Deoxyribozyme-Based, Semisynthetic Access to Stable Peptidyl-tRNAs Exemplified by tRNAVal Carrying a Macrolide Antibiotic Resistance Peptide

We present a protocol for the reliable synthesis of non-hydrolyzable 3'-peptidyl-tRNAs that contain all the respective genuine nucleoside modifications. The approach is exemplified by tRNA(Val)-3'-NH-VFLVM-NH(2) and relies on commercially available Escherichia coli tRNA(Val). This tRNA was cleaved site-specifically within the TΨC loop using a 10-23 type DNA enzyme to obtain a 58 nt tRNA 5'-fragment which contained the modifications. After cleavage of the 2',3'-cyclophosphate moiety from the 5'-fragment, it was ligated to the 18 nt RNA-pentapeptide conjugate which had been chemically synthesized. By this methodology, tRNA(Val)-3'-NH-VFLVM-NH(2) is accessible in efficient manner. Furthermore, we point out that the approach is applicable to other types of tRNA.