title: Glutamyl-transfer RNA: a precursor of heme and chlorophyll biosynthesis.
abstract: In green plants, archaebacteria and many eubacteria, the porphyrin ring that is common to both chlorophyll and heme is synthesized from 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) via an interesting pathway. This two-step process involves the unusual enzymes glutamyl-tRNA reductase and glutamate-1-semialdehyde 2,1-aminomutase. Interest in this pathway has increased since it was discovered that a tRNA cofactor was required for the formation of ALA. This tRNA(Glu) is common to the biosyntheses of both porphyrins and proteins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jahn
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Verkamp
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Söll
mesh_terms: D000445:Aldehyde Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000604:Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases / Q000378:metabolism; D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006418:Heme / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019751:Intramolecular Transferases; D007535:Isomerases / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012352:RNA, Transfer, Glu / Q000378:metabolism*; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D012352:RNA, Transfer, Glu; D002734:Chlorophyll; D006418:Heme; D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid; D000445:Aldehyde Oxidoreductases; C067282:glutamyl tRNA reductase; D007535:Isomerases; D019751:Intramolecular Transferases; C061049:glutamate-1-semialdehyde 2,1-aminomutase; D000604:Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases; C020659:glutaminyl-tRNA synthetase