Maguire R J
Can J Biochem. 1976 Jun;54(6):583-7. doi: 10.1139/o76-086.
The binding of methylmercuric hydroxide to N-formylmethionyl-tRNA of Escherichia coli has been studied. In the absence of magnesium ions, methylmercury binds strongly to 4-thiouridine in the eighth position from the 5' end: the dissociation constant is (1.0 +/- 0.2) X 10(-5) M, and the forward and reverse rate constants for binding are (5.3 +/- 0.5) X 10(4) M-1S-1 and 0.38 +/- 0.02S-1, respectively. The presence of Mg2+ prevents this binding, presumably through some conformational change induced in the structure of N-formylmethionyl-tRNA.