Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
20
pubmed:dateCreated
1998-12-7
pubmed:databankReference
pubmed:abstractText
Deviations from the universal genetic code have evolved independently several times in ciliated protozoa. Thus, in some species UAA and UAG are no longer used as termination codons, but are read as glutamine, whereas in the genus Euplotes , UGA is translated as cysteine. We have investigated the nature of the tRNACys isoacceptor responsible for decoding UGA in Euplotes cells. Southern hybridization analyses indicated that a single DNA molecule of 630 bp encoding tRNACys exists in the macronucleus of Euplotes octocarinatus . Cloning and sequencing of this fragment revealed that it contains only one copy of a tRNACys gene, which codes for a normal tRNACys with GCA anticodon. This is the first report of the characterization of a tRNA gene in any hypotrichous ciliate. It contains putative signals for initiation and termination of transcription by RNA polymerase III and can be transcribed efficiently in vitro in HeLa cell nuclear extract. Intensive studies on the DNA and tRNA level involving PCR analyses have not disclosed the existence of any tRNA Cys isoacceptor with UCA or ICA anticodons. Translation of the UGA codon by tRNA sub GCA sup Cys necessitates a G:A mispairing in the first anticodon position. We discuss a number of aspects which might contribute to the finding that a near-cognate tRNA isoacceptor efficiently translates the UGA stop codon.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Oct
pubmed:issn
0305-1048
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
15
pubmed:volume
26
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
4557-65
pubmed:dateRevised
2008-11-20
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed-meshheading:9753721-Animals, pubmed-meshheading:9753721-Anticodon, pubmed-meshheading:9753721-Base Sequence, pubmed-meshheading:9753721-Blotting, Southern, pubmed-meshheading:9753721-Cell Nucleus, pubmed-meshheading:9753721-Codon, Terminator, pubmed-meshheading:9753721-DNA, Protozoan, pubmed-meshheading:9753721-Escherichia coli, pubmed-meshheading:9753721-Euplotes, pubmed-meshheading:9753721-Genes, Protozoan, pubmed-meshheading:9753721-Genetic Code, pubmed-meshheading:9753721-Genomic Library, pubmed-meshheading:9753721-HeLa Cells, pubmed-meshheading:9753721-Humans, pubmed-meshheading:9753721-Molecular Sequence Data, pubmed-meshheading:9753721-RNA, Protozoan, pubmed-meshheading:9753721-RNA, Transfer, Cys, pubmed-meshheading:9753721-RNA Polymerase III, pubmed-meshheading:9753721-Restriction Mapping, pubmed-meshheading:9753721-Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, pubmed-meshheading:9753721-Sequence Analysis, DNA, pubmed-meshheading:9753721-Transcription, Genetic
pubmed:year
1998
pubmed:articleTitle
The hypotrichous ciliate Euplotes octocarinatus has only one type of tRNACys with GCA anticodon encoded on a single macronuclear DNA molecule.
pubmed:affiliation
Institut für Biochemie, Bayerische Julius-Maximilians-Universität, Biozentrum, Am Hubland, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't