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Updated: Jul 10, 2026

Genome-wide Analysis of Aminoacylation (Charging) Levels of tRNA Using Microarrays
Published on: June 18, 2010
Pyrrolysine encoded by UAG in Archaea: charging of a UAG-decoding specialized tRNA
Gayathri Srinivasan1, Carey M James, Joseph A Krzycki
1Department of Microbiology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Abstract:
Pyrrolysine is a lysine derivative encoded by the UAG codon in methylamine methyltransferase genes of Methanosarcina barkeri. Near a methyltransferase gene cluster is the pylT gene, which encodes an unusual transfer RNA (tRNA) with a CUA anticodon. The adjacent pylS gene encodes a class II aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase that charges the pylT-derived tRNA with lysine but is not closely related to known lysyl-tRNA synthetases. Homologs of pylS and pylT are found in a Gram-positive bacterium. Charging a tRNA(CUA) with lysine is a likely first step in translating UAG amber codons as pyrrolysine in certain methanogens. Our results indicate that pyrrolysine is the 22nd genetically encoded natural amino acid.
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