Candida tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase proteins, nucleic acids and strains comprising same

The present invention relates to isolated and/or recombinant nucleic acids which encode Candida tyrosyl-tRNA synthetases, portions thereof, or fusion proteins comprising a Candida tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase or portion thereof. Also disclosed are constructs comprising the nucleic acids of the present invention, host cells comprising a recombinant nucleic acid or construct, and methods of producing a Candida tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase, portion thereof, or fusion protein comprising same. Also described are tester strains, which are cells engineered to rely on the function of a Candida tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase or functional fragment thereof encoded by an introduced cloned gene, and which can be used in a method of detecting an inhibitor of Candida tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase function. The invention further relates to isolated and/or recombinant Candida tyrosyl-tRNA synthetases, portions thereof, or fusion proteins comprising a Candida tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase or portion thereof, methods of use of these polypeptides in an assay to identify inhibitors of Candida tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase function, and antibodies reactive with Candida tyrosyl-tRNA synthetases.