ABOVE: © THOM GRAVES
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases play a fundamental role in protein translation, linking transfer RNAs to their cognate amino acids. But in the hundreds of millions of years that they’ve existed, these synthetases (AARSs) have picked up several side jobs. One of these is to manage the development of vertebrate vasculature.
Multiple AARSs play roles in the development of the vertebrate circulatory system. During development, the serine enzyme SerRS downregulates the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), preventing over-vascularization.
In addition, a combo synthetase for glutamic acid and proline, GluProRS, links up with other proteins to form the interferon-γ activated inhibitor of translation (GAIT) complex to block VEGF-A translation.
A piece of the tryptophan synthetase TrpRS also contributes to dampening angiogenesis by binding and blocking VE-cadherin receptors on endothelial cells so they can’t link together to form blood vessel lining.
Meanwhile, a fragment of the tyrosine synthetase ...
