In the course of a systematic survey of wheat mitochondrial tRNA genes, we have sequenced chloroplast-like serine (trnS-GGA), phenylalanine (trnF-GAA) and cysteine (trnC-GCA) tRNA genes and their flanking regions. These genes are remnants of 'promiscuous' chloroplast DNA that has been incorporated into wheat mtDNA in the course of its evolution. Each gene differs by one or a few nucleotides fro...

Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are present in all types of cells as well as in organelles. tRNAs of animal mitochondria show a low level of primary sequence conservation and exhibit 'bizarre' secondary structures, lacking complete domains of the common cloverleaf. Such sequences are hard to detect and hence frequently missed in computational analyses and mitochondrial genome annotation. Here, we introdu...

MOTIVATION Mitochondrial genomes encode their own transfer RNAs (tRNAs). These are often degenerate in sequence and structure compared to tRNAs in their bacterial ancestors. This is one of the reasons why current tRNA gene predictor programs perform poorly identifying mitochondrial tRNA genes. As a consequence there is a need for a new program with the specific aim of predicting these tRNAs. ...

Mutations in human mitochondrial DNA are often associated with incurable human neuromuscular diseases. Among these mutations, an important number have been identified in tRNA genes, including 29 in the gene MT-TL1 coding for the tRNA(Leu(UUR)). The m.3243A>G mutation was described as the major cause of the MELAS syndrome (mitochondrial encephalomyopathy with lactic acidosis and stroke-like epis...

Many maternally inherited and incurable neuromyopathies are caused by mutations in mitochondrial (mt) transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. Kinetoplastid protozoa, including Leishmania, have evolved specialized systems for importing nucleus-encoded tRNAs into mitochondria. We found that the Leishmania RNA import complex (RIC) could enter human cells by a caveolin-1-dependent pathway, where it induced impo...

The Coregonus lavaretus (Linnaeus, 1758) complex is a morphologically and genetically diverse group of whitefish. Its taxonomic structure has been controversial for almost century. At least 25 forms C. have described in Siberia, but there still no consensus on their intraspecific taxonomy. pidschian (Gmelin, 1789) was as subspecies lavaretus. Recently, it assumed that this also complex. purpose...

The A3243G mutation in the mitochondrial gene for human mitochondrial (mt) tRNA(Leu(UUR)), responsible for decoding of UUR codons, is associated with mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis and stroke-like episodes (MELAS). We previously demonstrated that this mutation causes defects in 5-taurinomethyluridine (taum(5)U) modification at the anticodon first (wobble) position of th...

The methylation of Escherichia coli B transfer RNA in vitro by HeLa mitochondrial and cytoplasmic extracts was examined. The following differences were found. (a) The cytoplasmic extract methylated E. coli B tRNA to a much greater extent than did the mitochondrial extract. (b) The two extracts methylated different sites on E. coli B tRNA, thereby generating different methylated oligonucleotide ...

Increased proliferation and elevated levels of protein synthesis are characteristics of transformed and tumor cells. Though components of the translation machinery are often misregulated in cancers, what role tRNA plays in cancer cells has not been explored. We compare genome-wide tRNA expression in cancer-derived versus non-cancer-derived breast cell lines, as well as tRNA expression in breast...

The methylation of Escherichia coli B transfer RNA in vitro by HeLa mitochondrial and cytoplasmic extracts was examined. The following differences were found. (a) The cytoplasmic extract methylated E. coli B tRNA to a much greater extent than did the mitochondrial extract. (b) The two extracts methylated different sites on E. coli B tRNA, thereby generating different methylated oligonucleotide ...