tRNA synthetase activity is required for stress granule and P-body assembly

Abstract

In response to stress, translation initiation is suppressed and ribosome runoff via translation elongation drives mRNA assembly into ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granules including stress granules and P-bodies. Defects in translation elongation activate the integrated stress response. If and how stalled ribosomes are removed from mRNAs during translation elongation stress to drive RNP granule assembly is not clear. We demonstrate the integrated stress response is induced upon tRNA synthetase inhibition in part via ribosome collision sensing. However, saturating levels of tRNA synthetase inhibitors do not induce stress granules or P-bodies and prevent RNP granule assembly upon exogenous stress. The loss of tRNA synthetase activity causes persistent ribosome stalls that can be released with puromycin but are not rescued by ribosome-associated quality control pathways. Therefore, tRNA synthetase activity is required for ribosomes to run off mRNAs during stress to scaffold cytoplasmic RNP granules. Our findings suggest ribosome stalls can persist in human cells and uniquely uncouple ribonucleoprotein condensate assembly from the integrated stress response.