Quantitative assessment of EF-1 alpha center dot GTP binding to aminoacyl-tRNAs, aminoacyl-viral RNA, and tRNA shows close correspondence to the RNA binding properties of EF-Tu
Tw. Dreher et al., Quantitative assessment of EF-1 alpha center dot GTP binding to aminoacyl-tRNAs, aminoacyl-viral RNA, and tRNA shows close correspondence to the RNA binding properties of EF-Tu, J BIOL CHEM, 274(2), 1999, pp. 666-672
A ribonuclease protection assay was used to determine the equilibrium disso
ciation constants (K-d) for the binding of various RNAs by wheat germ EF-1
alpha.GTP. Aminoacylated fully modified tRNAs and unmodified tRNA transcrip
ts of four specificities (valyl, methionyl, alanyl, and phenylalanyl) hom h
igher plants or Escherichia coil were bound with K-d values between 0.8 and
10 nM. A valylated 3'-fragment of turnip yellow mosaic virus RNA, which ha
s a pseudoknotted amino acid acceptor stem, was bound with affinity similar
to that of Val-tRNA(Val). Uncharged tRNA and initiator Met-tRNA(Met) from
wheat germ, RNAs that are normally excluded from the ribosomal A site in vi
vo, bound weakly. The discrimination against wheat germ initiator Met-tRNA(
Met) was almost entirely due to the 2'-phosphoribosyl modification at nucle
otide G64, since removal resulted in tight binding by EF-1 alpha.GTP. A 44-
nucleotide RNA representing a kinked acceptor/T arm obtained by in vitro se
lection to bacterial EF-Tu formed an Ala-RNA EF1 alpha.GTP complex with a K
-d of 29 nM, indicating that much of the binding affinity for aminoacylated
tRNA is derived from interaction with the acceptor/T half of the molecule.
The pattern of tRNA interaction observed for EF-1 alpha (eEF1A) therefore
closely resembles that of bacterial EF-Tu (EF1A).