Francklyn Christopher S, Minajigi Anand
Cell and Molecular Biology Program, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, United States.
FEBS Lett. 2010 Jan 21;584(2):366-75. doi: 10.1016/j.febslet.2009.11.045.
During protein synthesis, tRNA serves as the intermediary between cognate amino acids and their corresponding RNA trinucleotide codons. Aminoacyl-tRNA is also a biosynthetic precursor and amino acid donor for other macromolecules. AA-tRNAs allow transformations of acidic amino acids into their amide-containing counterparts, and seryl-tRNA(Ser) donates serine for antibiotic synthesis. Aminoacyl-tRNA is also used to cross-link peptidoglycan, to lysinylate the lipid bilayer, and to allow proteolytic turnover via the N-end rule. These alternative functions may signal the use of RNA in early evolution as both a biological scaffold and a catalyst to achieve a wide variety of chemical transformations.
在蛋白质合成过程中，转运RNA（tRNA）充当同源氨基酸与其相应的RNA三核苷酸密码子之间的媒介。氨酰tRNA也是其他大分子的生物合成前体和氨基酸供体。氨酰tRNA能将酸性氨基酸转化为其含酰胺的对应物，而丝氨酰tRNA（Ser）为抗生素合成提供丝氨酸。氨酰tRNA还用于交联肽聚糖、使脂质双层赖氨酰化，并通过N端规则实现蛋白水解周转。这些替代功能可能表明在早期进化中RNA既作为生物支架又作为催化剂来实现多种化学转化。
