Founded in 1919, the Society of Biology of Strasbourg (SBS) is a learned society whose purpose is the dissemination and promotion of scientific knowledge in biology. Subsidiary of the Society of Biology, the SBS celebrated its Centenary on Wednesday, the 16th of October 2019 on the Strasbourg University campus and at the Strasbourg City Hall. This day allowed retracing the various milestones of the SBS, through its main strengths, its difficulties and its permanent goal to meet scientific and societal challenges. The common thread of this day was the transmission of knowledge related to the past, the present, but also the future. At the start of the 21st century, the SBS must continue to reinvent itself to pursue its objective of transmitting scientific knowledge in biology and beyond. Scientific talks performed by senior scientists and former SBS thesis prizes awardees, a round table, and informal discussions reflected the history and the dynamism of the SBS association. All SBS Centennial participants have set the first milestone for the SBS Bicentennial.

The tRNA molecules, in addition to translating the genetic code into protein and defining the second genetic code via their aminoacylation by aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, act in many other cellular functions and dysfunctions. This article, illustrated by personal souvenirs, covers the history of ~60 years tRNA research in Strasbourg. Typical examples point up how the work in Strasbourg was a two-way street, influenced by and at the same time influencing investigators outside of France. All along, research in Strasbourg has nurtured the structural and functional diversity of tRNA. It produced massive sequence and crystallographic data on tRNA and its partners, thereby leading to a deeper physicochemical understanding of tRNA architecture, dynamics, and identity. Moreover, it emphasized the role of nucleoside modifications and in the last two decades, highlighted tRNA idiosyncrasies in plants and organelles, together with cellular and health-focused aspects. The tRNA field benefited from a rich local academic heritage and a strong support by both university and CNRS. Its broad interlinks to the worldwide community of tRNA researchers opens to an exciting future. (c) 2019 IUBMB Life, 2019 (c) 2019 IUBMB Life, 71(8):1066-1087, 2019

Reference data for MITOS. Contains - fasta databases for the BLAST searches (RefSeq release 39) - automatically covariance models for ncRNA searches (for tRNAs the models are taken from MiTFi http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkv746) As described in http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2012.08.023

As adapter molecules to convert the nucleic acid information into the amino acid sequence, tRNAs play a central role in protein synthesis. To fulfill this function in a reliable way, tRNAs exhibit highly conserved structural features common in all organisms and in all cellular compartments active in translation. However, in mitochondria of metazoans, certain dramatic deviations from the consensus tRNA structure are described, where some tRNAs lack the D- or T-arm without losing their function. In Enoplea, this miniaturization comes to an extreme, and functional mitochondrial tRNAs can lack both arms, leading to a considerable size reduction. Here, we investigate the secondary and tertiary structure of two such armless tRNAs from Romanomermis culicivorax. Despite their high AU content, the transcripts fold into a single and surprisingly stable hairpin structure, deviating from standard tRNAs. The three-dimensional form is boomerang-like and diverges from the standard L-shape. These results indicate that such unconventional miniaturized tRNAs can still fold into a tRNA-like shape, although their length and secondary structure are very unusual. They highlight the remarkable flexibility of the protein synthesis apparatus and suggest that the translational machinery of Enoplea mitochondria may show compensatory adaptations to accommodate these armless tRNAs for efficient translation.

Mutations in human mitochondrial aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are associated with a variety of neurodegenerative disorders. The effects of these mutations on the structure and function of the enzymes remain to be established. Here, we investigate six mutants of the aspartyl-tRNA synthetase correlated with leukoencephalopathies. Our integrated strategy, combining an ensemble of biochemical and biophysical approaches, reveals that mutants are diversely affected with respect to their solubility in cellular extracts and stability in solution, but not in architecture. Mutations with mild effects on solubility occur in patients as allelic combinations whereas those with strong effects on solubility or on aminoacylation are necessarily associated with a partially functional allele. The fact that all mutations show individual molecular and cellular signatures and affect amino acids only conserved in mammals, points towards an alternative function besides aminoacylation.

