Biology:Aspartate—tRNA(Asn) ligase

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Aspartate—tRNAAsn ligase
Identifiers
EC number6.1.1.23
CAS number9027-32-1
Databases
IntEnzIntEnz view
BRENDABRENDA entry
ExPASyNiceZyme view
KEGGKEGG entry
MetaCycmetabolic pathway
PRIAMprofile
PDB structuresRCSB PDB PDBe PDBsum

Aspartate—tRNAAsn ligase (EC 6.1.1.23, nondiscriminating aspartyl-tRNA synthetase) is an enzyme with systematic name L-aspartate:tRNAAsx ligase (AMP-forming).[1][2][3] This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction

ATP + L-aspartate + tRNAAsx [math]\displaystyle{ \rightleftharpoons }[/math] AMP + diphosphate + aspartyl-tRNAAsx

The 3 substrates of this enzyme are ATP, L-asparagine, and tRNAAsx, whereas its 3 products are AMP, diphosphate, and asparaginyl-tRNAAsx.

When this enzyme acts on tRNAAsp, it catalyses the same reaction as EC 6.1.1.12, aspartate---tRNA ligase. It has, however, diminished discrimination, so that it can also form aspartyl-tRNAAsn. This relaxation of specificity has been found to result from the absence of a loop in the tRNA that specifically recognizes the third position of the anticodon [1]. This accounts for the ability of this enzyme in, for example, Thermus thermophilus, to recognize both tRNAAsp (GUC anticodon) and tRNAAsn (GUU anticodon). The aspartyl-tRNAAsn is not used in protein synthesis until it is converted by EC 6.3.5.6, asparaginyl-tRNA synthase (glutamine-hydrolysing), into asparaginyl-tRNAAsn.

This enzyme belongs to the family of ligases, to be specific those forming carbon-oxygen bonds in aminoacyl-tRNA and related compounds. The systematic name of this enzyme class is L-asparaginyl:tRNAAsx ligase (AMP-forming). This enzyme is also called nondiscriminating asparaginyl-tRNA synthetase. This enzyme participates in alanine and asparagine metabolism.

References

  1. "Aminoacyl-tRNA synthesis". Annual Review of Biochemistry 69: 617–50. 2000. doi:10.1146/annurev.biochem.69.1.617. PMID 10966471. 
  2. "Crystal structure of aspartyl-tRNA synthetase from Pyrococcus kodakaraensis KOD: archaeon specificity and catalytic mechanism of adenylate formation". The EMBO Journal 17 (17): 5227–37. September 1998. doi:10.1093/emboj/17.17.5227. PMID 9724658. 
  3. "Thermus thermophilus: a link in evolution of the tRNA-dependent amino acid amidation pathways". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 95 (22): 12832–7. October 1998. doi:10.1073/pnas.95.22.12832. PMID 9789000. Bibcode1998PNAS...9512832B.