Profiling of ribosome-associated small RNAs in Trypanosoma brucei

In order to investigate if ribosome-associated ncRNAs (rancRNAs) play crucial roles in Trypanosoma brucei we have analyzed the small ncRNA interactome of ribosomes isolated from two different developmental stages of the parasites exposed to different environmental conditions. We revealed tRNA halves as one of the most strongly affected classes of transcripts upregulated during nutrient deprivation and stationary phase. In particular, the abundance of the tRNAThr 3' half was significantly increased and it was found to interact with ribosomes and polysomes upon starvation. This particular tRNA half-ribosome interaction stimulates protein biosynthesis in vitro as well as in vivo and appears to play a role primarily during the stress recovery phase of T. brucei.