Nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of tRNAs and implication of the cytosolic Hsp70 system in tRNA import

tRNAs, a class of non-coding RNAs essential for translation, are unique among cytosolic RNA species in that they shuttle between the nucleus and cytoplasm during their life. Although their export from the nucleus has been studied in detail, limited information on import machinery was available. Our group recently reported that Ssa2p, one of major cytosolic Hsp70s in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, acts as a crucial factor for tRNA import upon nutrient starvation. Ssa2p can bind tRNAs and a nucleoporin directly in an ATP-sensitive manner, suggesting that it acts as a nuclear import carrier for tRNAs, like importin-β proteins. In vitro assays revealed that Ssa2p binds tRNA specifically but has preference for loosely folded tRNAs. In this Extra View, these features of Ssa2p as a new import factor is discussed with other recent findings related to nucleocytoplasmic transport of tRNAs reported from other groups.