J Biol Chem. 2019 Nov 04. pii: jbc.RA119.010598. [Epub ahead of print]
Wenlu Fan,
Jing Zheng,
Wanzhong Kong,
Limei Cui,
Maerhaba Aishanjiang,
Qiuzi Yi,
Min Wang,
Xiaohui Cang,
Xiaowen Tang,
Ye Chen,
Jun Qin Mo,
Neal Sondheimer,
Wanzhong Ge,
Min-Xin Guan.
Nuclear modifier genes have been proposed to modify the phenotypic expression of mitochondrial DNA mutations. Using a targeted exome sequencing approach, here we found that the p.191Gly>Val mutation in mitochondrial tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase 2 (YARS2) interacts with the tRNASer(UCN) 7511A>G mutation in causing deafness. Strikingly, members of a Chinese family bearing both YARS2 p.191Gly>Val and m.7511A>G mutations displayed much higher penetrance of deafness than those pedigrees carrying only the m.7511A>G mutation. The m.7511A>G mutation changed the A4:U69 base pairing to G4:U69 pairing at the aminoacyl acceptor stem of tRNASer(UCN) and perturbed tRNASer(UCN) structure and function, including an increased melting temperature, altered conformation, instability, and aberrant aminoacylation of mutant tRNA. Using lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from symptomatic and asymptomatic members of these Chinese families and control subjects, we show that cell lines harboring only the m.7511A>G or p.191Gly>Val mutation revealed relatively mild defects in tRNASer(UCN) or tRNATyr metabolism, respectively. However, cell lines harboring both m.7511A>G and p.191Gly>Val mutations displayed more severe defective aminoacylations and lower tRNASer(UCN) and tRNATyr levels, aberrant aminoacylation, and lower levels of other tRNAs, including tRNAThr, tRNALys, tRNALeu(UUR), and tRNASer(AGY), than those in the cell lines carrying only the m.7511A>G or p.191Gly>Val mutation. Furthermore, mutant cell lines harboring both m.7511A>G and p.191Gly>Val mutations exhibited greater decreases in the levels of mitochondrial translation, respiration, and mitochondrial ATP and membrane potentials, along with increased production of reactive oxygen species. Our findings provide molecular-level insights into the pathophysiology of maternally transmitted deafness arising from the synergy between tRNASer(UCN) and mitochondrial YARS mutations.
Keywords: RNA metabolism; hearing; maternal inheritance; mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA); mitochondrial disease; mitochondrial metabolism; mitochondrial respiratory chain complex; mitochondrial translation; mutation; pathogenesis; reactive oxygen species (ROS); synergy; transfer RNA (tRNA); translation; tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase