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PMID: 2448777 Published · ppublish English Comparative Study Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Creation of AUG initiation codons by addition of uridines within cytochrome b transcripts of kinetoplastids.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America ·Vol. 85 ·No. 2 ·1988-01-00 ·Pages 539-43

Feagin JE, Shaw JM, Simpson L, Stuart K

Abstract

The cytochrome b gene of Trypanosoma brucei has an ATG codon near its 5' end but the cytochrome b genes of the related kinetoplastids Leishmania tarentolae and Crithidia fasciculata lack an ATG. Recent results have shown that 34 uridines that are not encoded in the genome are added within the 5' end of T. brucei cytochrome b transcripts during or after transcription. These additions create an AUG in the transcript that is 20 amino acids upstream of the AUG predicted from the genomic sequence. We report here that the cytochrome b transcripts of L. tarentolae and C. fasciculata also contain added uridines within their 5' ends. The additions occur in similar numbers and positions and an in frame AUG is created at a similar site in all three species. These data strongly suggest that the created AUG functions as the initiation codon for cytochrome b in these species. Since some other kinetoplastid mitochondrial genes also lack conventional initiation codons, creation of initiation codons may be an important function of uridine addition.

MeSH Terms
Amino Acid Sequence Animals Base Sequence Codon Crithidia/genetics Cytochrome b Group/genetics Genes Leishmania/genetics Molecular Sequence Data RNA/genetics,isolation & purification Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid Species Specificity Transcription, Genetic Trypanosoma brucei brucei/genetics Uridine
Chemicals
Codon Cytochrome b Group RNA Uridine
Authors & Affiliations
4 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Feagin J E
Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, WA 98109-1651.
Shaw J M
Simpson L
Stuart K
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24 references, click to expand
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Article Info
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Abbr.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
ISSN
0027-8424
DOI
10.1073/pnas.85.2.539
Published
1988-01-00
Pages
539-43
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
7505876
PMCID
PMC279586
Subset
IM
Grants
NIAID NIH HHS · AI09102 · United States
NIAID NIH HHS · AI14102 · United States
NIGMS NIH HHS · GM07104 · United States
Databases
GENBANK
M19064, M19065, M19066
Corrections
ErratumIn
-
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1073/pnas.85.2.539 PMC Full Text View journal details
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