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. 2025 Jan;123(1):48-59.
doi: 10.1111/mmi.15336. Epub 2024 Dec 25.

Environmental Control of Queuosine Levels in Streptococcus mutans tRNAs

Marshall Jaroch  1 , Kathryn Savage  1 , Paul Kuipers  1 , Jo Marie Bacusmo  1 , Jennifer Hu  2 , Jingjing Sun  2   3 , Peter C Dedon  2   3 , Kelly C Rice  1 , Valérie de Crécy-Lagard  1   4
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Environmental Control of Queuosine Levels in Streptococcus mutans tRNAs

Marshall Jaroch et al. Mol Microbiol. 2025 Jan.

Abstract

Queuosine (Q) is a modification of the wobble base in tRNAs that decode NA(C/U) codons. It is ubiquitous in bacteria, including many pathogens. Streptococcus mutans is an early colonizer of dental plaque biofilm and a key player in dental caries. Using a combination of genetic and physiological approaches, the predicted Q synthesis and salvage pathways were validated in this organism. These experiments confirmed that S. mutans can synthesize Q de novo through similar pathways found in Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. However, S. mutans has a distinct salvage pathway compared to these model organisms, as it uses a transporter belonging to the energy coupling factor (ECF) family controlled by a preQ1-dependent riboswitch. Furthermore, Q levels in this oral pathogen depended heavily on the media composition, suggesting that micronutrients can affect Q-mediated translation efficiency.

Keywords: biofilm; oral pathogen; preQ0; preQ1; riboswitch; tRNA modification.

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