Analysis of the adenosylcobinamide kinase/adenosylcobinamide-phosphate guanylyltransferase (CobU) enzyme of Salmonella typhimurium LT2. Identification of residue His-46 as the site of guanylylation

CobU is a bifunctional enzyme involved in adenosylcobalamin (coenzyme B(12)) biosynthesis in Salmonella typhimurium LT2. In this bacterium, CobU is the adenosylcobinamide kinase/adenosylcobinamide-phosphate guanylyltransferase needed to convert cobinamide to adenosylcobinamide-GDP during the late steps of adenosylcobalamin biosynthesis. The guanylyltransferase reaction has been proposed to proceed via a covalently modified CobU-GMP intermediate. Here we show that CobU requires a nucleoside upper ligand on cobinamide for substrate recognition, with the nucleoside base, but not the 2'-OH group of the ribose, being important for this recognition. During the kinase reaction, both the nucleotide base and the 2'-OH group of the ribose are important for gamma-phosphate donor recognition, and GTP is the only nucleotide competent for the complete nucleotidyltransferase reaction. Analysis of the ATP:adenosylcobinamide kinase reaction shows CobU becomes less active during this reaction due to the formation of a covalent CobU-AMP complex that holds CobU in an altered conformation. Characterization of the GTP:adenosylcobinamide-phosphate guanylyltransferase reaction shows the covalent CobU-GMP intermediate is on the reaction pathway for the generation of adenosylcobinamide-GDP. Identification of a modified histidine and analysis of cobU mutants indicate that histidine 46 is the site of guanylylation.     

Cloning, sequencing, expression, and single-step purification of the adenosylcobinamide kinase/adenosylcobinamide-phosphate guanylyltransferase (CobU) from Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 19585

The bi-functional enzyme, adenosylcobinamide kinase/adenosylcobinamide-phosphate guanylyltransferase (CobU), is involved in the biosynthesis of cobalamin in Salmonella typhimurium, and, therefore, can be used for the in vitro synthesis of analogs of B(12). Previously, five different steps were required to purify the recombinant enzyme from Escherichia coli. Here, we describe the cloning, sequencing, and expression of the cobU gene from S. typhimurium ATCC 19585 and, without introducing a purification tag sequence to the N- or C-terminus of the recombinant enzyme, a new single-step purification method based on hydrophobic interaction chromatography.     

Identification of an alternative nucleoside triphosphate: 5'-deoxyadenosylcobinamide phosphate nucleotidyltransferase in Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum delta H

Computer analysis of the archaeal genome databases failed to identify orthologues of all of the bacterial cobamide biosynthetic enzymes. Of particular interest was the lack of an orthologue of the bifunctional nucleoside triphosphate (NTP):5'-deoxyadenosylcobinamide kinase/GTP:adenosylcobinamide-phosphate guanylyltransferase enzyme (CobU in Salmonella enterica). This paper reports the identification of an archaeal gene encoding a new nucleotidyltransferase, which is proposed to be the nonorthologous replacement of the S. enterica cobU gene. The gene encoding this nucleotidyltransferase was identified using comparative genome analysis of the sequenced archaeal genomes. Orthologues of the gene encoding this activity are limited at present to members of the domain Archaea. The corresponding ORF open reading frame from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum Delta H (MTH1152; referred to as cobY) was amplified and cloned, and the CobY protein was expressed and purified from Escherichia coli as a hexahistidine-tagged fusion protein. This enzyme had GTP:adenosylcobinamide-phosphate guanylyltransferase activity but did not have the NTP:AdoCbi kinase activity associated with the CobU enzyme of S. enterica. NTP:adenosylcobinamide kinase activity was not detected in M. thermoautotrophicum Delta H cell extract, suggesting that this organism may not have this activity. The cobY gene complemented a cobU mutant of S. enterica grown under anaerobic conditions where growth of the cell depended on de novo adenosylcobalamin biosynthesis. cobY, however, failed to restore adenosylcobalamin biosynthesis in cobU mutants grown under aerobic conditions where de novo synthesis of this coenzyme was blocked, and growth of the cell depended on the assimilation of exogenous cobinamide. These data strongly support the proposal that the relevant cobinamide intermediates during de novo adenosylcobalamin biosynthesis are adenosylcobinamide-phosphate and adenosylcobinamide-GDP, not adenosylcobinamide. Therefore, NTP:adenosylcobinamide kinase activity is not required for de novo cobamide biosynthesis.     

