Crystal structure of histidyl-tRNA synthetase from Escherichia coli complexed with histidyl-adenylate
Arnez, J.G.; Harris, D.C.; Mitschler, A.; Rees, B.; Francklyn, C.S.; Moras, D.
EMBO Journal 14(17): 4143-4155
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0261-4189 PMID: 7556055 Accession: 008401707
The crystal structure at 2.6 A of the histidyl-tRNA synthetase from Escherichia coli complexed with histidyl-adenylate has been determined. The enzyme is a homodimer with a molecular weight of 94 kDa and belongs to the class II of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRS). The asymmetric unit is composed of two homodimers. Each monomer consists of two domains. The N-terminal catalytic core domain contains a six-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet sitting on two alpha-helices, which can be superposed with the catalytic domains of yeast AspRS, and GlyRS and SerRS from Thermus thermophilus with a root-mean-square difference on the C alpha atoms of 1.7-1.9 A. The active sites of all four monomers are occupied by histidyl-adenylate, which apparently forms during crystallization. The 100 residue C-terminal alpha/beta domain resembles half of a beta-barrel, and provides an independent domain oriented to contact the anticodon stem and part of the anticodon loop of tRNA(His). The modular domain organization of histidyl-tRNA synthetase reiterates a repeated theme in aaRS, and its structure should provide insight into the ability of certain aaRS to aminoacylate minihelices and other non-tRNA molecules.