title: What messenger RNA capping tells us about eukaryotic evolution.
abstract: The 5' cap is a unique feature of eukaryotic cellular and viral messenger RNA that is absent from the bacterial and archaeal domains of life. The cap is formed by three enzymatic reactions at the 5' terminus of nascent mRNAs. Although the capping pathway is conserved in all eukaryotes, the structure and genetic organization of the component enzymes vary between species. These differences provide insights into the evolution of eukaryotes and eukaryotic viruses.
authors.forename: Stewart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shuman
mesh_terms: D017766:Acid Anhydride Hydrolases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004267:DNA Viruses / Q000201:enzymology; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012315:RNA Caps / Q000378:metabolism*; D012323:RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional; D016415:Sequence Alignment
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D012315:RNA Caps; D017766:Acid Anhydride Hydrolases; C023090:RNA triphosphatase