Abstract.
Misacylation of tRNA by a non-cognate amino acid is a natural phenomenon and occurs with a frequency of approximately 1 in 10,000 due to occasional mistakes in aminoacyl transfer RNA (tRNA) synthesis. In a number of prokaryotic organisms, misacylation of selenocysteinyl tRNA, glutaminyl tRNA and aspartyl tRNAs has particular physiological meaning. Recently, misacylation has emerged as a powerful tool for studying specific interactions between aa-tRNAs and associated protein factors. The present review provides an overview of the application of misacylated tRNA in research.
Keywords. Misacylation, aminoacylation, non-cognate trna/amino acid, translation, prokaryotes, suppression
Footnotes
Received 27 April 2005; received after revision 2 November 2005; accepted 5 December 2005