Article
- The EMBO Journal (2008) 27, 2533 - 2544
- doi:10.1038/emboj.2008.170
Published online: 4 September 2008
Translational bypassing without peptidyl-tRNA anticodon scanning of coding gap mRNA
Norma M Wills1, Michelle O'Connor1,2, Chad C Nelson3, Charles C Rettberg1, Wai Mun Huang4, Raymond F Gesteland1 and John F Atkins1,2
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- BioSciences Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Core Facility, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
Correspondence to:
John F Atkins, Department of Human Genetics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA. Tel.: +1 801 585 3434; Fax: +1 801 585 3910; E-mail: john.atkins@genetics.utah.edu
Received 14 March 2008; Accepted 6 August 2008
Abstract
Half the ribosomes translating the mRNA for phage T4 gene 60 topoisomerase subunit bypass a 50 nucleotide coding gap between codons 46 and 47. The pairing of codon 46 with its cognate peptidyl-tRNA anticodon dissociates, and following mRNA slippage, peptidyl-tRNA re-pairs to mRNA at a matched triplet 5' adjacent to codon 47, where translation resumes. Here, in studies with gene 60 cassettes, it is shown that the peptidyl-tRNA anticodon does not scan the intervening sequence for potential complementarity. However, certain coding gap mutants allow peptidyl-tRNA to scan sequences in the bypassed segment. A model is proposed in which the coding gap mRNA enters the ribosomal A-site and forms a structure that precludes peptidyl-tRNA scanning of its sequence. Dissipation of this RNA structure, together with the contribution of 16S rRNA anti-Shine–Dalgarno sequence pairing with GAG, facilitates peptidyl-tRNA re-pairing to mRNA.
Keywords:
- mRNA folding,
- ORF coupling,
- ribosomal frameshifting,
- ribosome,
- translational bypassing
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