Loss of tRNA uridine thiolation affects mRNA translation, protein production, and metabolite accumulation in Arabidopsis

It is well established in yeast and animal system that the level of uridine thiolation at position 34 of tRNA anticodon loops can impact the decoding potential of the corresponding codons. Using Arabidopsis thaliana , we confirm that the ability of the plant ribosome to decode AAA, GAA, and CAA codons is impaired when this thiol group is lost, leading to a reduction in protein production, especially for genes enriched in these codons. Interestingly, we observed that loss of tRNA thiolation results in variations in the levels of numerous proteins involved in sulfur-compound metabolism and amino acid biosynthesis. These variations, in turn, affect the accumulation of several sulfur-containing metabolites and amino acids, suggesting that the level of tRNA thiolation has a direct and profound impact on plant metabolism. We also demonstrate that U 34 thiolation is essential for adjusting plant growth in response to sulfur limitation and that its absence directly affects the plant’s interaction with bacteria, including both pathogens and beneficial organisms. Our results support the hypothesis that the level of tRNA thiolation can be used in plant to link nutritional status to translation.

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Publication Details

Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Published
2026-10-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2604945123
Primary Topic
RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Loss of tRNA uridine thiolation affects mRNA translation, protein production, and metabolite accumulation in Arabidopsis

Bastian Welter, Adrien Cadoudal, Anna Kopřivová, Stanislav Kopřiva et al.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
article

Loss of tRNA uridine thiolation affects mRNA translation, protein production, and metabolite accumulation in Arabidopsis

Bastian Welter, Adrien Cadoudal, Anna Kopřivová, Stanislav Kopřiva, Jana Kindermans, Christophe Hirtz, Virginie Marchand, Jérôme Vialaret, Jean-Jacques Favory, Arnaud Dannfald, Rémy Merret, Jean‐Marc Deragon, Marie‐Christine Carpentier, Alexandre David, Philipp Westhoff, Yuri Motorin, Christina Berrissou, Aurore Attina, Quentin Rigal, Laurence Drouard, Lisa Tritsch, Sonia Garcia Llorens
article en

Abstract

It is well established in yeast and animal system that the level of uridine thiolation at position 34 of tRNA anticodon loops can impact the decoding potential of the corresponding codons. Using Arabidopsis thaliana , we confirm that the ability of the plant ribosome to decode AAA, GAA, and CAA codons is impaired when this thiol group is lost, leading to a reduction in protein production, especially for genes enriched in these codons. Interestingly, we observed that loss of tRNA thiolation results in variations in the levels of numerous proteins involved in sulfur-compound metabolism and amino acid biosynthesis. These variations, in turn, affect the accumulation of several sulfur-containing metabolites and amino acids, suggesting that the level of tRNA thiolation has a direct and profound impact on plant metabolism. We also demonstrate that U 34 thiolation is essential for adjusting plant growth in response to sulfur limitation and that its absence directly affects the plant’s interaction with bacteria, including both pathogens and beneficial organisms. Our results support the hypothesis that the level of tRNA thiolation can be used in plant to link nutritional status to translation.

Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesVol. 123(42)
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Université de Perpignan (FR), Inserm (FR), University of Cologne (DE), Institute for Regenerative Medicine & Biotherapy (FR), Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes (FR), Cluster of Excellence on Plant Sciences (DE), Laboratoire Génome et Développement des Plantes (FR), Institute for Neurosciences of Montpellier (FR), Institut de Recherche en Cancérologie de Montpellier (FR), Ingénierie Moléculaire et Physiopathologie Articulaire (FR), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (DE), Université de Strasbourg (FR)
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Agence Nationale de la Recherche
Zero hunger
Openalex Percentile: Top 24%
RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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