Mistranslating tRNA variants have anticodon- and sex-specific impacts on Drosophila melanogaster .

Mutant tRNA genes can cause mistranslation, the misincorporation of amino acids into proteins, and are associated with several human diseases. This study investigated the role of two tRNA variants that cause threonine-to-serine (T➔S) or valine-to-serine (V➔S) substitution. Both variants caused developmental delays and lethality in both sexes and increase prevalence of deformities in females. Surprisingly, female T➔S and V➔S flies experienced increased lifespan and mistranslating males and females showed improved locomotion. These results suggest that mistranslation has both positive and negative effects that depend on the tRNA variant and sex of the fly.