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Translation elongation factor 3: a fungus‐specific translation factor?
Author(s) -
Belfield Graham P.,
Tuite Mick F.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1993.tb01702.x
Subject(s) - biology , elongation factor , ribosome , translation (biology) , ef tu , saccharomyces cerevisiae , ribosomal rna , biochemistry , initiation factor , gtpase , candida albicans , ribosomal protein , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology , yeast , rna , gene , messenger rna
Summary Fungi appear to be unique in their requirement for a third soluble translation elongation factor. This factor, designated elongation factor 3 (EF‐3), was first described in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and has subsequently been identified in a wide range of fungal species Including Candida albicans and Schizo‐saccharomyces pombe. EF‐3 exhibits ribosome‐dependent ATPase and GTPase activities that are not intrinsic to the fungal ribosome, but which are essential for translation elongation. Recent studies on the structure of EF‐3 from several fungal species have shown that it consists of a repeated domain, with each domain containing the expected putative ATP‐ and GTP‐binding motifs. Overall, EF‐3 shows striking amino acid similarity to members of the ATP‐binding Cassette (ABC) family of membrane‐associated transport proteins although EF‐3 is not itself directly membrane‐associated. Regions of the EF‐3 polypeptide also show structural homology with other translation‐associated factors including aminoacyl‐tRNA synthetases and the Escherichia coli ribosomal protein S5. While the precise role of EF‐3 in the translation elongation cycle remains to be defined, recent evidence suggests that it may be involved in optimizing accuracy during mRNA decoding at the ribosomal A site. Furthermore, the essential nature of EF‐3 with respect to the fungal cell indicates that it may be an effective antifungal target. Its apparently ubiquitous occurrence throughout the fungal kingdom also suggests that it may be a useful fungal taxonomic marker.