Cytoplasmic methionyl-tRNA synthetase from Bakers' yeast. A monomer with a post-translationally modified N terminus

Methionyl-tRNA synthetase has been purified from a yeast strain carrying the MES1 structural gene on a high copy number plasmid (pFL1). The purified enzyme is a monomer of Mr = 85,000 in contrast to its counterpart from Escherichia coli which is a dimer made up of identical subunits (Mr = 76,000; Dardel, F., Fayat, G., and Blanquet, S. (1984) J. Bacteriol. 160, 1115-1122). The yeast enzyme was not amenable to Edman's degradation indicating a blocked NH2 terminus. Its primary structure as derived from the DNA sequence (Walter, P., Gangloff, J., Bonnet, J., Boulanger, Y., Ebel, J.P., and Fasiolo, F. (1983) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80, 2437-2441) has been confirmed using the fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometric method. This method was applied to tryptic digests of the carboxymethylated enzyme and the corresponding data provided extensive coverage of the translated DNA sequence, thus confirming its correctness. The ambiguity concerning which of the three NH2-terminally located methionine codons is the initiation codon was easily resolved from peptides identified in this region. It was possible to show that the first methionine had been removed and that the new NH2 terminus, serine, had been acetylated. A comparison between the yeast and E. coli sequences shows that the former has an N-terminal extension of about 200 residues as compared to the latter. It also lacks the C-terminal domain which is responsible for the dimerization of the E. coli methionyl-tRNA synthetase.     

Amino acid binding by the class I aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases: role for a conserved proline in the signature sequence.

Although partial or complete three-dimensional structures are known for three Class I aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, the amino acid-binding sites in these proteins remain poorly characterized. To explore the methionine binding site of Escherichia coli methionyl-tRNA synthetase, we chose to study a specific, randomly generated methionine auxotroph that contains a mutant methionyl-tRNA synthetase whose defect is manifested in an elevated Km for methionine (Barker, D.G., Ebel, J.-P., Jakes, R.C., & Bruton, C.J., 1982, Eur. J. Biochem. 127, 449-457), and employed the polymerase chain reaction to sequence this mutant synthetase directly. We identified a Pro 14 to Ser replacement (P14S), which accounts for a greater than 300-fold elevation in Km for methionine and has little effect on either the Km for ATP or the kcat of the amino acid activation reaction. This mutation destabilizes the protein in vivo, which may partly account for the observed auxotrophy. The altered proline is found in the "signature sequence" of the Class I synthetases and is conserved. This sequence motif is 1 of 2 found in the 10 Class I aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases and, in the known structures, it is in the nucleotide-binding fold as part of a loop between the end of a beta-strand and the start of an alpha-helix. The phenotype of the mutant and the stability and affinity for methionine of the wild-type and mutant enzymes are influenced by the amino acid that is 25 residues beyond the C-terminus of the signature sequence.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Molecular cloning and primary structure of the Escherichia coli methionyl-tRNA synthetase gene.

The intact metG gene was cloned in plasmid pBR322 from an F32 episomal gene library by complementation of a structural mutant, metG83. The Escherichia coli strain transformed with this plasmid (pX1) overproduced methionyl-tRNA synthetase 40-fold. Maxicell analysis showed that three major polypeptides with MrS of 76,000, 37,000, and 29,000 were expressed from pX1. The polypeptide with an Mr of 76,000 was identified as the product of metG on the basis of immunological studies and was indistinguishable from purified methionyl-tRNA synthetase. In addition, DNA-DNA hybridization studies demonstrated that the metG regions were homologous on the E. coli chromosome and on the F32 episome. DNA sequencing of 642 nucleotides was performed. It completes the partial metG sequence already published (D. G. Barker, J. P. Ebel, R. Jakes, and C. J. Bruton, Eur. J. Biochem. 127:449-451, 1982). Examination of the deduced primary structure of methionyl-tRNA synthetase excludes the occurrence of any significant repeated sequences. Finally, mapping of mutation metG83 by complementation experiments strongly suggests that the central part of methionyl-tRNA synthetase is involved in methionine recognition. This observation is discussed in the light of the known three-dimensional crystallographic structure.     

