in the RNA. A TLC approach has been used to detect total tRNA i6A modifications. In this approach, internally 32P-labeled tRNAs are digested to single nucleotides and two-dimensional TLC analysis is used to identify isopentenylation. This approach is highly sensitive in detecting total i6A in a given RNA sample but upon digestion, all sequence information is lost; thus, the investigator has no way of determining which residues have been modified31.

More recently, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods have been developed that quantitatively compare total RNA modifications between species, cell types, and experimental conditions32,33,34. A limitation of this methodology is that it is less able to determine the identity and position within the RNA from which the modified nucleoside was derived34. Furthermore, the expertise and equipment necessary to execute these experiments limit the practicality of this approach.

In addition, several next-generation sequencing technologies have been developed to map RNA modifications transcriptome-wide34. Immunoprecipitation of RNAs with antibodies specific to a particular modification (RIP-Seq) enable the investigator to identify all sequences containing a specific modification35,36. Additionally, reverse transcriptase-based approaches such as Chem-Seq and non-random mismatch sequencing rely on perturbations of the reverse transcription reaction at the modified residues37,38,39. Despite the advantage of these techniques to map RNA modifications transcriptome-wide, RIP-seq and Chem-Seq technologies are limited by the lack of reliable antibodies or reactive chemicals available for each specific modification, respectively34. Furthermore, reverse transcriptase enzymes required to perform Chem-Seq and non-random mismatch sequencing techniques can be impeded by stable RNA structures. The highly modified and structurally stable nature of tRNAs make them especially difficult to interrogate using these techniques. To date, next-generation sequencing-based technologies have not yet been utilized to map i6A modifications34.

Herein, we describe a simple and direct approach to detect i6A tRNA modifications in vitro. This method utilizes incubation of RNAs with recombinant S. cerevisiae isopentenyl transferase (Mod5), followed by RNase T1 digestion, and 1-dimensional gel electrophoresis analysis to map i6A modifications. This approach is direct and requires little specialized expertise to analyze the data. Furthermore, this method is adaptable to other RNA modifying enzymes, including enzymes that covalently change the molecular weight of RNA or an RNA's mobility through a gel.

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Protocol

NOTE: The protocol was adapted from Ref. 24.

1. Obtain RNA and Enzyme of Interest

  1. Use in vitro transcribed RNAs internally labeled with 32P, and recombinant His6-Mod5 expressed in and purified from E. coli, as previously described24.
    1. Introduce in vitro transcribed RNAs (section 3) using T7 RNA polymerase in the presence of unlabeled ATP, UTP, CTP, GTP and 10 µCi of gel-purified, ethanol-precipitated α-ATP, resuspended in 1x TE (10 mM Tris-HCl pH 7.5, 0.1 mM EDTA), and stored at -80 °C24.
  2. Alternatively, obtain commercially available fluorescently labeled RNAs of interest. Produce the enzyme(s) of interest in any preferred expression system.
    Caution: Internal fluorescent tags in the RNA can alter RNA structure and recognition by enzymes.

2. Prepare a 20% Polyacrylamide Denaturing Gel

Note: In order to obtain sufficient resolution of RNA fragments, a 40 cm length vertical slab gel is recommended. The width of the gel used is determined by the number of samples to be analyzed.

  1. Thoroughly clean glass plates. First, wash with soap and water, rinse well with deionized water, and finally clean with isopropanol and lint-free wipes.
  2. Assemble the plates and spacers.
  3. Mix the following reagents to make 100 mL of 20% acrylamide, 7.5 M urea, 1x TBE gel: 80 mL of urea gel concentrate (237.5 g/L of acrylamide, 12.5 g/L of methylene bisacrylamide, 7.5 M urea in deionized water), 10 mL of urea gel diluent (7.5M urea in deionized water), and 10 mL of urea gel buffer (0.89 M Tris-Borate-20 mM EDTA buffer pH 8.3 and 7.5 M urea).
    NOTE: The volume of gel solution must be adjusted according to the dimensions of gel.
  4. Add 40 µL of N,N,N′,N′-Tetramethylethylenediamine (TEMED) and 800 µL of freshly prepared 10% ammonium persulfate (APS).
  5. Draw gel solution up into a large syringe and dispense between glass plates. Tap on glass with fingers while pouring to prevent bubble formation.
  6. Allow gel to solidify for 30 min.
  7. Clamp solidified gel onto vertical gel apparatus using binder clips.
  8. Fill upper and lower buffer chambers with 1x TBE.
  9. Two hours prior to loading the gel, pre-run the gel at 20 mA, for 2 h to allow the buffer boundary to outrun the smallest oligonucleotides - otherwise the smallest nucleotides and oligonucleotides tend to collapse at the buffer front.

