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Klugmann et al. Rare Dis Orphan Drugs J 2023;2:8 Rare Disease and
DOI: 10.20517/rdodj.2023.05
Orphan Drugs Journal

Technical Note Open Access

Histological and biochemical methods to assess
aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase expression in human

post-mortem brain tissue

Matthias Klugmann, Alexandra K. Suchowerska, Gary D. Housley, Dominik Fröhlich
Translational Neuroscience Facility & Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney NSW
2052, Australia.

Correspondence to: Dominik Fröhlich, MSc, PhD, Translational Neuroscience Facility & Department of Physiology, School of
Biomedical Sciences, UNSW Sydney, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia. E-mail: d.frohlich@unsw.edu.au

How to cite this article: Klugmann M, Suchowerska AK, Housley GD, Fröhlich D. Histological and biochemical methods to assess
aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase expression in human post-mortem brain tissue. Rare Dis Orphan Drugs J 2023;2:8.
https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/rdodj.2023.05
Received: 28 Jan 2023 First Decision: 2 Mar 2023 Revised: 15 Mar 2023 Accepted: 10 Apr 2023 Published: 20 Apr 2023

Academic Editors: Daniel SCHERMAN, Jacques S Beckmann Copy Editor: Ying Han Production Editor: Ying Han

Abstract
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are essential, non-redundant enzymes that catalyze the charging of tRNAs with their
cognate amino acids. This reaction is a prerequisite for protein translation in all cells. Mutations in human
aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are often associated with defects of the peripheral and central nervous system and
are the underlying cause of many rare diseases including neuropathies and leukodystrophies. A comprehensive
understanding of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase expression domains is key to understanding these disorders and
developing novel targeted treatment strategies. Here, we describe histological and biochemical methods to analyze
the expression pattern of the aspartyl-tRNA synthetase AspRS in human post-mortem brain tissue. The same
methods can readily be applied to other members of the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase superfamily or, more
generally, to other cytosolic proteins in the human brain.
Keywords: Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase, aspartyl-tRNA synthetase, AspRS, DARS1, post-mortem brain tissue

INTRODUCTION
Protein synthesis is an evolutionarily highly conserved process that requires an intimate interplay of

© The Author(s) 2023. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
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