Pyrrolysine (symbol Pyl or O[2]) encoded by the 'amber' stop codonUAG, is a proteinogenic amino acid that is used in some methanogenicarchaea and in bacteria.[3][4] It consists of lysine with a 4-methylpyrroline-5-carboxylate in amide linkage with the εN of the lysine. Its pyrroline side-chain is similar to that of lysine in being basic and positively charged at neutral pH.[5][6]
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Infobox references
Pyrrolysine ball and stick model spinning
Genetics
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Nearly all genes are translated using only 20 standard amino acid building blocks. Two unusual genetically-encoded amino acids are selenocysteine and pyrrolysine. Pyrrolysine was discovered in 2002 at the active site of methyltransferase enzyme from a methane-producing archeon, Methanosarcina barkeri.[7][5] This amino acid is encoded by UAG (normally a stop codon), and its synthesis and incorporation into protein is mediated via the biological machinery encoded by the pylTSBCDcluster of genes.[4]
Synthesis
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Pyrrolysine is synthesized in vivo by joining two molecules of L-lysine. One molecule of lysine is first converted to (3R)-3-methyl-D-ornithine, which is then ligated to a second lysine. An NH2 group is eliminated, followed by cyclization and dehydration step to yield L-pyrrolysine.[8]
Catalytic function
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The extra pyrroline ring is incorporated into the active site of several methyltransferases, where it is believed to rotate relatively freely. It is believed that the ring is involved in positioning and displaying the methyl group of methylamine for attack by a corrinoidcofactor. The proposed model is that a nearby carboxylic acid bearing residue, glutamate, becomes protonated, and the proton can then be transferred to the imine ring nitrogen, exposing the adjacent ring carbon to nucleophilic addition by methylamine. The positively charged nitrogen created by this interaction may then interact with the deprotonated glutamate, causing a shift in ring orientation and exposing the methyl group derived from the methylamine to the binding cleft where it can interact with corrinoid. In this way a net CH+ 3 is transferred to the cofactor's cobalt atom with a change of oxidation state from +1 to +3. The methylamine-derived ammonia is then released, restoring the original imine.[5]
This novel tRNA-aaRS pair ("orthogonal pair") is independent of other synthetases and tRNAs in Escherichia coli, and further possesses some flexibility in the range of amino acids processed, making it an attractive tool to allow the placement of a possibly wide range of functional chemical groups at arbitrarily specified locations in modified proteins.[9][10] For example, the system provided one of two fluorophores incorporated site-specifically within calmodulin to allow the real-time examination of changes within the protein by FRET spectroscopy,[11] and site-specific introduction of a photocaged lysine derivative.[12](See Expanded genetic code)
It was originally proposed that a specific downstream sequence "PYLIS", forming a stem-loop in the mRNA, forced the incorporation of pyrrolysine instead of terminating translation in methanogenic archaea. This would be analogous to the SECIS element for selenocysteine incorporation.[13] However, the PYLIS model has lost favor in view of the lack of structural homology between PYLIS elements and the lack of UAG stops in those species.[14]
A number of evolutionary scenarios have been proposed for the pyrrolysine system. The current (2022) view, given available sequences for tRNA and Pyl-tRNA (PylRS) synthase genes, is that:[17]
tRNA(Pyl) diverged from tRNA(Phe) some time between the divergence of the three domains (~LUCA) and the divergence of archaeal phyla, but was lost in non-archaeal lineages;[17]
PylRS originated within a common ancestor of all archaea. A number of domain organizations of PylRS is known: pylS itself consists of an N-terminal tRNA-binding domain and a C-terminal synthase domain, but other organizations consist of two domains in separate proteins or a protein made up of a lone C-terminal domain. The CTD probably originated from PheRS. The NTD is an archaeal innovation with no known relative. The ancestral PylRS probably adopted the "two separate proteins" configuration.[17]
