title: Unusual usage of wobble modifications in mitochondrial tRNAs of the nematode Ascaris suum.
abstract: To understand the decoding property of nematode mitochondrial tRNAs with unusual secondary structures, post-transcriptional modifications at wobble positions of Ascaris suum mitochondrial tRNAs corresponding to two-codon families ending with a purine were analyzed. 5-Carboxymethylaminomethyluridine (cmnm(5)U) was identified at the wobble positions of tRNA(Lys), tRNA(Glu) and tRNA(Gln), while 5-carboxymethylaminomethyl-2-thiouridine (cmnm(5)s(2)U) was present in tRNA(UAA)(Leu)andtRNA(Trp). In most bacterial and mitochondrial tRNAs, the 2-thiouridine derivative is present in tRNAs for Lys, Glu and Gln. These is no report that cmnm(5)s(2)U is used in tRNA(UAA)(Leu)andtRNA(Trp). The unusual usage of wobble modifications might assist decoding of nematode mitochondrial mRNAs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sakurai
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohtsuki
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Kimitsuna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017165:Ascaris suum / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D017931:DNA Primers; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D012343:RNA, Transfer / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D012343:RNA, Transfer