RNA Innovation Seminar: Jane Jackman, Ohio State University

“A Complicated Family: Conserved & Distinct Functions of tRNA Methyltransferases from Yeast to Humans”
Jane Jackman, Ph.D.
Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Ohio State University

In-person: BSRB, ABC seminar rooms / zoom link

Abstract: RNA modifications are now known to be a ubiquitous and important feature of cellular RNAs. tRNA are among the most heavily modified of RNA species, with a large network of often highly conserved enzymes dedicated to introducing distinct modifications into specific subsets of tRNAs in each organism. The expanding number of technological approaches to mapping tRNA modifications has enabled an explosion of information about the types and locations of modifications in many biological systems, but functional information about many modifications has lagged. The tRNA methyltransferase Trm10 is a SPOUT family RNA methyltransferase that is absolutely conserved throughout Archaea and Eukarya, but exhibits markedly different substrate specificities for nucleotide and tRNA substrates in different biological contexts. However, the molecular basis for these distinct substrate specificities has not been demonstrated. Moreover, despite multiple phenotypes associated with loss of Trm10 N1-methylation, including a role in human disease, the biological impact of Trm10 modification is not understood. We have taken a comprehensive approach utilizing enzymes from diverse organisms from Archaea to humans and multiple eukaryotic model systems to identify conserved and unique mechanistic and functional features of this essential family of tRNA methyltransferases.