A connection between the ribosome and two S. pombe tRNA modification mutants subject to rapid tRNA decay

tRNA modifications are crucial in all organisms to ensure tRNA folding and stability, and accurate translation. In both the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the evolutionarily distant yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, mutants lacking certain tRNA body modifications (outside the anticodon loop) are temperature sensitive due to rapid tRNA decay (RTD) of a subset of hypomodified tRNAs. Here we show that for each of two S. pombe mutants subject to RTD, mutations in ribosomal protein genes suppress the temperature sensitivity without altering tRNA levels. Prior work showed that S. pombe trm8Δ mutants, lacking 7-methylguanosine, were temperature sensitive due to RTD, and that one class of suppressors had mutations in the general amino acid control (GAAC) pathway, which was activated concomitant with RTD, resulting in further tRNA loss. We now find that another class of S. pombe trm8Δ suppressors have mutations in rpl genes, encoding 60S subunit proteins, and that suppression occurs with minimal restoration of tRNA levels and reduced GAAC activation. Furthermore, trm8Δ suppression extends to other mutations in the large or small ribosomal subunit. We also find that S. pombe tan1Δ mutants, lacking 4-acetylcytidine, are temperature sensitive due to RTD, that one class of suppressors have rpl mutations, associated with minimal restoration of tRNA levels, and that suppression extends to other rpl and rps mutations. However, although S. pombe tan1Δ temperature sensitivity is associated with some GAAC activation, suppression by an rpl mutation only modestly inhibits GAAC activation. We propose a model in which ribosomal protein mutations result in reduced ribosome concentrations, leading to both reduced ribosome collisions and a reduced requirement for tRNA, with these effects having different relative importance in trm8Δ and tan1Δ mutants. This model is consistent with our results in S. cerevisiae trm8Δ trm4Δ mutants, known to undergo RTD, fueling speculation that this model applies across eukaryotes.