The complete set of tRNA species in Nanoarchaeum equitans

Abstract: The archaeal parasite Nanoarchaeum equitans was found to generate five tRNA species via a unique process requiring the assembly of seperate 5′ and 3′ tRNA halves [Randau, L., Münch, R., Hohn, M.J., Jahn, D. and Söll, D. (2005) Nanoarchaeum equitans creates functional tRNAs from separate genes for their 5′- and 3′-halves. Nature 433, 537–541]. Biochemical evidence was missing for one of the computationally-predicted, joined tRNAs designated as tRNA Trp . Our RT-PCR and sequencing results identify this tRNA as tRNA Lys (CUU) joined at the alternative position between bases 30 and 31. We show that the intron-containing tRNA Trp was misidentified in the initial Nanoarchaeum equitans genome annotation [E. Waters et al. (2003) The genome of Nanoarchaeum equitans: insights into early archaeal evolution and derived parasitism. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100, 12984–12988]. Along with a previously unidentified joined tRNA Gln (UUG), Nanoarchaeum equitans exhibits 44 tRNAs and is enabled to read all 61 sense codons. Features unique to this set of tRNA molecules are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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