A Genetic Study of Erythrocyte Arginine-tRNA Synthetase Activity in Man

Abstract

To search for evidence of genetic variation among the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, a semi-automated assay procedure employing a Technicon Auto Analyzer was used to measure erythrocyte arginine-tRNA synthetase activity in samples obtained from normal human twins of various ages. Variation in enzyme activity within the older DZ twins was five times that of the MZ twins suggesting the existence of genetically determined variation in enzyme activity. Higher enzyme activity was observed in newborn DZ unlike-sexed twins than in like-sexed twins of either zygosity. Possible explanations for this observation are discussed.