Uncharged tRNA Activates GCN2 by Displacing the Protein Kinase Moiety from a Bipartite tRNA-Binding Domain
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Protein kinase GCN2 regulates translation in amino acid-starved cells by phosphorylating elF2. GCN2 contains a regulatory domain related to histidyl-tRNA synthetase (HisRS) postulated to bind multiple deacylated tRNAs as a general sensor of starvation. In accordance with this model, GCN2 bound several deacylated tRNAs with similar affinities, and aminoacylation of tRNAphe weakened its interaction with GCN2. Unexpectedly, the C-terminal ribosome binding segment of GCN2 (C-term) was required in addition to the HisRS domain for strong tRNA binding. A combined HisRS+ C-term segment bound to the isolated protein kinase (PK) domain in vitro, and tRNA impeded this interaction. An activating mutation (GCN2c-E803V) that weakens PK-C-term association greatly enhanced tRNA binding by GCN2. These results provide strong evidence that tRNA stimulates the GCN2 kinase moiety by preventing an inhibitory interaction with the bipartite tRNA binding domain.
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GCN2 is activated by the presence of uncharged tRNAs.
“One of these is GCN2, which is activated by the presence of uncharged tRNAs (153).”
From Placental Origins of Chronic Disease (2016) · cites this paper as [153]
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- Authors
- Dong, J., Qiu, H., Garcia-Barrio, M., Anderson, J., & Hinnebusch, A. G.
- Affiliations
- National Institutes of Health (US)
- Corresponding author
- Hinnebusch, Alan G.
- Venue
- Molecular Cell
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2000-08
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 269-279
- ISSN
- 1097-2765 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2014194720
- Cited by
- 545
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 35 · 2025: 42 · 2024: 41 · 2023: 32 · 2022: 32 · 2021: 39 · 2020: 38 · 2019: 26 · 2018: 27 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 28 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 18
- FWCI
- 2.53
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Molecular Cell (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- e-Publications@Marquette (Marquette University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling in cancer
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Disease
- Keywords
- GCN2, tRNA binding, protein kinase activation, amino acid starvation, deacylated tRNA, kinase domain, translational regulation
- MeSH terms
- Binding Sites, DNA-Binding Proteins, Gene Expression Regulation, Histidine-tRNA Ligase, Lysine, Protein Kinases, Recombinant Proteins, Ribosomes, RNA, Transfer, Amino Acid-Specific, RNA, Transfer, Phe, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Protein Biosynthesis, Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-2, Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases, Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins
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