Here we demonstrate association of variants in the mitochondrial asparaginyl-tRNA synthetase NARS2 with human hearing loss and Leigh syndrome. A homozygous missense mutation ([c.637G>T; p.Val213Phe]) is the underlying cause of nonsyndromic hearing loss (DFNB94) and compound heterozygous mutations ([c.969T>A; p.Tyr323*] + [c.1142A>G; p.Asn381Ser]) result in mitochondrial respiratory chain deficiency and Leigh syndrome, which is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by symmetric, bilateral lesions in the basal ganglia, thalamus, and brain stem. The severity of the genetic lesions and their effects on NARS2 protein structure cosegregate with the phenotype. A hypothetical truncated NARS2 protein, secondary to the Leigh syndrome mutation p.Tyr323* is not detectable and p.Asn381Ser further decreases NARS2 protein levels in patient fibroblasts. p.Asn381Ser also disrupts dimerization of NARS2, while the hearing loss p.Val213Phe variant has no effect on NARS2 oligomerization. Additionally we demonstrate decreased steady-state levels of mt-tRNAAsn in fibroblasts from the Leigh syndrome patients. In these cells we show that a decrease in oxygen consumption rates (OCR) and electron transport chain (ETC) activity can be rescued by overexpression of wild type NARS2. However, overexpression of the hearing loss associated p.Val213Phe mutant protein in these fibroblasts cannot complement the OCR and ETC defects. Our findings establish lesions in NARS2 as a new cause for nonsyndromic hearing loss and Leigh syndrome.

Mammalian mitochondrial aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are nuclear-encoded enzymes that are essential for mitochondrial protein synthesis. Due to an endosymbiotic origin of the mitochondria, many of them share structural domains with homologous bacterial enzymes of same specificity. This is also the case for human mitochondrial aspartyl-tRNA synthetase (AspRS) that shares the so-called bacterial insertion domain with bacterial homologs. The function of this domain in the mitochondrial proteins is unclear. Here, we show by bioinformatic analyses that the sequences coding for the bacterial insertion domain are less conserved in opisthokont and protist than in bacteria and viridiplantae. The divergence suggests a loss of evolutionary pressure on this domain for non-plant mitochondrial AspRSs. This discovery is further connected with the herein described occurrence of alternatively spliced transcripts of the mRNAs coding for some mammalian mitochondrial AspRSs. Interestingly, the spliced transcripts alternately lack one of the four exons that code for the bacterial insertion domain. Although we showed that the human alternative transcript is present in all tested tissues; co-exists with the full-length form, possesses 5'- and 3'-UTRs, a poly-A tail and is bound to polysomes, we were unable to detect the corresponding protein. The relaxed selective pressure combined with the occurrence of alternative splicing, involving a single structural sub-domain, favors the hypothesis of the loss of function of this domain for AspRSs of mitochondrial location. This evolutionary divergence is in line with other characteristics, established for the human mt-AspRS, that indicate a functional relaxation of non-viridiplantae mt-AspRSs when compared to bacterial and plant ones, despite their common ancestry.

Due to their function as adapters in translation, tRNA molecules share a common structural organization in all kingdoms and organelles with ribosomal protein biosynthesis. A typical tRNA has a cloverleaf-like secondary structure, consisting of acceptor stem, D-arm, anticodon arm, a variable region, and T-arm, with an average length of 73 nucleotides. In several mitochondrial genomes, however, tRNA genes encode transcripts that show a considerable deviation of this standard, having reduced D- or T-arms or even completely lack one of these elements, resulting in tRNAs as small as 66 nts. An extreme case of such truncations is found in the mitochondria of Enoplea. Here, several tRNA genes are annotated that lack both the D- and the T-arm, suggesting even shorter transcripts with a length of only 42 nts. However, direct evidence for these exceptional tRNAs, which were predicted by purely computational means, has been lacking so far. Here, we demonstrate that several of these miniaturized armless tRNAs consisting only of acceptor- and anticodon-arms are indeed transcribed and correctly processed by non-encoded CCA addition in the mermithid Romanomermis culicivorax. This is the first direct evidence for the existence and functionality of the smallest tRNAs ever identified so far. It opens new possibilities towards exploration/assessment of minimal structural motifs defining a functional tRNA and their evolution.

