Deciphering the Diversity in Bacterial Transporters That Salvage Queuosine Precursors.

Queuosine (Q) is a modification of the wobble base of tRNA harboring GUN anticodons with roles in decoding accuracy and efficiency. Its synthesis is complex with multiple enzymatic steps, and several pathway intermediates can be salvaged. The only two transporter families known to salvage Q precursors are QPTR/COG1738 and QrtT/QueT. Analyses of the distribution of known Q synthesis and salvage genes in human gut and oral microbiota genomes have suggested that more transporter families remain to be found and that Q precursor exchanges must occur within the structured microenvironments of the mammalian host. Using physical clustering and fusion-based association with Q salvage genes, candidate genes for missing transporters were identified and five were tested experimentally by complementation assays in . Three genes encoding transporters from three different Pfam families, a ureide permease (PF07168) from bacterium, a hemolysin III family protein (PF03006) from , and a Major Facilitator Superfamily protein (PF07690) from , were found to allow the transport of both preQ and preQ in this heterologous system. This work suggests that many transporter families can evolve to transport Q precursors, reinforcing the concept of transporter plasticity.