Thermostable valyl-tRNA, isoleucyl-tRNA and methionyl-tRNA synthetases from an extreme thermophile Thermus thermophilus HB8: protein structure and Zn2+ binding

Thermostable valyl-tRNA, isoleucyl-tRNA and methionyl-tRNA synthetases have been purified from an extreme thermophile, Thermus thermophilus HB8. Valyl-tRNA and isoleucyl-tRNA synthetases are found to be monomer proteins (Mr 108000 and 129000, respectively), while methionyl-tRNA synthetase is a dimer protein (Mr 150000). These enzymes are very similar with respect to amino acid compositions and alpha-helix contents as estimated by circular dichroism analyses. Furthermore, two Zn2+ are tightly bound to each of these synthetases. These data suggest that valyl-tRNA and isoleucyl-tRNA synthetases consist of two domains, each corresponding to the subunit of methionyl-tRNA synthetase.