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Mutants of elongation factor Tu promote ribosomal frameshifting and nonsense readthrough.
Author(s) -
Hughes D.,
Atkins J. F.,
Thompson S.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1987.tb02772.x
Subject(s) - biology , genetics , nonsense mutation , mutant , nonsense , translational frameshift , elongation factor , mutation , ribosomal rna , gene , ribosome , rna , frameshift mutation , missense mutation
This is the first report of ribosomal frameshifting promoted by mutants of the elongation factor Tu (EF‐Tu). EF‐Tu mutants can suppress both −1 and +1 frameshift mutations. The level of nonsense readthrough is also increased at some UGA (this paper) and UAG (Hughes, 1987) sites by these mutants. Suppression occurs when a mutant tuf allele is paired with a wild‐type copy of the other tuf gene but is most efficient when both tuf genes are mutant. Frameshifting mediated by the tuf alleles studied, tufA8 and tufB103, is not general; indeed most frameshift mutations are not suppressed. Several possible mechanisms by which mutant EF‐Tu may cause frameshifting are discussed.