tRNA dysregulation and disease.

tRNAs are key adaptor molecules that decipher the genetic code during translation of mRNAs in protein synthesis. In contrast to the traditional view of tRNAs as ubiquitously expressed housekeeping molecules, awareness is now growing that tRNA-encoding genes display tissue-specific and cell type-specific patterns of expression, and that tRNA gene expression and function are both dynamically regulated by post-transcriptional RNA modifications. Moreover, dysregulation of tRNAs, mediated by alterations in either their abundance or function, can have deleterious consequences that contribute to several distinct human diseases, including neurological disorders and cancer.