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Growth phase dependent stop codon readthrough and shift of translation reading frame in Escherichia coli
Author(s) -
Wenthzel Anne-Marie K,
Stancek Martin,
Isaksson Leif A
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/s0014-5793(97)01570-6
Subject(s) - frameshift mutation , open reading frame , stop codon , genetics , nonsense mutation , translation (biology) , biology , gene , translational frameshift , start codon , transfer rna , microbiology and biotechnology , messenger rna , mutation , rna , peptide sequence , missense mutation
Nonsense codon readthrough and changed translational reading frame were measured in different growth phases in E. coli . The strains used carry plasmid constructs with a translation assay reporter gene. This reporter gene contains an internal stop codon or a run of U‐residues. Termination or frameshifting give rise to stable proteins that can be physically quantified on gels along with the complete protein products. Readthrough of the stop codon UGA by a nearcognate tRNA is several fold higher in active growth than in late exponential phase. In early exponential phase, about 7% of −1 frameshift at a U 9 slippery sequence is detectable; upon entry to stationary phase this frameshifting increases to about 40% followed by a decrease in stationary phase. A similar increase is observed in the case of +1 reading frameshift at the U 9 sequence, which increases from 13% in early exponential growth phase up to 38% at the beginning of stationary phase followed by a decrease. Thus, the levels of both stop codon readthrough and frameshifting are growth phase dependent, though not in an identical fashion.