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Publication Abstract from PubMed

Selenocysteine (Sec), the 21(st) amino acid in translation, uses its specific tRNA (tRNA(Sec)) to recognize the UGA codon. The Sec-specific elongation factor SelB brings the selenocysteinyl-tRNA(Sec) (Sec-tRNA(Sec)) to the ribosome, dependent on both an in-frame UGA and a Sec-insertion sequence (SECIS) in the mRNA. The bacterial SelB binds mRNA through its C-terminal region, for which crystal structures have been reported. In this study, we determined the crystal structure of the full-length SelB from the bacterium Aquifex aeolicus, in complex with a GTP analog, at 3.2-A resolution. SelB consists of three EF-Tu-like domains (D1-3), followed by four winged-helix domains (WHD1-4). The spacer region, connecting the N- and C-terminal halves, fixes the position of WHD1 relative to D3. The binding site for the Sec moiety of Sec-tRNA(Sec) is located on the interface between D1 and D2, where a cysteine molecule from the crystallization solution is coordinated by Arg residues, which may mimic Sec binding. The Sec-binding site is smaller and more exposed than the corresponding site of EF-Tu. Complex models of Sec-tRNA(Sec), SECIS RNA, and the 70S ribosome suggest that the unique secondary structure of tRNA(Sec) allows SelB to specifically recognize tRNA(Sec) and characteristically place it at the ribosomal A-site.

Crystal structure of the full-length bacterial selenocysteine-specific elongation factor SelB.,Itoh Y, Sekine S, Yokoyama S Nucleic Acids Res. 2015 Oct 15;43(18):9028-38. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkv833. Epub 2015, Aug 24. PMID:26304550^[1]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.