The "genetic code expansion cassette" was later transferred into various bacteria. This cassette's PylRS has a split-domain configuration.[17]
Earlier evolutionary scenarios were limited by the taxonomic range of known synthases:
In 2007, when use of the amino acid appeared confined to the Methanosarcinaceae, the system was described as a "late archaeal invention" by which a 21st amino acid was added to the genetic code.[18] It is now known that a wide range of prokaryotes have these two genes.[17]
In 2009, structure comparison suggested that PylRS may have originated in the LUCA, but it only persisted in organisms using methylamines as energy sources.[19] It is now known that some non-methanogens also have these two genes, but the dating was not too far off.[17]
In 2009, it was suggested that the system could have migrated into bacteria by horizontal gene transfer.[20] This is probably true based on the 2022 study, though the paper originally assumed a link to methanogenesis.[17]
Potential for an alternative translation
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The tRNA(CUA) can be charged with lysinein vitro by the concerted action of the M. barkeri Class I and Class II lysyl-tRNA synthetases, which do not recognize pyrrolysine. Charging a tRNA(CUA) with lysine was originally hypothesized to be the first step in translating UAG amber codons as pyrrolysine, a mechanism analogous to that used for selenocysteine. More recent data favor direct charging of pyrrolysine on to the tRNA(CUA) by the protein product of the pylS gene, leading to the suggestion that the LysRS1:LysRS2 complex may participate in a parallel pathway designed to ensure that proteins containing the UAG codon can be fully translated using lysine as a substitute amino acid in the event of pyrrolysine deficiency.[21] Further study found that the genes encoding LysRS1 and LysRS2 are not required for normal growth on methanol and methylamines with normal methyltransferase levels, and they cannot replace pylS in a recombinant system for UAG amber stop codon suppression.[22]
^"Nomenclature and Symbolism for Amino Acids and Peptides". IUPAC-IUB Joint Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature. 1983. Archived from the original on 9 October 2008. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
^Richard Cammack, ed. (2009). "Newsletter 2009". Biochemical Nomenclature Committee of IUPAC and NC-IUBMB. Pyrrolysine. Archived from the original on 2017-09-12. Retrieved 2012-04-16.
^ abRother, Michael; Krzycki, Joseph A. (2010-01-01). "Selenocysteine, Pyrrolysine, and the Unique Energy Metabolism of Methanogenic Archaea". Archaea. 2010: 1–14. doi:10.1155/2010/453642. ISSN 1472-3646. PMC2933860. PMID 20847933.
^ abcHao, Bing; Gong; Ferguson; James; Krzycki; Chan (2002-05-24). "A New UAG-Encoded Residue in the Structure of a Methanogen Methyltransferase". Science. 296 (5572): 1462–1466. Bibcode:2002Sci...296.1462H. doi:10.1126/science.1069556. PMID 12029132. S2CID 35519996.
^Soares, J. A.; Zhang, L; Pitsch, R. L.; Kleinholz, N. M.; Jones, R. B.; Wolff, J. J.; Amster, J; Green-Church, K. B.; Krzycki, J. A. (2005-11-04). "The residue mass of L-pyrrolysine in three distinct methylamine methyltransferases". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 280 (44): 36962–36969. doi:10.1074/jbc.M506402200. PMID 16096277.
^Srinivasan, G; James, C. M.; Krzycki, J. A. (2002-05-24). "Pyrrolysine encoded by UAG in Archaea: charging of a UAG-decoding specialized tRNA". Science. 296 (5572): 1459–1462. Bibcode:2002Sci...296.1459S. doi:10.1126/science.1069588. PMID 12029131. S2CID 28593085.
^Gaston, Marsha A.; Zhang; Green-Church; Krzycki (March 31, 2011). "The complete biosynthesis of the genetically encoded amino acid pyrrolysine from lysine". Nature. 471 (7340): 647–50. Bibcode:2011Natur.471..647G. doi:10.1038/nature09918. PMC3070376. PMID 21455182.
^Hao, B; Zhao, G; Kang, P. T.; Soares, J. A.; Ferguson, T. K.; Gallucci, J; Krzycki, J. A.; Chan, M. K. (September 2004). "Reactivity and chemical synthesis of L-pyrrolysine – the 22nd genetically encoded amino acid". Chemistry & Biology. 11 (9): 1317–24. doi:10.1016/j.chembiol.2004.07.011. PMID 15380192.
^Li, W. T.; Mahapatra, A; Longstaff, D. G.; Bechtel, J; Zhao, G; Kang, P. T.; Chan, M. K.; Krzycki, J. A. (January 2009). "Specificity of pyrrolysyl-tRNA synthetase for pyrrolysine and pyrrolysine analogs". Journal of Molecular Biology. 385 (4): 1156–64. doi:10.1016/j.jmb.2008.11.032. PMID 19063902.
