Modifying mitochondrial tRNAs: delivering what the cell needs.

Protein synthesis is critically dependent on transfer (t)-RNAs, but the factors regulating tRNA function are poorly understood. In this issue of Cell Metabolism, Wei et al. (2015) show that Cdk5 regulatory subunit-associated protein-like-1 synchronizes mitochondrial and cytosolic translation in response to external stress, providing key insight into the pathogenesis of a common inherited mitochondrial disease.