Abstract
The structure of the ternary complex consisting of yeast phenylalanyl-transfer RNA (Phe-tRNAPhe), Thermus aquaticus elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu), and the guanosine triphosphate (GTP) analog GDPNP was determined by x-ray crystallography at 2.7 angstrom resolution. The ternary complex participates in placing the amino acids in their correct order when messenger RNA is translated into a protein sequence on the ribosome. The EF-Tu-GDPNP component binds to one side of the acceptor helix of Phe-tRNAPhe involving all three domains of EF-Tu. Binding sites for the phenylalanylated CCA end and the phosphorylated 5' end are located at domain interfaces, whereas the T stem interacts with the surface of the beta-barrel domain 3. The binding involves many conserved residues in EF-Tu. The overall shape of the ternary complex is similar to that of the translocation factor, EF-G-GDP, and this suggests a novel mechanism involving "molecular mimicry" in the translational apparatus.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Amino Acid Sequence
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Anticodon
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Base Sequence
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Binding Sites
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Crystallography, X-Ray
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Guanosine Diphosphate / chemistry
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Guanosine Diphosphate / metabolism
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Guanosine Triphosphate / analogs & derivatives*
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Guanosine Triphosphate / chemistry
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Guanosine Triphosphate / metabolism
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Histidine / metabolism
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Lysine / metabolism
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Models, Molecular
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Molecular Mimicry
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Molecular Sequence Data
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Nucleic Acid Conformation
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Peptide Elongation Factor G
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Peptide Elongation Factor Tu / chemistry*
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Peptide Elongation Factor Tu / metabolism
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Peptide Elongation Factors / chemistry
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Peptide Elongation Factors / metabolism
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Peptide Initiation Factors / chemistry
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Peptide Initiation Factors / metabolism
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Peptide Termination Factors / chemistry
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Peptide Termination Factors / metabolism
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Prokaryotic Initiation Factor-2
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Protein Biosynthesis
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Protein Conformation
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Protein Structure, Secondary
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RNA, Transfer, Amino Acyl / chemistry*
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RNA, Transfer, Amino Acyl / metabolism
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Ribosomes / metabolism
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Thermus
Substances
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Anticodon
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Peptide Elongation Factor G
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Peptide Elongation Factors
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Peptide Initiation Factors
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Peptide Termination Factors
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Prokaryotic Initiation Factor-2
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RNA, Transfer, Amino Acyl
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Guanosine Diphosphate
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Histidine
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Guanosine Triphosphate
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Peptide Elongation Factor Tu
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Lysine