tRNA Stabilization by Modified Nucleotides

Post-transcriptional ribonucleotide modification is a phenomenon best studied in tRNA, where it occurs most frequently and in great chemical diversity. This paper reviews the intrinsic network of modifications in the structural core of the tRNA, which governs structural flexibility and rigidity to fine-tune the molecule to peak performance and to regulate its steady-state level. Structural effects of RNA modifications range from nanometer-scale rearrangements to subtle restrictions of conformational space on the angstrom scale. Structural stabilization resulting from nucleotide modification results in increased thermal stability and translates into protection against unspecific degradation by bases and nucleases. Several mechanisms of specific degradation of hypomodified tRNA, which were only recently discovered, provide a link between structural and metabolic stability.