Mamit-tRNA is a gene compilation aimed at defining typical as well as consensus primary and secondary structural features of mammalian mitochondrial tRNAs. It contains presently 679 tRNA gene sequences from 31 fully sequenced mammalian mitochondrial genomes. These are classified into 22 families according to the amino acid specificity as defined by the anticodon triplets. For each family, a vertical alignment based on the search of common secondary structural domains is presented as well as "typical" and "consensus" cloverleaf structures. Discussion of structural characteristics as deduced for each of the 22 tRNA families is included in Helm, M., Brulé, H, Friede, D, Giegé, R, Pütz, J and Florentz, C. (2000), RNA, Vol. 6, pp 1356-79.

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Mamit-tRNA, to be updated regulary, is expected to serve as basis towards the deciphering of structural features of mammalian mitochondrial tRNAs as well as towards the understanding of human diseases linked to point mutations in mitochondrial tRNA genes.