title: The adaptor hypothesis revisited.
abstract: As originally postulated in Crick's Adaptor hypothesis, the faithful synthesis of proteins from messenger RNA is dependent on the presence of perfectly acylated tRNAs. The hypothesis also suggested that each aminoacyl-tRNA would be made by a unique enzyme. Recent data have now forced a revision of this latter point, with an increasingly diverse array of enzymes and pathways being implicated in aminoacyl-tRNA synthesis. These unexpected findings have far-reaching implications for our understanding of protein synthesis and its origins.
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomolecular Recognition, Dept of Medical Biochemistry and Genetics, Laboratory B, The Panum Institute, Blegdamsvej 3c, DK-2200, Copenhagen N, Denmark.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ibba
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stathopoulos
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Tumbula
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Söll
mesh_terms: D000604:Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019843:Archaeal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D008250:Lysine-tRNA Ligase / Q000145:classification / Q000378:metabolism; D008957:Models, Genetic; D010802:Phylogeny; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D012345:RNA, Transfer, Amino Acid-Specific / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D019843:Archaeal Proteins; D012345:RNA, Transfer, Amino Acid-Specific; D000604:Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases; C019975:cysteinyl-tRNA synthetase; D008250:Lysine-tRNA Ligase