Changes in tRNA methyltransferase activity and cellular S-adenosylmethionine content following methionine deprivation.

Although homocysteine was unable to support growth of Walker carcinoma in media lacking methionine it did enable some proliferation of TLX5 lymphoma. In both cell lines there was an increase in growth rate in the presence of homocysteine at limiting methionine concentrations. The proliferation rate of Walker carcinoma was proportional to the methionine concentraion of the medium down to 0.5 microgram/ml, whereas growth of TLX5 lymphoma was only slightly reduced at such methionine concentrations. The difference in proliferative ability between the two cell lines was reflected in the level of S-adenosyl-L-methionine under conditions of methionine deprivation. In both cases transferance to a media in which methionine was growth limiting caused a rapid increase in the activity of tRNA methyltransferases to levels six to seven-fold greater than the control. The initial increase in methylase activity was not prevented by cycloheximide, although after 4 h there was a progressive decrease in activity which approached control values within 24 h. The increase in tRNA methyltransferase activity on removal of the normal level of methionine in the medium was also seen with human embryonic fibroblasts, which are able to proliferate normally in methionine-deficient, homocysteine-supplemented media. These results suggest that methyltransferase activity may be regulated in part by the S-adenosyl-methionine content of the cell.