methylthioadenosine

meth·yl·thi·o·a·den·o·sine

(meth'il-thī'ō-ă-den'ō-sēn), Adenosine carrying an -SCH3 group in place of OH at position 5'; the -SCH3 group is transferred to α-aminobutyric acid to form l-methionine in some bacteria. Methylthioadenosine is formed from S-adenosyl-l-methionine in the course of spermidine synthesis by loss of the alanine moiety. Synonym(s): thiomethyladenosine