Three-dimensional structure of ATP:corrinoid adenosyltransferase from Salmonella typhimurium in its free state, complexed with MgATP, or complexed with hydroxycobalamin and MgATP

In Salmonella typhimurium, formation of the cobalt-carbon bond in the biosynthetic pathway for adenosylcobalamin is catalyzed by the product of the cobA gene which encodes a protein of 196 amino acid residues. This enzyme is an ATP:co(I)rrinoid adenosyltransferase which transfers an adenosyl moiety from MgATP to a broad range of co(I)rrinoid substrates that are believed to include cobinamide, its precursor cobyric acid and probably others as yet unidentified, and hydroxocobalamin. Three X-ray structures of CobA are reported here: its substrate-free form, a complex of CobA with MgATP, and a ternary complex of CobA with MgATP and hydroxycobalamin to 2.1, 1.8, and 2.1 A resolution, respectively. These structures show that the enzyme is a homodimer. In the apo structure, the polypeptide chain extends from Arg(28) to Lys(181) and consists of an alpha/beta structure built from a six-stranded parallel beta-sheet with strand order 324516. The topology of this fold is very similar to that seen in RecA protein, helicase domain, F(1)ATPase, and adenosylcobinamide kinase/adenosylcobinamide guanylyltransferase where a P-loop is located at the end of the first strand. Strikingly, the nucleotide in the MgATP.CobA complex binds to the P-loop of CobA in the opposite orientation compared to all the other nucleotide hydrolases. That is, the gamma-phosphate binds at the location normally occupied by the alpha-phosphate. The unusual orientation of the nucleotide arises because this enzyme transfers an adenosyl group rather than the gamma-phosphate. In the ternary complex, the binding site for hydroxycobalamin is located in a shallow bowl-shaped depression at the C-terminal end of the beta-sheet of one subunit; however, the active site is capped by the N-terminal helix from the symmetry-related subunit that now extends from Gln(7) to Ala(24). The lower ligand of cobalamin is well-ordered and interacts mostly with the N-terminal helix of the symmetry-related subunit. Interestingly, there are few interactions between the protein and the polar side chains of the corrin ring which accounts for the broad specificity of this enzyme. The corrin ring is oriented such that the cobalt atom is located approximately 6.1 A from C5' of the ribose and is beyond the range of nucleophilic attack. This suggests that a conformational change occurs in the ternary complex when Co(III) is reduced to Co(I).     

The thiamine kinase (YcfN) enzyme plays a minor but significant role in cobinamide salvaging in Salmonella enterica

Cobinamide (Cbi) salvaging is impaired, but not abolished, in a Salmonella enterica strain lacking a functional cobU gene. CobU is a bifunctional enzyme (NTP:adenosylcobinamide [NTP:AdoCbi] kinase, GTP:adenosylcobinamide-phosphate [GTP:AdoCbi-P] guanylyltransferase) whose AdoCbi kinase activity is necessary for Cbi salvaging in this bacterium. Inactivation of the ycfN gene in a DeltacobU strain abrogated Cbi salvaging. Introduction of a plasmid carrying the ycfN(+) allele into a DeltacobU DeltaycfN strain substantially restored Cbi salvaging. Mass spectrometry data indicate that when YcfN-enriched cell extracts were incubated with AdoCbi and ATP, the product of the reaction was AdoCbi-P. Results from bioassays confirmed that YcfN converted AdoCbi to AdoCbi-P in an ATP-dependent manner. YcfN is a good example of enzymes that are used by the cell in multiple pathways to ensure the salvaging of valuable precursors.     

The structure of the bovine protein tyrosine phosphatase dimer reveals a potential self-regulation mechanism.

The bovine protein tyrosine phosphatase (BPTP) is a member of the class of low-molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPases) found to be ubiquitous in mammalian cells. The catalytic site of BPTP contains a CX(5)R(S/T) phosphate-binding motif or P-loop (residues 12-19) which is the signature sequence for all PTPases. Ser19, the final residue of the P-loop motif, interacts with the catalytic Cys12 and participates in stabilizing the conformation of the active site through interactions with Asn15, also in the P-loop. Mutations at Ser19 result in an enzyme with altered kinetic properties with changes in the pK(a) of the neighboring His72. The X-ray structure of the S19A mutant enzyme shows that the general conformation of the P-loop is preserved. However, changes in the loop containing His72 result in a displacement of the His72 side chain that may explain the shift in the pK(a). In addition, it was found that in the crystal, the protein forms a dimer in which Tyr131 and Tyr132 from one monomer insert into the active site of the other monomer, suggesting a dual-tyrosine motif on target sites for this enzyme. Since the activity of this PTPase is reportedly regulated by phosphorylation at Tyr131 and Tyr132, the structure of this dimer may provide a model of a self-regulation mechanism for the low-molecular weight PTPases.     

Structural and dynamic repercussions of heme binding and heme-protein cross-linking in Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 hemoglobin

The recombinant two-on-two hemoglobin from the cyanobacterium Synechoccocus sp. PCC 7002 (S7002 rHb) is a bishistidine hexacoordinate globin capable of forming a covalent cross-link between a heme vinyl and a histidine in the C-terminal helix (H helix). Of the two heme axial histidines, His46 (in the E helix, distal side) and His70 (in the F helix, proximal histidine), His46 is displaced by exogenous ligands. S7002 rHb can be readily prepared as an apoglobin (apo-rHb), a non-cross-linked hemichrome (ferric iron and histidine axial ligands, rHb-R), and a cross-linked hemichrome (rHb-A). To determine the effects of heme binding and subsequent cross-linking, apo-rHb, rHb-R, and rHb-A were subjected to thermal denaturation and 1H/2H exchange. Interpretation of the latter data was based on nuclear magnetic resonance assignments obtained with uniformly 15N- and 13C,15N-labeled proteins. Apo-rHb was found to contain a cooperative structural core, which was extended and stabilized by heme binding. Cross-linking resulted in further stabilization attributed mainly to an unfolded-state effect. Protection factors were higher at the cross-link site and near His70 in rHb-A than in rHb-R. In contrast, other regions became less resistant to exchange in rHb-A. These included portions of the B and E helices, which undergo large conformational changes upon exogenous ligand binding. Thus, the cross-link readjusted the dynamic properties of the heme pocket. 1H/2H exchange data also revealed that the B, G, and H helices formed a robust core regardless of the presence of the heme or cross-link. This motif likely encompasses the early folding nucleus of two-on-two globins.     

A conserved motif in region v of the large polymerase proteins of nonsegmented negative-sense RNA viruses that is essential for mRNA capping

Nonsegmented negative-sense (NNS) RNA viruses cap their mRNA by an unconventional mechanism. Specifically, 5′ monophosphate mRNA is transferred to GDP derived from GTP through a reaction that involves a covalent intermediate between the large polymerase protein L and mRNA. This polyribonucleotidyltransferase activity contrasts with all other capping reactions, which are catalyzed by an RNA triphosphatase and guanylyltransferase. In these reactions, a 5′ diphosphate mRNA is capped by transfer of GMP via a covalent enzyme-GMP intermediate. RNA guanylyltransferases typically have a KxDG motif in which the lysine forms this covalent intermediate. Consistent with the distinct mechanism of capping employed by NNS RNA viruses, such a motif is absent from L. To determine the residues of L protein required for capping, we reconstituted the capping reaction of the prototype NNS RNA virus, vesicular stomatitis virus, from highly purified components. Using a panel of L proteins with single-amino-acid substitutions to residues universally conserved among NNS RNA virus L proteins, we define a new motif, GxxT[n]HR, present within conserved region V of L protein that is essential for this unconventional mechanism of mRNA cap formation.     

Cloning and characterization of the HPr kinase/phosphorylase gene from Bacillus stearothermophilus No. 236

The Bacillus stearothermophilus no. 236 gene encoding the bifunctional enzyme HprK/P, the key regulator of carbon catabolite repression/activation (CCR/CCA) in most Gram-positive bacteria, was cloned and the (His)(6)-tagged gene product was characterized in detail. The nucleotide sequence of the hprK/P gene corresponded to an open reading frame of 951 bp that encoded a polypeptide of 316 amino acid residues with a calculated molecular mass of 35,458 Da. The deduced amino acid sequence of the B. stearothermophilus no. 236 HprK/P showed 64.5% identity with the B. subtilis enzyme, allowing us to identify two highly conserved motifs, the nucleotide binding P-loop (Walker motif A) and the HprK/P family signature sequence in the C-terminal half of the protein. Furthermore, complementation experiments showed that the cloned hprK/P gene product was functionally active in the B. subtilis cells. The purified (His)(6)-tagged B. stearothermophilus no. 236 HprK/P migrated on SDS-PAGE gel as a single species with a molecular mass of about 36 kDa, and behaved in gel filtration like a hexameric protein. The recombinant protein catalyzes the pyrophosphate (PPi)-dependent (highest activity at pH 7.0 and 40 degrees C) as well as the ATP-dependent phosphorylation of Ser46 in HPr (maximum activity at pH 8.0 and 45 degrees C). It also catalyzes the inorganic phosphate-dependent dephosphorylation (phosphorolysis) of seryl-phosphorylated HPr, optimally at pH 6.5 and 40 degrees C. BIAcore surface resonance analysis confirmed that a divalent cation, preferentially Mg(2+), was an indispensable cofactor for the three activities of the HprK/P. Fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) was observed to stimulate ATP-dependent kinase activity, while inorganic phosophate (Pi) inhibited ATP-dependent kinase activity. Mutations in the Walker motif A simultaneously abolished both types of kinase and phosphorylase activities. On the other hand, the conserved signature residues were confirmed to be involved in the PPi-dependent kinase and phosphorylase reactions.     

RNA capping by HeLa cell RNA guanylyltransferase. Characterization of a covalent protein-guanylate intermediate

RNA capping by partially purified HeLa cell GTP:RNA guanylyltransferase has been shown to occur in the following sequence of two partial reactions involving a covalent protein-guanylate intermediate: (i) E(P68) + GTP in equilibrium E(P68-GMP) + PPi (ii) E(P68-GMP) + ppRNA in equilibrium GpppRNA + E(P68) Initially, the enzyme reacts with GTP in the absence of an RNA cap acceptor to form a covalent protein-guanylate complex. This complex consists of a GMP residue linked via a phosphoamide bond to a Mr = 68,000 protein. The enzyme then transfers the guanylate residue from the Mr = 68,000 polypeptide to the 5' end of diphosphate-terminated poly(a) to yield the capped derivative GpppA(pA)n. Both partial reactions have been shown to be reversible. In the reverse of Reaction i, E(P68--GMP) reacts with PPi to regenerate GTP. In the reverse of Reaction ii, the enzyme catalyzes the transfer of the 5'-GMP from capped RNA to the Mr = 68,000 protein to form protein-guanylate complex. A divalent cation is required for both partial reactions. The Mr = 68,000 protein is presumed to be a subunit of the HeLa guanylyltransferase. This interpretation is consistent with the sedimentation coefficient of 4.2 S of the native enzyme. Preliminary studies of RNA guanylyltransferase from mouse myeloma tumors suggest a similar mechanism of transguanylylation involving a Mr = 68,000 protein-guanylate complex. These data, in conjunction with previous studies of vaccinia virus guanylyltransferase (Shuman, S., and Hurwitz, J. (1981) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 78, 187-191) suggests that covalent GMP-enzyme intermediates may be a general feature of the RNA capping reaction.     

Functional analysis of the conserved histidine residue of Bamboo mosaic virus capping enzyme in the activity for the formation of the covalent enzyme-m7GMP intermediate

The alphavirus-like mRNA capping enzyme of Bamboo mosaic virus (BaMV) exhibits an AdoMet-dependent guanylyltransferase activity by which the methyl group of AdoMet is transferred to GTP, leading to the formation of m(7)GTP, and the m(7)GMP moiety is next transferred to the 5' end of ppRNA via a covalent enzyme-m(7)GMP intermediate. The function of the conserved H68 of the BaMV capping enzyme in the intermediate formation was analyzed by mutagenesis in this study. The nature of the bond linking the enzyme and m(7)GMP was changed in the H68C mutant protein, strongly suggesting that H68 covalently binds to m(7)GMP in the intermediate.     

Heterologous production, purification and characterization of enzymatically active Sindbis virus nonstructural protein nsP1

Alphavirus nonstructural protein nsP1 possesses distinct methyltransferase (MTase) and guanylyltransferase (GTase) activities involved in the capping of viral RNAs. In alphaviruses, the methylation of GTP occurs before RNA transguanylation and nsP1 forms a covalent complex with m(7)GMP unlike the host mRNA guanylyltransferase which forms GMP-enzyme complex. In this study, full length SINV nsP1 was expressed in a soluble form with an N-terminal histidine tag in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity. The purified protein is enzymatically active and contains both MTase and GTase activity indicating that SINV nsP1 does not require membrane association for its enzymatic function. Biochemical analysis shows that detergents abolish nsP1 GTase activity, whereas nonionic detergents do not affect MTase activity. Furthermore, SINV nsP1 contains the metal-ion dependent GTase, whereas MTase does not require a metal ion. Circular dichroism spectroscopic analysis of purified protein indicate that nsP1 has a mixed α/β structure and is in the folded native conformation.     

X-ray structure of HPr kinase: a bacterial protein kinase with a P-loop nucleotide-binding domain

HPr kinase/phosphatase (HprK/P) is a key regulatory enzyme controlling carbon metabolism in Gram- positive bacteria. It catalyses the ATP-dependent phosphorylation of Ser46 in HPr, a protein of the phosphotransferase system, and also its dephosphorylation. HprK/P is unrelated to eukaryotic protein kinases, but contains the Walker motif A characteristic of nucleotide-binding proteins. We report here the X-ray structure of an active fragment of Lactobacillus casei HprK/P at 2.8 A resolution, solved by the multiwavelength anomalous dispersion method on a seleniated protein (PDB code 1jb1). The protein is a hexamer, with each subunit containing an ATP-binding domain similar to nucleoside/nucleotide kinases, and a putative HPr-binding domain unrelated to the substrate-binding domains of other kinases. The Walker motif A forms a typical P-loop which binds inorganic phosphate in the crystal. We modelled ATP binding by comparison with adenylate kinase, and designed a tentative model of the complex with HPr based on a docking simulation. The results confirm that HprK/P represents a new family of protein kinases, first identified in bacteria, but which may also have members in eukaryotes.     

Virus-Specific mRNA Capping Enzyme Encoded by Hepatitis E Virus

Hepatitis E virus (HEV), a positive-strand RNA virus, is an important causative agent of waterborne hepatitis. Expression of cDNA (encoding amino acids 1 to 979 of HEV nonstructural open reading frame 1) in insect cells resulted in synthesis of a 110-kDa protein (P110), a fraction of which was proteolytically processed to an 80-kDa protein. P110 was tightly bound to cytoplasmic membranes, from which it could be released by detergents. Immunopurified P110 catalyzed transfer of a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) to GTP and GDP to yield m⁷GTP or m⁷GDP. GMP, GpppG, and GpppA were poor substrates for the P110 methyltransferase. There was no evidence for further methylation of m⁷GTP when it was used as a substrate for the methyltransferase. P110 was also a guanylyltransferase, which formed a covalent complex, P110-m⁷GMP, in the presence of AdoMet and GTP, because radioactivity from both [α-³²P]GTP and [³H-methyl]AdoMet was found in the covalent guanylate complex. Since both methyltransferase and guanylyltransferase reactions are strictly virus specific, they should offer optimal targets for development of antiviral drugs. Cap analogs such as m⁷GTP, m⁷GDP, et²m⁷GMP, and m²et⁷GMP inhibited the methyltransferase reaction. HEV P110 capping enzyme has similar properties to the methyltransferase and guanylyltransferase of alphavirus nsP1, tobacco mosaic virus P126, brome mosaic virus replicase protein 1a, and bamboo mosaic virus (a potexvirus) nonstructural protein, indicating there is a common evolutionary origin of these distantly related plant and animal virus families.     

Solution structure and dynamic character of the histidine-containing phosphotransfer domain of anaerobic sensor kinase ArcB from Escherichia coli

An Escherichia coli sensor kinase, ArcB, transfers a phosphoryl group to a partner response regulator in response to anaerobic conditions. Multidimensional NMR techniques were applied to determine the solution structure of the histidine-containing phosphotransfer signaling domain of ArcB (HPt(ArcB)), which has a phosphorylation site, His717. The backbone dynamics were also investigated by analyses of the (15)N relaxation data and amide hydrogen exchange rates. Furthermore, the protonation states of the histidine imidazole rings were characterized by means of (1)H and (15)N chemical shifts at various pHs. The determined solution structure of HPt(ArcB) contains five helices and forms a four-helix bundle motif like other HPt domains. The obtained order parameters, S (2), [(1)H]-(15)N heteronuclear NOE values, and chemical exchange parameters, R(ex), showed that the alpha-helical regions of HPt(ArcB) are rigid on both picosecond to nanosecond and microsecond to millisecond time scales. On the other hand, helix D, which contains His717, exhibited low protection factors of less than 4000, indicating the presence of fluctuations on a slower time scale in helix D. These results suggest that HPt(ArcB) may undergo a small conformational change in helix D upon phosphorylation. It was also shown that the imidazole ring of His717 has a pK(a) value of 6.76, which is similar to that of a solvent-exposed histidine imidazole ring, and that a pair of deprotonated neutral tautomers are rapidly exchanged with each other. This is consistent with the solution structure of HPt(ArcB), in which the imidazole ring of His717 is exposed to the solvent.     

Crystal structure of baculovirus RNA triphosphatase complexed with phosphate

Baculovirus RNA 5'-triphosphatase (BVP) exemplifies a family of RNA-specific cysteine phosphatases that includes the RNA triphosphatase domains of metazoan and plant mRNA capping enzymes. Here we report the crystal structure of BVP in a phosphate-bound state at 1.5 A resolution. BVP adopts the characteristic cysteine-phosphatase alpha/beta fold and binds two phosphate ions in the active site region, one of which is proposed to mimic the phosphate of the product complex after hydrolysis of the covalent phosphoenzyme intermediate. The crystal structure highlights the role of backbone amides and side chains of the P-loop motif (118)HCTHGXNRT(126) in binding the cleavable phosphate and stabilizing the transition state. Comparison of the BVP structure to the apoenzyme of mammalian RNA triphosphatase reveals a concerted movement of the Arg-125 side chain (to engage the phosphate directly) and closure of an associated surface loop over the phosphate in the active site. The structure highlights a direct catalytic role of Asn-124, which is the signature P-loop residue of the RNA triphosphatase family and a likely determinant of the specificity of BVP for hydrolysis of phosphoanhydride linkages.     

Domain structure of vaccinia virus mRNA capping enzyme. Activity of the Mr 95,000 subunit expressed in Escherichia coli

The D1 gene encoding the large subunit of vaccinia virus mRNA capping enzyme was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) under the control of a bacteriophage T7 promoter. Guanylyltransferase activity (assayed as the formation of a covalent enzyme-guanylate complex) was detected in soluble lysates of these bacteria. Two major species of protein-GMP complex were formed, one of Mr 95,000 (corresponding in size to the D1 gene product) and one of Mr 60,000. Partial purification of the guanylyltransferase was effected by ammonium sulfate precipitation and ion-exchange chromatography. The expressed large subunit synthesized GpppA caps when provided with 5'-triphosphate-terminated poly(A) as a cap acceptor, but was unable to catalyze cap methylation in the presence of S-adenosylmethionine. Thus, the small capping enzyme subunit was shown to be dispensable for guanylylation, but required for cap methylation of RNA. The Mr 95,000 and Mr 60,000 protein-GMP forming activities were resolved during centrifugation in a glycerol gradient; the two forms sedimented at 5.5 S and 4.4 S, respectively, consistent with each enzyme form being a monomer. Either species catalyzed GMP transfer to an RNA acceptor. The isolated Mr 95,000 guanylyltransferase could be converted to an active Mr 60,000 form in vitro by limited proteolysis with trypsin. Expression of carboxyl-deleted forms of the D1 gene product in E. of carboxyl-deleted forms of the D1 gene product in E. coli further localized the guanylyltransferase domain to the amino two-thirds of the Mr 95,000 polypeptide.     

Mutational analysis of a mammalian reovirus mRNA capping enzyme

The amino-terminal 42-kDa region of the 144-kDa mammalian reovirus lambda 2 protein is a guanylyltransferase. It catalyzes the transfer of GMP from GTP to the 5' end of 5' -diphosphorylated mRNA via a phosphoamide with Lys-190. This amino acid is located at the base of a deep cleft. Based on sequence comparisons, the Kx[V/L/I]S motif is present in all known and proposed guanylyltransferases of the family Reoviridae. The requirement for this conserved sequence and other regions of the enzyme was analyzed by site-directed mutagenesis. Based on the enzymatic activity of the mutants, Lys-190 and Asp-191 are the only amino acids of the (190)KDLS sequence that are necessary for enzymatic activity. Since Asp-191 has its side chain oriented away from the cleft, most likely it plays an indirect role in forming a functional guanylyltransferase.