Definition
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) are a group of ubiquitously expressed enzymes that catalyze the esterification of amino acids to the 3′-terminus of tRNAs (Ibba et al. 2005). The resulting aa-tRNAs are delivered by elongation factors (EF-Tu in bacteria, EF-1A in archaea and eukaryotes) to the ribosome, where accurate codon–anticodon pairing between the mRNA and tRNA defines the genetic code. Discovered in the 1960s, aaRSs have since served as extraordinary models for the studies of enzymology, evolution, protein–RNA interactions, and translational mechanisms. AaRSs are excellent targets for drug discovery, and recent studies show that aaRS mutations are associated with multiple neurological disorders in humans.
Basic Characteristics
Class I and Class II aaRSs. AaRSs catalyze the attachment of amino acids to correct tRNAs in a two-step reaction (Fig. 1): first, the amino acid is activated with ATP to form aa-AMP, which is measurable...
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Ling, J., Söll, D. (2013). Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases. In: Roberts, G.C.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Biophysics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16712-6_457
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16712-6_457
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