Functional connectivity between tRNA binding domains in glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase

The structure of Escherichia coli glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase (GlnRS) in complex with tRNAGln and ATP has identified a number a sequence-specific protein-tRNA interactions. The contribution to glutamine identity has previously been determined for the nucleotides in tRNAGln. Here, we report the mutational analysis of residues in all three tRNA recognition domains of GlnRS, thus completing a survey of the major sequence-specific contacts between GlnRS and tRNAGln. Specifically, we analyzed the GlnRS determinants involved in recognition of the anticodon which is essential for glutamine identity and in the communication of anticodon recognition to the acceptor binding domain in GlnRS. A combined in vivo and in vitro approach has demonstrated that Arg341, which makes a single sequence-specific hydrogen bond with U35 in the anticodon of tRNAGln, is involved in initial RNA recognition and is an important positive determinant for this base in both cognate and non- cognate tRNA contexts. However, Arg341, as well as Arg402, which interacts with G36 in the anticodon, are negative determinants for non-cognate nucleotides at their respective positions. Analysis of acceptor-anticodon binding double mutants and of a mutation of Glu323 in the loop-strand-helix connectivity subdomain in GlnRS has further implicated this domain in the functional communication of anticodon recognition. The better than expected activity (anticooperativity) of these double mutants has led us to propose an "anticodon-independent" mechanism, in which the removal of certain synthetase interactions with the anticodon eliminates structural constraints, thus allowing the relaxed specificity mutants in the acceptor binding domain ot make more productive interactions.