title: A tRNA-derived fragment competes with mRNA for ribosome binding and regulates translation during stress.
abstract: Posttranscriptional processing of RNA molecules is a common strategy to enlarge the structural and functional repertoire of RNomes observed in all 3 domains of life. Fragmentation of RNA molecules of basically all functional classes has been reported to yield smaller non-protein coding RNAs (ncRNAs) that typically possess different roles compared with their parental transcripts. Here we show that a valine tRNA-derived fragment (Val-tRF) that is produced under certain stress conditions in the halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii is capable of binding to the small ribosomal subunit. As a consequence of Val-tRF binding mRNA is displaced from the initiation complex which results in global translation attenuation in vivo and in vitro. The fact that the archaeal Val-tRF also inhibits eukaryal as well as bacterial protein biosynthesis implies a functionally conserved mode of action. While tRFs and tRNA halves have been amply identified in recent RNA-seq project, Val-tRF described herein represents one of the first functionally characterized tRNA processing products to date.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Bern , Freiestrasse, Bern , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gebetsberger
authors.affiliation: a Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Bern , Freiestrasse, Bern , Switzerland.|b Graduate School for Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern , Bern , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Leander
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wyss
authors.affiliation: a Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Bern , Freiestrasse, Bern , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Anna M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Mleczko
authors.affiliation: a Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Bern , Freiestrasse, Bern , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reuther
authors.affiliation: a Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry , University of Bern , Freiestrasse, Bern , Switzerland.
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Polacek
mesh_terms: D019848:Gene Expression Regulation, Archaeal; D019622:Haloferax volcanii / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008958:Models, Molecular; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D019642:RNA, Archaeal / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D012366:RNA, Transfer, Val / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D012270:Ribosomes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D013312:Stress, Physiological
chemical_list: D019642:RNA, Archaeal; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012366:RNA, Transfer, Val
keywords: Ribosome; ribosome-associated ncRNA; tRNA-derived fragments; translation regulation