3. RNA Isopentenylation Assay

  1. Prepare reactions in a final volume of 17 µL, containing 58 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.2), 1.2 mM ATP, 5.8 mM MgCl2, 0.2 mM DMAPP, 10 U of RNase inhibitor (e.g., SuperRNaseIn), 40,000 CPM of internally 32P-labeled RNA, 5.3 µM Mod5, and 1.2 mM 2-mercaptoethanol.
  2. Incubate reactions at 37 °C for 1 h.
  3. Ethanol-precipitate RNAs using 2.5 volumes (42.5 µL) of 100% ethanol and 1/10 volumes (1.7 µL) of 3.5 M sodium acetate pH 5.5, and place at -20 °C for 1 h or overnight.
  4. Centrifuge RNA samples for 20 min at 15,400 x g and 4 °C.
  5. Carefully remove the supernatant and wash the RNA pellet with 500 µL of 70% ethanol.
  6. Centrifuge samples at for 5 min 15,400 x g and 4°C.
  7. Carefully remove the supernatant and air-dry RNA pellets for 15 min, or until all ethanol has evaporated.
  8. Resuspend RNA pellets in 10 µL of 8 M urea.
  9. Add 150 U of RNase T1 and incubate at 37 °C overnight.
  10. Add 2 µL of 6x loading buffer (60% glycerol, 0.1% xylene cyanol).
  11. Load 10 µL of each RNA sample on a pre-run, 20% polyacrylamide, 7.5 M urea gel (see section 2 of Protocol).
    NOTE: Radiolabeled RNA size ladders may be included as an additional mobility marker.
  12. Run gel for 2 h at 25 mA.
  13. Stop gel and remove from apparatus.
  14. Break seal between the two glass plates and remove one of the glass plates, with the gel remaining on the "bottom" plate.
    NOTE: Take care not to tear the gel during this step.
  15. Place a layer of plastic wrap over the gel and expose on a phosphor screen for 3 h. Alternatively, place gel on chromatography paper and dry with a gel dryer prior to phosphor screen exposure.
  16. Image phosphor screen on a phosphor imager.

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Results

Mod5 was incubated with a tyrosine tRNA or serine tRNA in the presence or absence of DMAPP. Following the modification reaction, products were RNase T1-digested, which cleaves the 3' end of all guanosines leaving a 3' guanosine monophosphates (GMP)24 (Figure 1). Full digestion of the RNAs produces a predictable pattern of radiolabeled fragments (Figure 2A), which are then resolved on a 20%...

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Discussion

RNA modifications continue to be shown to play ever more important and diverse roles in cellular and organismal function. As such, the development of assays to interrogate RNA modifying enzymes is central to better understanding the fundamental aspects of biology. This protocol describes a high-resolution in vitro assay to characterize the tRNA modification activity of Mod5.

This protocol has the distinct advantage of providing a direct, and easily interpretable readout of isopentenyl...

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Disclosures

None to disclose.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr. David Engelke for his guidance and helpful comments on this manuscript. PJS - Ball State University laboratory startup funds; DAB - grant 1R15AI130950-01.

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Materials

List of materials used in this article
NameCompanyCatalog NumberComments
Reagents
UreaGel ConcentrateNational DiagnosticsEC-833As part of a kit
UreaGel DiluentNational DiagnosticsEC-833As part of a kit
UreaGel BufferNational DiagnosticsEC-833As part of a kit
10x TBENational DiagnosticsEC-833As part of a kit
Ammonium persulfate (APS)Sigma-Aldrich7727-54-0
N,N,N′,N′-Tetramethylethylenediamine (TMED)Sigma-AldrichT9281
Tris baseSigma-AldrichT1503
Boric acidSigma-Aldrich10043-35-3
EDTASigma-Aldrich60-00-4
ATPSigma-Aldrich34369-07-8
MgCl2Sigma-Aldrich7786-30-3
DMAPPCaymen Chemical1186-30-7
Super RNaseINThermoFisher ScientificAM2694
2-mercaptoethanolSigma-Aldrich60-24-2
EthanolSigma-Aldrich64-17-5
Sodiume acetateSigma-Aldrich127-09-3
Rnase T1ThermoFisher ScientificEN0541
GlycerolSigma-Aldrich56-81-5
Xylene cyanolSigma-Aldrich2650-17-1
Equipment and Supplies
Short glass plates (20-40 cm W x 40 cm L)The Gel Company
Long glass plates (20-40 cm W x 40 cm L)The Gel Company
Vertical gel apparatusThe Gel CompanyS2-3040
50 mL disposable syringeFisher Scientific03-377-26
Stainless steel binder clipsIdea Scientific1066
PhosphoscreenSigma-Aldrich28-9564-74
Plastic wrap(local grocery store)

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RNA Modification AssayIn Vitro DetectionPolyacrylamide Gel ElectrophoresisRNase T1 DigestionRNA IsopentenylationMod5 Enzyme ActivityRadioactive RNA LabelingDMAPP SubstrateGel Electrophoresis Analysis
An In Vitro Assay to Detect tRNA-Isopentenyl Transferase Activity
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