RNA polyadenylate polymerase from the Asfarviridae family of viruses
Poly(A) polymerases (PAPs) catalyze the attachment of adenylates to the 3' ends of messenger RNA and other RNAs, forming poly(A) tails. PAP acts as a nucleic acid template-independent NMP-transferase, preferentially utilizing a single species of NTP, namely ATP. The polyadenylation state of an mRNA may correlate with the efficiency of its translation. The catalytic subunit of NCLDV PAPs contains two topologically identical subdomains with a nucleotidyltransferase fold, suggesting that an ancestral duplication was at the origin of these viral PAPs.