title: Structural characterization of a p-acetylphenylalanyl aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase.
abstract: It has been recently shown that orthogonal tRNA/aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase pairs can be evolved to allow genetic incorporation of unnatural amino acids into proteins in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Here we describe the crystal structure of an evolved aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase that charges the unnatural amino acid p-acetylphenylalanine. Molecular recognition is due to altered hydrogen bonding and packing interactions with bound substrate that result from changes in both side-chain and backbone conformation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA.
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Graziano
authors.forename: Glen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Spraggon
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Schultz
mesh_terms: D000604:Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D001665:Binding Sites; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000201:enzymology*; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010649:Phenylalanine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry; D011487:Protein Conformation; D014448:Tyrosine-tRNA Ligase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C476995:3-(4-acetylphenyl)-2-aminopropanoic acid; D010649:Phenylalanine; D000604:Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases; D014448:Tyrosine-tRNA Ligase