Mitochondria are considered as the powerhouse of eukaryotic cells. They host several central metabolic processes fueling the oxidative phosphorylation pathway (OXPHOS) that produces ATP from its precursors ADP and inorganic phosphate Pi (PPi). The respiratory chain complexes responsible for the OXPHOS pathway are formed from complementary sets of protein subunits encoded by the nuclear genome and the mitochondrial genome, respectively. The expression of the mitochondrial genome requires a specific and fully active translation machinery from which aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) are key actors. Whilst the macromolecules involved in mammalian mitochondrial translation have been under investigation for many years, there has been an explosion of interest in human mitochondrial aaRSs (mt-aaRSs) since the discovery of a large (and growing) number of mutations in these genes that are linked to a variety of neurodegenerative disorders. Herein we will review the present knowledge on mt-aaRSs in terms of their biogenesis, their connection to mitochondrial respiration, i.e., the respiratory chain (RC) complexes, and to the mitochondrial translation machinery. The pathology-related mutations detected so far are described, with special attention given to their impact on mt-aaRSs biogenesis, functioning, and/or subsequent activities. The collected data to date shed light on the diverse routes that are linking primary molecular possible impact of a mutation to its phenotypic expression. It is envisioned that a variety of mechanisms, inside and outside the translation machinery, would play a role on the heterogeneous manifestations of mitochondrial disorders.

BACKGROUND:Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) diseases are rare disorders whose prevalence is estimated around 1 in 5000. Patients are usually tested only for deletions and for common mutations of mtDNA which account for 5-40% of cases, depending on the study. However, the prevalence of rare mtDNA mutations is not known. METHODS:We analysed the whole mtDNA in a cohort of 743 patients suspected of manifesting a mitochondrial disease, after excluding deletions and common mutations. Both heteroplasmic and homoplasmic variants were identified using two complementary strategies (Surveyor and MitoChip). Multiple correspondence analyses followed by hierarchical ascendant cluster process were used to explore relationships between clinical spectrum, age at onset and localisation of mutations. RESULTS:7.4% of deleterious mutations and 22.4% of novel putative mutations were identified. Pathogenic heteroplasmic mutations were more frequent than homoplasmic mutations (4.6% vs 2.8%). Patients carrying deleterious mutations showed symptoms before 16 years of age in 67% of cases. Early onset disease (<1 year) was significantly associated with mutations in protein coding genes (mainly in complex I) while late onset disorders (>16 years) were associated with mutations in tRNA genes. MTND5 and MTND6 genes were identified as 'hotspots' of mutations, with Leigh syndrome accounting for the large majority of associated phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS:Rare mitochondrial DNA mutations probably account for more than 7.4% of patients with respiratory chain deficiency. This study shows that a comprehensive analysis of mtDNA is essential, and should include young children, for an accurate diagnosis that is now accessible with the development of next generation sequencing technology.

The autosomal recessive white matter disorder LBSL (leukoencephalopathy with brain stem and spinal cord involvement and lactate elevation) is caused by mutations in DARS2, coding for mtAspRS (mitochondrial aspartyl-tRNA synthetase). Generally, patients are compound heterozygous for mutations in DARS2. Many different mutations have been identified in patients, including several missense mutations. In the present study, we have examined the effects of missense mutations found in LBSL patients on the expression, enzyme activity, localization and dimerization of mtAspRS, which is important for understanding the cellular defect underlying the pathogenesis of the disease. Nine different missense mutations were analysed and were shown to have various effects on mtAspRS properties. Several mutations have a direct effect on the catalytic activity of the enzyme; others have an effect on protein expression or dimerization. Most mutations have a clear impact on at least one of the properties of mtAspRS studied, probably resulting in a small contribution of the missense variants to the mitochondrial aspartylation activity in the cell.