Methionyl-tRNA synthetase from Escherichia coli. Primary structure of the active crystallised tryptic fragment

A 3300-base segment of Escherichia coli chromosomal DNA, cloned into pBR322, will complement a methionine auxotroph in which the lesion is a defective methionyl-tRNA synthetase with a much reduced affinity for methionine. Crude extracts of these transformants contain elevated levels of a protein which has a subunit molecular weight of 66 000, methionyl-tRNA synthetase aminoacylation activity in vitro and which cross-reacts with anti-(methionyl-tRNA synthetase) antibodies. This polypeptide is very slightly larger than the well-characterised and crystallised tryptic fragment of methionyl-tRNA synthetase. A DNA sequence of 1750 residues at one end of the cloned insert codes for a non-terminated open reading frame in which we can locate a large number of methionyl-tRNA synthetase tryptic and chymotryptic peptides. We have also sequenced 300 nucleotides upstream of this coding segment where we find a large invert repeat in the putative methionyl-tRNA synthetase promoter region.     

Affinity chromatography on agarose-hexyl-adenosine-5'-phosphate of methionyl-tRNA synthetase from Escherichia coli. Application of the couplings between the methionine and ATP sites.

Recent studies by us [Biochemistry (1977) 16, 2570-2579] have shown that L-methioninol, a methionine analog lacking the carboxylate negative charge, enhances the affinity of AMP for methionyl-tRNA synthetase while L-methionine antagonizes the nucleotide binding. Such couplings between ligands of the enzyme have now been applied to affinity chromatography of methionyl-tRNA synthetase on an agarose-hexyl-adenosine-5'-phosphate gel (the spacer is attached to AMP at the adenine C-8 position). Retention of the enzyme on this gel column was shown to be dependent on the presence of appropriate concentrations of magnesium and of L-methioninol in the equilibration buffer. The enzyme was then specifically recovered from the column by omitting the amino alcohol or by adding an excess of L-methionine which antagonizes the cooperative effect of L-methioninol. This approach has provided the basis for a new purification procedure of methionyl-tRNA synthetase which leads to a 200-fold purification in a single chromatographic step. In this manner, after 30-50% ammonium sulfate fractionation of extracts of Escherichia coli EM 20031 (carrying the F32 episome), 0.25 mg X methionyl-tRNA synthetase was obtained at 90% purity per ml of agarose-hexyl-adenosine-5'-phosphate gel.     

Cloning of the yeast methionyl-tRNA synthetase gene

A pool of random wild type yeast DNA fragments obtained by partial Sau IIIA restriction enzyme digestion and inserted in the Bam HI site of the hybrid yeast Escherichia coli plasmid ((pFL1) has been used to transform to prototrophy a methionyl-tRNA synthetase-impaired mutant requiring methionine. In the numerous prototroph strains recovered at least two independent clones have been obtained which show nonchromosomic inheritance character and an approximately 30-fold increase in methionyl-tRNA synthetase activity as compared to the wild type. Measurement of the Km for methionine in the transformed yeast cells indicates that the activity has been restored by decreasing the Km for methionine to the same level as found for the wild type methionyl-tRNA synthetase. Southern blotting experiments show that the yeast DNA's fragments inserted in the two independent plasmids share a common sequence which must correspond at least partly to the structural gene for methionyl-tRNA synthetase. They also suggest that the methionyl-tRNA synthetase gene is differently orientated in the two plasmids     

Covalent methionylation of Escherichia coli methionyl-tRNA synthethase: identification of the labeled amino acid residues by matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization mass spectrometry.

Methionyl-adenylate, the mixed carboxylic-phosphoric acid anhydride synthesized by methionyl-tRNA synthetase (MetRS) is capable of reacting with this synthetase or other proteins, by forming an isopeptide bond with the epsilon-NH2 group of lysyl residues. It is proposed that the mechanism for the in vitro methionylation of MetRS might be accounted for by the in situ covalent reaction of methionyl-adenylate with lysine side chains surrounding the active center of the enzyme, as well as by exchange of the label between donor and acceptor proteins. Following the incorporation of 7.0 +/- 0.5 mol of methionine per mol of a monomeric truncated methionyl-tRNA synthetase species, the enzymic activities of [32P]PPi-ATP isotopic exchange and tRNA(Met) aminoacylation were lowered by 75% and more than 90%, respectively. The addition of tRNA(Met) protected the enzyme against inactivation and methionine incorporation. Matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization mass spectrometry designated lysines-114, -132, -142 (or -147), -270, -282, -335, -362, -402, -439, -465, and -547 of truncated methionyl-tRNA synthetase as the target residues for covalent binding of methionine. These lysyl residues are distributed at the surface of the enzyme between three regions [114-150], [270-362], and [402-465], all of which were previously shown to be involved in catalysis or to be located in the binding sites of the three substrates, methionine, ATP, and tRNA.     