^Fekner, T; Li, X; Lee, M. M.; Chan, M. K. (2009). "A pyrrolysine analogue for protein click chemistry". Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English. 48 (9): 1633–5. doi:10.1002/anie.200805420. PMID 19156778.
^Chen, P. R.; Groff, D; Guo, J; Ou, W; Cellitti, S; Geierstanger, B. H.; Schultz, P. G. (2009). "A facile system for encoding unnatural amino acids in mammalian cells". Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English. 48 (22): 4052–5. doi:10.1002/anie.200900683. PMC2873846. PMID 19378306.
^ abReviewed in Zhang, Y; Baranov, P. V.; Atkins, J. F.; Gladyshev, V. N. (May 27, 2005). "Pyrrolysine and selenocysteine use dissimilar decoding strategies". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 280 (21): 20740–20751. doi:10.1074/jbc.M501458200. PMID 15788401.
^Zhang, Y; Gladyshev, V. N. (2007). "High content of proteins containing 21st and 22nd amino acids, selenocysteine and pyrrolysine, in a symbiotic deltaproteobacterium of gutless worm Olavius algarvensis". Nucleic Acids Research. 35 (15): 4952–4963. doi:10.1093/nar/gkm514. PMC1976440. PMID 17626042.
^Longstaff, D. G.; Larue, R. C.; Faust, J. E.; Mahapatra, A; Zhang, L; Green-Church, K. B.; Krzycki, J. A. (2007-01-16). "A natural genetic code expansion cassette enables transmissible biosynthesis and genetic encoding of pyrrolysine". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 104 (3): 1021–6. Bibcode:2007PNAS..104.1021L. doi:10.1073/pnas.0610294104. PMC1783357. PMID 17204561.
^ abcdefgGuo, LT; Amikura, K; Jiang, HK; Mukai, T; Fu, X; Wang, YS; O'Donoghue, P; Söll, D; Tharp, JM (November 2022). "Ancestral archaea expanded the genetic code with pyrrolysine". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 298 (11): 102521. doi:10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102521. PMC9630628. PMID 36152750.
^Ambrogelly, A; Gundllapalli, S; Herring, S; Polycarpo, C; Frauer, C; Söll, D (2007-02-27). "Pyrrolysine is not hardwired for cotranslational insertion at UAG codons". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 104 (9): 3141–3146. Bibcode:2007PNAS..104.3141A. doi:10.1073/pnas.0611634104. PMC1805618. PMID 17360621.
^Fournier, G (2009). "Horizontal gene transfer and the evolution of methanogenic pathways". Horizontal Gene Transfer. Methods in Molecular Biology. Vol. 532. pp. 163–79. doi:10.1007/978-1-60327-853-9_9. ISBN 978-1-60327-852-2. PMID 19271184.
^Polycarpo, C; Ambrogelly, A; Bérubé, A; Winbush, S. M.; McCloskey, J. A.; Crain, P. F.; Wood, J. L.; Söll, D (2004-08-24). "An aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase that specifically activates pyrrolysine". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 101 (34): 12450–12454. Bibcode:2004PNAS..10112450P. doi:10.1073/pnas.0405362101. PMC515082. PMID 15314242.
^Mahapatra, A; Srinivasan, G; Richter, K. B.; Meyer, A; Lienard, T; Zhang, J. K.; Zhao, G; Kang, P. T.; Chan, M; Gottschalk, G; Metcalf, W. W.; Krzycki, J. A. (June 2007). "Class I and class II lysyl-tRNA synthetase mutants and the genetic encoding of pyrrolysine in Methanosarcina spp". Molecular Microbiology. 64 (5): 1306–18. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2958.2007.05740.x. PMID 17542922. S2CID 26445329.
Further reading
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Atkins, J. F.; Gesteland, R (2002). "The 22nd Amino Acid". Science. 296 (5572): 1409–1410. doi:10.1126/science.1073339. PMID 12029118. S2CID 82054110.
Krzycki, J. A. (2005). "The direct genetic encoding of pyrrolysine". Current Opinion in Microbiology. 8 (6): 706–712. doi:10.1016/j.mib.2005.10.009. PMID 16256420.
External links
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Yarnell, Amanda (May 27, 2002). "22nd amino acid identified". Chemical and Engineering News. 80 (21): 13. doi:10.1021/cen-v080n021.p013. ISSN 0009-2347.