Tertiary structure of bacterial selenocysteine tRNA

Abstract

Selenocysteine (Sec) is translationally incorporated into proteins in response to the UGA codon. The tRNA specific to Sec (tRNASec) is first ligated with serine by seryl-tRNA synthetase (SerRS). In the present study, we determined the 3.1 Å crystal structure of the tRNASec from the bacterium Aquifex aeolicus, in complex with the heterologous SerRS from the archaeon Methanopyrus kandleri. The bacterial tRNASec assumes the L-shaped structure, from which the long extra arm protrudes. Although the D-arm conformation and the extra-arm orientation are similar to those of eukaryal/archaeal tRNASecs, A. aeolicus tRNASec has unique base triples, G14:C21:U8 and C15:G20a:G48, which occupy the positions corresponding to the U8:A14 and R15:Y48 tertiary base pairs of canonical tRNAs. Methanopyrus kandleri SerRS exhibited serine ligation activity toward A. aeolicus tRNASec in vitro. The SerRS N-terminal domain interacts with the extra-arm stem and the outer corner of tRNASec. Similar interactions exist in the reported tRNASer and SerRS complex structure from the bacterium Thermus thermophilus. Although the catalytic C-terminal domain of M. kandleri SerRS lacks interactions with A. aeolicus tRNASec in the present complex structure, the conformational flexibility of SerRS is likely to allow the CCA terminal region of tRNASec to enter the SerRS catalytic site.