Purification of the yeast mitochondrial methionyl-tRNA synthetase. Common and distinctive features of the cytoplasmic and mitochondrial isoenzymes

Yeast-mitochondrial methionyl-tRNA synthetase was purified 1060-fold from mitochondrial matrix proteins of Saccharomyces cerevisiae using a four-step procedure based on affinity chromatography (heparin-Ultrogel, tRNA(Met)-Sepharose, Agarose-hexyl-AMP) to yield to a single polypeptide of high specific activity (1800 U/mg). Like the cytoplasmic methionyl-tRNA synthetase (Mr 85,000), the mitochondrial isoenzyme is a monomer, but of significantly smaller polypeptide size (Mr 65,000). In contrast, the corresponding enzyme of Escherichia coli is a dimer (Mr 152,000) made up of identical subunits. The measured affinity constants of the purified mitochondrial enzyme for methionine and tRNA(Met) are similar to those of the cytoplasmic isoenzyme. However, the two yeast enzymes exhibit clearly different patterns of aminoacylation of heterologous yeast and E. coli tRNA(Met). Furthermore, polyclonal antibodies raised against the two proteins did not show any cross-reactivity by inhibition of enzymatic activity and by the highly sensitive immunoblotting technique, indicating that the two enzymes share little, if any, common antigenic determinants. Taken together, our results further support the belief that the yeast mitochondrial and cytoplasmic methionyl-tRNA synthetases are different proteins coded for by two distinct nuclear genes. Like the yeast cytoplasmic aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, the mitochondrial enzymes displayed affinity for immobilized heparin. This distinguishes them from the corresponding enzymes of E. coli. Such an unexpected property of the mitochondrial enzymes suggests that they have acquired during evolution a domain for binding to negatively charged cellular components.     

Purification and characterization of serine acetyltransferase from Escherichia coli partially truncated at the C-terminal region

Incubation of serine acetyltransferase (SAT) from Escherichia coli at 25 degrees C in the absence of protease inhibitors yielded a truncated SAT. The truncated SAT was much less sensitive to feedback inhibition than the wild-type SAT. Analyses of the N- and C-terminal amino acid sequences found that the truncated SAT designated as SAT delta C20 was a resultant form of the wild-type SAT cleaved between Ser 253 and Met 254, deleting 20 amino acid residues from the C-terminus. Based on these findings, we constructed a plasmid containing an altered cysE gene encoding the truncated SAT. SAT delta C20 was produced using the cells of E. coli JM70 transformed with the plasmid and purified to be homogeneous on an SDS-polyacrylamide gel. Properties of the purified SAT delta C20 were investigated in comparison with those of the wild-type SAT and Met-256-Ile mutant SAT, which was isolated by Denk and B?ck but not purified (J. Gen. Microbiol., 133, 515-525 (1987)). SAT delta C20 was composed of four identical subunits like the wild-type SAT and Met-256-Ile mutant SAT. Specific activity, optimum pH for reaction, thermal stability, and stability to reagents for SAT delta C20 were similar those for the wild-type SAT and Met-256-Ile mutant SAT. However, SAT delta C20 did not form a complex with O-acetylserine sulfhydrylase-A (OASS-A), a counterpart of the cysteine synthetase and did not reduce OASS activity in contrast to the wild-type SAT and Met-256-Ile mutant SAT.     

Genetic engineering of methionyl-tRNA synthetase: in vitro regeneration of an active synthetase by proteolytic cleavage of a methionyl-tRNA synthetase--beta-galactosidase chimeric protein

The construction of a family of plasmids carrying derivatives of metG, the gene for E. coli methionyl-tRNA synthetase, is described. These plasmids allow expression of native or truncated forms of the enzyme and easy purification of the products. To facilitate the characterization of modified enzymes with very low catalytic activity, a specialized vector was constructed, in which metG was fused in frame with lacZ, the gene for beta-galactosidase. This plasmid expresses a methionyl-tRNA synthetase-beta-galactosidase chimeric protein, which is shown to carry the activities of both enzymes. This hybrid can be purified in a single step of affinity chromatography for beta-galactosidase. The methionyl-tRNA synthetase moiety can be regenerated by mild proteolysis, thus providing a simple method for purifying and studying mutated proteins.     

Use of analogues of methionine and methionyl adenylate to sample conformational changes during catalysis in Escherichia coli methionyl-tRNA synthetase

Binding of methionine to methionyl-tRNA synthetase (MetRS) is known to promote conformational changes within the active site. However, the contribution of these rearrangements to enzyme catalysis is not fully understood. In this study, several methionine and methionyl adenylate analogues were diffused into crystals of the monomeric form of Escherichia coli methionyl-tRNA synthetase. The structures of the corresponding complexes were solved at resolutions below 1.9A and compared to those of the enzyme free or complexed with methionine. Residues Y15 and W253 play key roles in the strength of the binding of the amino acid and of its analogues. Indeed, full motions of these residues are required to recover the maximum in free energy of binding. Residue Y15 also controls the size of the hydrophobic pocket where the amino acid side-chain interacts. H301 appears to participate to the specific recognition of the sulphur atom of methionine. Complexes with methionyl adenylate analogues illustrate the shielding by MetRS of the region joining the methionine and adenosine moieties. Finally, the structure of MetRS complexed to a methionine analogue mimicking the tetrahedral carbon of the transition state in the aminoacylation reaction was solved. On the basis of this model, we propose that, in response to the binding of the 3'-end of tRNA, Y15 moves again in order to deshield the anhydride bond in the natural adenylate.     

Enzyme-induced covalent modification of methionyl-tRNA synthetase from Bacillus stearothermophilus by methionyl-adenylate: identification of the labeled amino acid residues by matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization mass spectrometry

Methionyl-tRNA synthetase (MetRS) from Bacillus stearothermophilus was shown to undergo covalent methionylation by a donor methionyl-adenylate, the mixed carboxylic-phosphoric acid anhydride synthesized by the enzyme itself. Covalent reaction of methionyl-adenylate with the synthetase or other proteins proceeds through the formation of an isopeptide bond between the carboxylate of the amino acid and the -NH₂ group of lysyl residues. The stoichiometries of labeling, as followed by TCA precipitation, were 2.2 ± 0.1 and 4.3 ± 0.1 mol of [¹⁴C]Met incorporated by 1 mol of the monomeric MS534 and the native dimeric species of B. stearo methionyl-tRNA synthetase, respectively. Matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization mass spectrometry designated lysines-261, -295, -301 and -528 (or -534) of truncated methionyl-tRNA synthetase as the target residues for covalent binding of methionine. By analogy with the 3D structure of the monomeric M547 species of E. coli methionyl-tRNA synthetase, lysines-261, -295, and -301 would be located in the catalytic crevice of the thermostable enzyme where methionine activation and transfer take place. It is proposed that, once activated by ATP, most of the methionine molecules react with the closest reactive lysyl residues.     

Deletion analysis in the amino-terminal extension of methionyl-tRNA synthetase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae shows that a small region is important for the activity and stability of the enzyme

MESI, the structural gene for methionyl-tRNA synthetase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes an amino-terminal extension of 193 amino acids, based on the comparison of the encoded protein with the Escherichia coli methionyl-tRNA synthetase. We examined the contribution of this polypeptide region to the activity of the enzyme by creating several internal deletions in MESI which preserve the correct reading frame. The results show that 185 amino acids are dispensable for activity and stability. Removal of the next 5 residues affects the activity of the enzyme. The effect is more pronounced on the tRNA aminoacylation step than on the adenylate formation step. The Km for ATP and methionine are unaltered indicating that the global structure of the enzyme is maintained. The Km for tRNA increased slightly by a factor of 3 which indicates that the positioning of the tRNA on the surface of the molecule is not affected. There is, however, a great effect on the Vmax of the enzyme. Examination of the three-dimension structure of the homologous E. coli methionyl-tRNA synthetase indicates that the amino acid region preceding the mononucleotide-binding fold does not participate directly in the catalytic cleft. It could, however, act at a distance by propagating a mutational alteration to the catalytic residues.     

Identification of an amino acid region supporting specific methionyl-tRNA synthetase: tRNA recognition

Site-directed nuclease digestion and nonsense mutations of the Escherichia coli metG gene were used to produce a series of C-terminal truncated methionyl-tRNA synthetases. Genetic complementation studies and characterization of the truncated enzymes establish that the methionyl-tRNA synthetase polypeptide (676 residues) can be reduced to 547 residues without significant effect on either the activity or the stability of the enzyme. The truncated enzyme (M547) appears to be similar to a previously described fully active monomeric from of 64,000 Mr derived from the native homodimeric methionyl-tRNA synthetase (2 x 76,000 Mr) by limited trypsinolysis in vitro. According to the crystallographic three-dimensional structure at 2.5 A resolution of this trypsin-modified enzyme, the polypeptide backbone folds into two domains. The former, the N-domain, contain a crevice that is believed to bind ATP. The latter, the C-domain, has a 28 C-residue extension (520 to 547), which folds back, toward the N-domain and forms an arm linking the two domains. This study shows that upon progressive shortening of this C-terminal extension, the enzyme thermostability decreases. This observation, combined with the study of several point mutations, allows us to propose that the link made by the C-terminal arm of M547 between its N and C-terminal domains is essential to sustain an active enzyme conformation. Moreover, directing point mutations in the 528-533 region, which overhangs the putative ATP-binding site, demonstrates that this part of the C-terminal arm participates also in the specific complexation of methionyl-tRNA synthetase with its cognate tRNAs.     

Genetic characterization of polypeptide deformylase, a distinctive enzyme of eubacterial translation.

Deformylase performs an essential step in the maturation of proteins in eubacteria, by removing the formyl group from the N-terminal methionine residue of ribosome-synthesized polypeptides. In spite of this important role in translation, the enzyme had so far eluded characterization because of its instability. We report the isolation of the deformylase gene of Escherichia coli, def, by overexpression of a genomic library from a high-copy-number plasmid and selection for utilization of the substrate analogue formyl-leucyl-methionine as a source of methionine. The def gene encodes a 169 amino acid polypeptide that bears no obvious resemblance to other known proteins. It forms an operon with the fmt gene, that encodes the initiator methionyl-tRNA(i) transformylase, which was recently characterized (Guillon et al., J. Bacteriol., 174, 4294-4301, 1992). This operon was mapped at min 72 of the E. coli chromosome. The def gene could be inactivated if the fmt gene was also inactivated, or if biosynthesis of N10-formyl-tetrahydrofolate, the formyl donor in methionyl-tRNA(i) transformylation, was blocked by trimethoprim. These findings designate deformylase as a target for antibacterial chemotherapy.     

Sequence of the cloned Escherichia coli K1 CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid synthetase gene

The Escherichia coli CMP-N-acetylneuraminic acid (CMP-NeuAc) synthetase gene is located on a 3.3-kilobase (kb) HindIII fragment of the plasmid pSR23 which contains the genes for K1 capsule production (Vann, W. F., Silver, R. P., Abeijon, C., Chang, K., Aaronson, W., Sutton, A., Finn, C. W., Lindner, W., and Kotsatos, M. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 17556-17562). The CMP-NeuAc synthetase gene expression was increased 10-30-fold by cloning of a 2.7-kb EcoRI-HindIII fragment onto the vector pKK223-3 containing the tac promoter. The complete nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding CMP-NeuAc synthetase was determined from progressive deletions generated by selective digestion of M13 clones containing the 2.7-kb fragment. CMP-NeuAc synthetase is located near the EcoRI site on this fragment as indicated by the detection of an open reading frame encoding a 49,000-dalton polypeptide. The amino- and carboxyl-terminal sequences of the encoded protein were confirmed by sequencing of peptides cleaved from both ends of the purified enzyme. The nucleotide deduced amino acid sequence was confirmed by sequencing several tryptic peptides of purified enzyme. The molecular weight is consistent with that determined from sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis. Gel filtration and ultracentrifugation experiments under nondenaturing conditions suggest that the enzyme is active as a 49,000-dalton monomer but may form aggregates.     

