Nineteen analogs of ATP have been tested in the aminoacylation reaction of valyl-tRNA, isoleucyltRNA and tyrosyl-tRNA synthetases from baker's yeast. Four compounds are substrates for valyltRNA and two for isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase, but there is no modified substrate for the tyrosyltRNA synthetase. There is one inhibitor for valyl-tRNA synthetase, eight compounds inhibit isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase and two compounds inhibit tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase. Their K , and Ki and V values have been determined.The substrate specificity shows that positions 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 2', and 3' of ATP are important for catalytic action of these aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases.For the aminoacylation of tRNAs with amino acids by aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases a number of investigators report an absolute requirement of Mg2 + ions [I -51.ATP + aa + tRNA e aa-tRNA + AMP + PPi.
Because Mg2+ and other divalent cations form definite complexes with ATP [6-lo], the requirement of Mg2+ ions in the reactions of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases may be closely connected with the structure of the ATP-cation complex. In our previous work substrate specificities of phenylalanyl-tRNA and seryltRNA synthetases from baker's yeast with regard to ATP analogs showed some evidence for a metal ion-ATP complex as substrate in which the metal ion is coordinated to oxygen atoms of the phosphate moiety and to the N(7) atom of the adenine moiety [ I l l . In this complex ATP would have to exhibit an anti conformation. From studies with methionyl-tRNA synthetase and nucleoside analogs it was supposed that this synthetase perhaps uses a metal ion-ATP complex with coordination of the metal ion to the N(l) or N(3) atom of the adenine moiety and to phosphate oxygens [12]. This complex requires a syn conformation of ATP. Therefore further investigation of the substrate specificity with regard to ATP analogs in