title: Cutting, dicing, healing and sealing: the molecular surgery of tRNA.
abstract: All organisms encode transfer RNAs (tRNAs) that are synthesized as precursor molecules bearing extra sequences at their 5' and 3' ends; some tRNAs also contain introns, which are removed by splicing. Despite commonality in what the ultimate goal is (i.e., producing a mature tRNA), mechanistically, tRNA splicing differs between Bacteria and Archaea or Eukarya. The number and position of tRNA introns varies between organisms and even between different tRNAs within the same organism, suggesting a degree of plasticity in both the evolution and persistence of modern tRNA splicing systems. Here we will review recent findings that not only highlight nuances in splicing pathways but also provide potential reasons for the maintenance of introns in tRNA. Recently, connections between defects in the components of the tRNA splicing machinery and medically relevant phenotypes in humans have been reported. These differences will be discussed in terms of the importance of splicing for tRNA function and in a broader context on how tRNA splicing defects can often have unpredictable consequences.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia em Entomologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Instituto de Bioquímica Médica Leopoldo de Meis, Programa de Biotecnologia e Biologia Molecular, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Raphael R S
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Lopes
authors.forename: Alan C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Kessler
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Polycarpo
authors.forename: Juan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Alfonzo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001105:Archaea / Q000235:genetics; D001419:Bacteria / Q000235:genetics; D004720:Endonucleases / Q000502:physiology; D007438:Introns / Q000502:physiology; D008957:Models, Genetic; D010770:Phosphotransferases / Q000502:physiology; D012326:RNA Splicing; D012343:RNA, Transfer / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D012343:RNA, Transfer; D010770:Phosphotransferases; D004720:Endonucleases