Methionyl-tRNA synthetase from Bacillus stearothermophilus: structural and functional identities with the Escherichia coli enzyme.

The metS gene encoding homodimeric methionyl-tRNA synthetase from Bacillus stearothermophilus has been cloned and a 2880 base pair sequence solved. Comparison of the deduced enzyme protomer sequence (Mr 74,355) with that of the E. coli methionyl-tRNA synthetase protomer (Mr 76,124) revealed a relatively low level (32%) of identities, although both enzymes have very similar biochemical properties (Kalogerakos, T., Dessen, P., Fayat, G. and Blanquet, S. (1980) Biochemistry 19, 3712-3723). However, all the sequence patterns whose functional significance have been probed in the case of the E. coli enzyme are found in the thermostable enzyme sequence. In particular, a stretch of 16 amino acids corresponding to the CAU anticodon binding site in the E. coli synthetase structure is highly conserved in the metS sequence. The metS product could be expressed in E. coli and purified. It showed structure-function relationships identical to those of the enzyme extracted from B. stearothermophilus cells. In particular, the patterns of mild proteolysis were the same. Subtilisin converted the native dimer into a fully active monomeric species (62 kDa), while trypsin digestion yielded an inactive form because of an additional cleavage of the 62 kDa polypeptide into two subfragments capable however of remaining firmly associated. The subtilisin cleavage site was mapped on the enzyme polypeptide, and a gene encoding the active monomer was constructed and expressed in E. coli. Finally, trypsin attack was demonstrated to cleave a peptidic bond within the KMSKS sequence common to E. coli and B. stearothermophilus methionyl-tRNA synthetases. This sequence has been shown, in the case of the E. coli enzyme, to have an essential role for the catalysis of methionyl-adenylate formation.     

Subunit interaction in unadenylylated glutamine synthetase from Escherichia coli. Evidence from methionine sulfoximine inhibition studies

Although glutamine synthetase from Escherichia coli is composed of 12 identical subunits, there is no evidence that homologous subunit interactions occur in fully unadenylylated or fully adenylylated enzyme. Meister and co-workers (Manning, J. M., Moore, S., Rowe, W. B., and Meister, A. (1969) Biochemistry 8, 2681-2685) have shown that L-methionine-S-sulfoximine, one of the four diastereomers of methionine sulfoximine, preferentially inhibits glutamine synthetase irreversibly in the presence of ATP, due to the formation of tightly bound products, ADP, and methionine sulfoximine phosphate. Using highly purified unadenylylated glutamine synthetase and the two resolved diastereomers of L-methionine-S,R-sulfoximine, we have studied both the kinetics of glutamine synthetase inactivation in the presence of excess methionine sulfoximine and ATP, and the binding of methionine sulfoximine to the enzyme. The results reveal that (a) the apparent first order rate constant of irreversible inactivation by the S isomer decreases progressively from the expected first order rate, indicating that an inactivated subunit retards the reactivity of its neighboring subunits toward methionine sulfoximine and ATP; (b) the R isomer does not inactivate glutamine synthetase irreversibly in the presence of ATP; however, the R isomer is capable of protecting the enzyme temporarily from the irreversible inhibition by the S isomer; and (c) the binding of the S isomer monitored by changes in protein fluorescence exhibits an apparent negative cooperative binding isotherm, whereas the R isomer yields an apparent positive cooperative pattern.     

Structural homology in the amino-terminal domains of two aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases

The three-dimensional structures of two animoacyl-tRNA synthetases, the methionyl-tRNA synthetase from Escherichia coli (MetRS) and the tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase from Bacillus stearothermophilus (TyrRS), show a remarkable similarity over a span of about 140 amino acids. The region of homologous folding corresponds to a five-stranded parallel beta-sheet, including a mononucleotide-binding fold. One cysteine and two histidine residues that were found to be invariant in the amino acid sequences occupy similar places in the nucleotide-binding fold. In TyrRS, these residues are close to the adenylate binding site, and in MetRS to the Mg2+-ATP binding site.