7-methylguanosine (m7G) modification of tRNA occurs widely
in eukaryotes and bacteria, is nearly always found at position 46, and
is one of the few modifications that confers a positive charge to the
base. Screening of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae genomic library of
purified GST-ORF fusion proteins reveals two previously uncharacterized
proteins that copurify with m7G methyltransferase activity on
pre-tRNAPhe. ORF YDL201w encodes Trm8, a protein that is highly
conserved in prokaryotes and eukaryotes and that contains an
S-adenosylmethionine binding domain. ORF YDR165w encodes Trm82,
a less highly conserved protein containing putative WD40 repeats,
which are often implicated in macromolecular interactions. Neither
protein has significant sequence similarity to yeast Abd1, which
catalyzes m7G modification of the 5′ cap of mRNA,
other than the methyltransferase motif shared by Trm8 and Abd1. Several
lines of evidence indicate that both Trm8 and Trm82 proteins are required
for tRNA m7G-methyltransferase activity: Extracts derived from
strains lacking either gene have undetectable m7G methyltransferase
activity, RNA from strains lacking either gene have much reduced
m7G, and coexpression of both proteins is required to
overproduce activity. Aniline cleavage mapping shows that Trm8/Trm82
proteins modify pre-tRNAPhe at G46, the site that is modified
in vivo. Trm8 and Trm82 proteins form a complex, as affinity
purification of Trm8 protein causes copurification of Trm82
protein in approximate equimolar yield. This functional two-protein
family appears to be retained in eukaryotes, as expression of
both corresponding human proteins, METTL1 and WDR4, is required
for m7G-methyltransferase activity.