Phenylalanyl-tRNA synthetase

Phenylalalnyl-tRNA synthetase (PheRS), a member of class II aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, catalyzes the synthesis of phenylalanyl-tRNA Phe (Phe-tRNA Phe ). Hence, like other aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, PheRS also plays a crucial role in the cellular translation process. Structural characterization demonstrates remarkable architectural diversity ranging from monomer to hetero-oligomer. Heterotetrameric PheRS contains an editing domain to proofread misincorporation of non-cognate amino acids. However, editing activity is absent in monomeric PheRS. PheRS has also shown some noncanonical functions, such as DNA binding properties, suggesting its involvement in complex regulatory pathways. Engineered mutants with relaxed substrate specificities of PheRS can be a promising tool for chemical and synthetic biology. Because of substantial structural variations among species due to evolutionary divergence, PheRS may be validated as a novel drug target. Human PheRS gene mutations have recently been implicated in several neurological disorders prompting structure-function studies to elucidate the molecular role of PheRS in such pathologies. In this review on PheRS, we will briefly cover all of the aforementioned aspects and our current understanding about the enzyme.