The putative tRNA 2-thiouridine synthetase Ncs6 is an essential sulfur carrier in Methanococcus maripaludis

Thiolation of carbon-2 of uridine located in the first position of the anticodons of tRNAUUGGln, tRNAUUCGlu, and tRNAUUULys is a conserved RNA modification event requiring the 2-thiouridine synthetase Ncs6/Ctu1 in archaea and eukaryotes. Ncs6/Ctu1 activates uridine by adenylation, but its role in sulfur transfer is unclear. Here we show that Mmp1356, the Ncs6/Ctu1 homolog in the archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis, forms a persulfide enzyme adduct with an active site cysteine; this suggests that Mmp1356 directly participates in sulfur transfer as a persulfide carrier. Transposon mutagenesis shows that Mmp1356 is likely to be an essential protein.