Schizosaccharomyces pombe possesses two paralogous valyl-tRNA synthetase genes of mitochondrial origin

Wen Chih Chiu, Chia Pei Chang, Wei Ling Wen, Shao Win Wang, Chien Chia Wang

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15 Scopus citations

Abstract

Previous studies showed that VAS1 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes both cytosolic and mitochondrial forms of valyl-tRNA synthetase (ValRS) through alternative initiation of translation. We show herein that except for Schizosaccharomyces pombe, all yeast species studied contained a single ValRS gene encoding both forms, and all of the mature protein forms deduced from those genes possessed an N-terminal appended domain (Ad) that was absent from their bacterial relatives. In contrast, S. pombe contained two distinct nuclear ValRS genes, one encoding the mitochondrial form and the other its cytosolic counterpart. Although the cytosolic form closely resembles other yeast ValRS sequences (∼60% identity), the mitochondrial form exhibits significant divergence from others (∼35% identity). Both genes are active and essential for the survival of the yeast. Most conspicuously, the mitochondrial form lacks the characteristic Ad. A phylogenetic analysis further suggested that both forms of S. pombe ValRS are of mitochondrial origin, and the mitochondrial form is ancestral to the cytoplasmic form.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1415-1424
Number of pages10
JournalMolecular Biology and Evolution
Volume27
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - 2010

Keywords

  • Aminoacylation
  • Appended domain
  • Mitochondrial localization
  • TRNA binding
  • Valyl-tRNA synthetase

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