Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are a class of enzymes that charge tRNAs with their cognate amino acids. The protein encoded by this gene is a cytoplasmic enzyme which belongs to the class II family of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. The enzyme is responsible for the synthesis of histidyl-transfer RNA, which is essential for the incorporation of histidine into proteins. The gene is located in a head-to-head orientation with HARSL on chromosome five, where the homologous genes share a bidirectional promoter. The gene product is a frequent target of autoantibodies in the human autoimmune disease polymyositis/dermatomyositis. Several transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Apr 2012],catalytic activity:ATP + L-histidine + tRNA(His) = AMP + diphosphate + L-histidyl-tRNA(His).,similarity:Belongs to the class-II aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase family.,similarity:Contains 1 WHEP-TRS domain.,tissue specificity:Brain, heart, liver and kidney.,
