title: The putative tRNA 2-thiouridine synthetase Ncs6 is an essential sulfur carrier in Methanococcus maripaludis.
abstract: Thiolation of carbon-2 of uridine located in the first position of the anticodons of tRNAUUG(Gln), tRNAUUC(Glu), and tRNAUUU(Lys) is a conserved RNA modification event requiring the 2-thiouridine synthetase Ncs6/Ctu1 in archaea and eukaryotes. Ncs6/Ctu1 activates uridine by adenylation, but its role in sulfur transfer is unclear. Here we show that Mmp1356, the Ncs6/Ctu1 homolog in the archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis, forms a persulfide enzyme adduct with an active site cysteine; this suggests that Mmp1356 directly participates in sulfur transfer as a persulfide carrier. Transposon mutagenesis shows that Mmp1356 is likely to be an essential protein.
authors: Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8114, USA. Electronic address: yuchen.l@yale.edu.
authors: Yuchen
authors: Y
authors: Liu
authors: Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-2605, USA.
authors: Feng
authors: F
authors: Long
authors: Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-2605, USA.
authors: Liangliang
authors: L
authors: Wang
authors: Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8114, USA; Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520-8114, USA.
authors: Dieter
authors: D
authors: Söll
authors: Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-2605, USA.
authors: William B
authors: WB
authors: Whitman
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000604:Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019843:Archaeal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020134:Catalytic Domain; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D019766:Genes, Archaeal; D020043:Genes, Essential; D017017:Methanococcus / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics; D011485:Protein Binding; D025941:Protein Interaction Mapping; D012343:RNA, Transfer / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013455:Sulfur / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019843:Archaeal Proteins; D013455:Sulfur; D012343:RNA, Transfer; D000604:Amino Acyl-tRNA Synthetases
keywords: 2-Thiouridine; Archaea; Methanogen; Sulfur; tRNA modification