| Accuracy
in aminoacylation is established in a second reaction, where hydrolytic
editing clears a misactivated amino acid or mischarged tRNA. The
presence of this proofreading (editing) activity enforces strict
fidelity on the genetic code. Much
of our recent work has shown that mutations in the domain for
editing result in the production of statistical polypeptides and
a loss of cell viability. In order to utilize the full suite of
synthetases for genetic code expansion work, the identification
and understanding of editing activities in aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases
is crucial. More importantly, we are pursuing the role of editing
in higher eukaryotes.
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