In the mammalian mitochondrial translation apparatus, the proteins and their partner RNAs are coded by two genomes. The proteins are nuclear-encoded and resemble their homologs, whereas the RNAs coming from the rapidly evolving mitochondrial genome have lost critical structural information. This raises the question of molecular adaptation of these proteins to their peculiar partner RNAs. The crystal structure of the homodimeric bacterial-type human mitochondrial aspartyl-tRNA synthetase (DRS) confirmed a 3D architecture close to that of Escherichia coli DRS. However, the mitochondrial enzyme distinguishes by an enlarged catalytic groove, a more electropositive surface potential and an alternate interaction network at the subunits interface. It also presented a thermal stability reduced by as much as 12°C. Isothermal titration calorimetry analyses revealed that the affinity of the mitochondrial enzyme for cognate and non-cognate tRNAs is one order of magnitude higher, but with different enthalpy and entropy contributions. They further indicated that both enzymes bind an adenylate analog by a cooperative allosteric mechanism with different thermodynamic contributions. The larger flexibility of the mitochondrial synthetase with respect to the bacterial enzyme, in combination with a preserved architecture, may represent an evolutionary process, allowing nuclear-encoded proteins to cooperate with degenerated organelle RNAs.

Mitochondrial aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are key enzymes in translation. They are encoded by the nuclear genome, synthesized as precursors in the cytosol and imported. Most are matured by cleavage of their N-terminal targeting sequence. The poor expression of mature proteins in prokaryotic systems, along with their low solubility and stability after purification are major obstacles for biophysical and crystallographic studies. The purpose of the present work was to analyze the influence of additives on a slightly soluble aspartyl-tRNA synthetase and of the N-terminal sequence of the protein on its expression and solubility. On the one hand, the solubility of the enzyme was augmented to some extent in the presence of a chemical analog of the intermediary product aspartyl-adenylate, 5'-O-[N-(L aspartyl) sulfamoyl] adenosine. On the other hand, expression was enhanced by extending the N-terminus by seven natural amino acids from the predicted targeting sequence. The re-designed enzyme was active, monodisperse, more soluble and yielded crystals that are suitable for structure determination. This result underlines the importance of the N-terminal residue sequence for solubility. It suggests that additional criteria should be taken into account for the prediction of cleavage sites in mitochondrial targeting sequences.

Many mammalian mitochondrial aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are of bacterial-type and share structural domains with homologous bacterial enzymes of the same specificity. Despite this high similarity, synthetases from bacteria are known for their inability to aminoacylate mitochondrial tRNAs, while mitochondrial enzymes do aminoacylate bacterial tRNAs. Here, the reasons for non-aminoacylation by a bacterial enzyme of a mitochondrial tRNA have been explored. A mutagenic analysis performed on in vitro transcribed human mitochondrial tRNA(Asp) variants tested for their ability to become aspartylated by Escherichia coli aspartyl-tRNA synthetase, reveals that full conversion cannot be achieved on the basis of the currently established tRNA/synthetase recognition rules. Integration of the full set of aspartylation identity elements and stabilization of the structural tRNA scaffold by restoration of D- and T-loop interactions, enable only a partial gain in aspartylation efficiency. The sequence context and high structural instability of the mitochondrial tRNA are additional features hindering optimal adaptation of the tRNA to the bacterial enzyme. Our data support the hypothesis that non-aminoacylation of mitochondrial tRNAs by bacterial synthetases is linked to the large sequence and structural relaxation of the organelle encoded tRNAs, itself a consequence of the high rate of mitochondrial genome divergence.

About 2000 completely sequenced mitochondrial genomes are available from the NCBI RefSeq data base together with manually curated annotations of their protein-coding genes, rRNAs, and tRNAs. This annotation information, which has accumulated over two decades, has been obtained with a diverse set of computational tools and annotation strategies. Despite all efforts of manual curation it is still plagued by misassignments of reading directions, erroneous gene names, and missing as well as false positive annotations in particular for the RNA genes. Taken together, this causes substantial problems for fully automatic pipelines that aim to use these data comprehensively for studies of animal phylogenetics and the molecular evolution of mitogenomes. The MITOS pipeline is designed to compute a consistent de novo annotation of the mitogenomic sequences. We show that the results of MITOS match RefSeq and MitoZoa in terms of annotation coverage and quality. At the same time we avoid biases, inconsistencies of nomenclature, and typos originating from manual curation strategies. The MITOS pipeline is accessible online at http://mitos.bioinf.uni-leipzig.de.