Transfer RNA methytransferases and their corresponding modifications in budding yeast and humans: activities, predications, and potential roles in human health.

Throughout the kingdoms of life, transfer RNA (tRNA) undergoes over 100 enzyme-catalyzed, methyl-based modifications. Although a majority of the methylations are conserved from bacteria to mammals, the functions of a number of these modifications are unknown. Many of the proteins responsible for tRNA methylation, named tRNA methyltransferases (Trms), have been characterized in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Transfection-induced defects in dynein-driven transport: evidence that ICs mediate cargo-binding.

Cytoplasmic dynein contributes to the localization and transport of multiple membranous organelles, including late endosomes, lysosomes, and the Golgi complex. It remains unclear which subunits of dynein are directly responsible for linking the dynein complex to these organelles, however the intermediate chain (IC), light intermediate chain (LIC) and light chain (LC) subunits are each thought to be important. Based on previous mapping of a dynein IC phosphorylation site (S84), we measured the impact of transfected ICs on dynein-driven organelle transport (Vaughan et al.