Expression, purification, and buffer solubility optimization of the putative human peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase PTRHD1

Performing the essential function of recycling peptidyl-tRNAs, peptidyl-tRNA hydrolases are ubiquitous in all domains of life. The multicomponent eukaryotic Pth system differs greatly from the bacterial system composed predominantly of a single Pth1 enzyme. While bacterial Pth1s are structurally well characterized and promising new targets for antibiotic development, eukaryotic Pths are largely understudied. From amino acid sequence alignment and secondary structure predictions, the human gene product PTRHD1 was classified as a eukaryotic Pth. Herein, we report cloning, recombinant bacterial expression, and weak binding to peptidyl-tRNA for PTRHD1. Additionally, we report binding to tRNA but absence of peptidyl-tRNA hydrolase activity. Thus, PTRHD1 is not a Pth and the functional consequence of nucleotide binding remains undefined.