The aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases of <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i>

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) ligate amino acids to their cognate tRNAs, allowing them to decode the triplet code during translation. Through different mechanisms aaRSs also perform several non-canonical functions in transcription, translation, apoptosis, angiogenesis and inflammation. <i>Drosophila</i> has become a preferred system to model human diseases caused by mutations in <i>aaRS</i> genes, to dissect effects of reduced translation or non-canonical activities, and to study aminoacylation and translational fidelity. However, the lack of a systematic annotation of this gene family has hampered such studies. Here, we report the identification of the entire set of <i>aaRS</i> genes in the fly genome and we predict their roles based on experimental evidence and/or orthology. Further, we propose a new, systematic and logical nomenclature for aaRSs. We also review the research conducted on <i>Drosophila</i> aaRSs to date. Together, our work provides the foundation for further research in the fly aaRS field.