tRNA wybutosine-synthesizing protein 2 (TYW2)

tRNA wybutosine-synthesizing protein 2 (TYW2) is an enzyme that catalyzes a critical step in the biosynthesis of wybutosine (yW), a hypermodified guanosine found at position 37 of eukaryotic and archaeal phenylalanine tRNA (tRNA^Phe)[1][3][4][5]. The enzyme transfers an alpha-amino-alpha-carboxypropyl (acp) group from S-adenosyl-L-methionine to an intermediate in the wybutosine synthesis pathway, stabilizing the codon-anticodon interaction and preventing −1 ribosomal frameshifting during translation[1][2][4][5]. TYW2 is implicated in cancer biology: it is frequently overexpressed in breast tumors and undergoes epigenetic silencing in colorectal cancer, with clinical relevance as promoter methylation has prognostic value[1][2]. Loss of TYW2 function causes tRNA^Phe hypomodification, leading to frameshifting and possible downregulation of oncogenes and tumor suppressors[2]. No clinically approved drugs currently target TYW2, but its modification status and expression/methylation are under investigation as biomarkers in cancer[2].

Other names

tRNA methyltransferase 12 homologTRMT12TRM12tRNA-yW-synthesizing protein 2tRNA(Phe) (4-demethylwyosine(37)-C(7)) aminocarboxypropyltransferasealpha-amino-alpha-carboxypropyl transferase TYW2FLJ20772

(No known drugs clinically targeting TYW2; mechanism of action would involve inhibition or modulation of enzymatic activity affecting tRNA modification)