The synthesis of methylated, phosphorylated, and phosphonated 3'-aminoacyl-tRNA(Sec) mimics.

ABSTRACT: The twenty first amino acid, selenocysteine (Sec), is the only amino acid that is synthesized on its cognate transfer RNA (tRNA(Sec)) in all domains of life. The multistep pathway involves O-phosphoseryl-tRNA:selenocysteinyl-tRNA synthase (SepSecS), an enzyme that catalyzes the terminal chemical reaction during which the phosphoseryl-tRNA(Sec) intermediate is converted into selenocysteinyl-tRNA(Sec). The SepSecS architecture and the mode of tRNA(Sec) recognition have been recently determined at atomic resolution. The crystal structure provided valuable insights that gave rise to mechanistic proposals that could not be validated because of the lack of appropriate molecular probes. To further improve our understanding of the mechanism of the biosynthesis of selenocysteine in general and the

SUBMITTER: Rigger L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4010121 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature