Quick Facts:

• 22^nd genetically encoded amino acid
• α-amino acid not present in humans
• Abundant in methanogenic archaea and bacterium
  • Anaerobic microorganisms
  • Reduce carbon dioxide and hydrogen gas to methane
  • Relevant in energy conservation
• Works to bind, activate, and orient methylamines during protein synthesis
• Present in the last universal common ancestor (3 billion years ago)
  • Only persisted in organisms that use methyalmines as energy sources

Synthesis:

• Synthesized from two molecules of L-lysine
• Encoded by mRNA in the UAG region
  • Normally an “amber” stop codon

Lysine:

Pyrrolysine:

The discovery of L-pyrrolysine has changed the way methanogenic archaea and bacteria are studied. It has demonstrated an important role in the scientific study of amino acids, and is proof that there are many more paths that require scientific exploration.

• The discovery of L-pyrrolysine has been an important piece of evidence in the evolution of the genetic code
• Establishing a mechanism for the formation of L-pyrrolysine can prove useful the discovery of additional essential building blocks