Dynamics of diversified A-to-I editing in Streptococcus pyogenes is governed by changes in mRNA stability

Adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing plays an important role in the post-transcriptional regulation of eukaryotic cell physiology. However, our understanding of the occurrence, function, and regulation of A-to-I editing in bacteria remains limited. Bacterial mRNA editing is catalysed by the deaminase TadA, that was originally described to modify a single tRNA in E. coli. Intriguingly, several bacterial species appear to perform A-to-I editing on more than one tRNA. Here, we provide evidence that in the human pathogen Streptococcus pyogenes tRNA editing expanded to an additional tRNA substrate. Utilizing RNA sequencing, we identified more than 27 editing sites in the transcriptome of S. pyogenes SF370 and demonstrate that the adaptation of S. pyogenes TadA to a second tRNA substrate also diversified the sequence context and recoding scope of mRNA editing. Based on the observation that editing is dynamically regulated in response to several infection-relevant stimuli, such as oxidative stress, we further investigated the underlying determinants of editing dynamics and identified mRNA stability as a key modulator of A-to-I editing. Overall, our findings reveal the presence and diversification of A-to-I editing in S. pyogenes and provide novel insights into editome plasticity and its regulation in bacteria.