Several aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases have the ability to transfer the D-isomer of their amino acid onto their cognate tRNA. D-aminoacyl-tRNA deacylases hydrolyse the ester bond between the polynucleotide and the D-amino acid, thereby preventing the accumulation of such mis-acylated and metabolically inactive tRNA molecules.

1: GEK1, a gene product of Arabidopsis thaliana involved in ethanol tolerance, is a D-aminoacyl-tRNA deacylase. Wydau S, Ferri-Fioni ML, Blanquet S, Plateau P; Nucleic Acids Res. 2007;35:930-938. PMID:17251192