title: Cys-tRNACys formation and cysteine biosynthesis in methanogenic archaea: two faces of the same problem?
abstract: Aminoacyl-tRNA (transfer RNA) synthetases are essential components of the cellular translation machinery as they provide the ribosome with aminoacyl-tRNAs. Aminoacyl-tRNA synthesis is generally well understood. However, the mechanism of Cys-tRNACys formation in three methanogenic archaea ( Methanocaldococcus jannaschii, Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus and Methanopyrus kandleri) is still unknown, since no recognizable gene for a canonical cysteinyl-tRNA synthetase could be identified in the genome sequences of these organisms. Here we review the different routes recently proposed for Cys-tRNACys formation and discuss its possible link with cysteine biosynthesis in these methanogenic archaea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, 266 Whitney Avenue, P.O. Box 208114, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8114, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ambrogelly
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kamtekar
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sauerwald
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ruan
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tumbula-Hansen
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ahel
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Söll
mesh_terms: D001105:Archaea / Q000378:metabolism*; D001665:Binding Sites; D003545:Cysteine / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D019766:Genes, Archaeal; D008697:Methane / Q000737:chemistry; D008954:Models, Biological; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010802:Phylogeny; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D011487:Protein Conformation; D012313:RNA / Q000737:chemistry; D012346:RNA, Transfer, Amino Acyl / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D012346:RNA, Transfer, Amino Acyl; D012313:RNA; D003545:Cysteine; D008697:Methane