Proteins carboxylate oxygen group

Mechanisms of reaction. Activation of an amino acid occurs by a direct in-line nucleophilic displacement by a carboxylate oxygen atom of the amino acid on the a phosphorus atom of MgATP to form the aminoacyl adenylate (Eq. 29-1, step a). For yeast phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetases the preferred form of MgATP appears to be the P,y-bidentate (A screw sense) complex (p. 643).250 This is followed by a second nucleophilic displacement, this one on the C = 0 group of the aminoacyl adenylate by the -OH group of the tRNA (Eq. 29-1, step b Fig. 29-9C). A conformational change in the protein may be required to permit dissociation of the product, the aminoacyl-tRNA. In the complex of a class I synthetase with aminoacyl... 

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