• 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 259  (7) , 4043-4048
Abstract
Glycyl- and alanyl-tRNA synthetases were purified from an extract of B. mori posterior silk glands by a procedure that allows for the simultaneous isolation of both enzymes. Glycyl-tRNA synthetase is a dimer of MW = 160,000 consisting of similar or identical subunits; alanyl-tRNA synthetase is a monomer of MW = 110,000-115,000. The abundance of these 2 enzymes in the posterior silk gland is consistent with the observed adaptation of this organ to the production of the silk protein, fibroin. The 2 enzymes are similar in oligomeric structure to the corresponding enzymes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but dissimilar from their counterparts in Escherichia coli.