PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Codon, Initiator”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Initiation codon mutation of the tyrosinase gene as a cause of human albinism.

Direct DNA sequence determination of PCR amplified exons of the tyrosinase gene of three British patients suffering from tyrosinase negative oculocutaneous albinism has revealed three new missense point mutations: (1) an adenine to guanine transition at codon 1 changes the initiating methionine codon into a valine codon thereby abolishing translation; (2) a thymine to cytosine transition at codon 370 changes a methionine to a threonine residue; (3) a cytosine to thymine transition at codon 367 changes a histidine to a tyrosine residue. A codon 402 change previously considered a polymorphism is assigned a pathological role.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Sequence variation upstream of precore translation initiation codon reduces hepatitis B virus e antigen production.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Most South African hepatitis B virus strains harbor point mutations immediately upstream of the precore AUG codon. The aim of this study was to determine their effect on hepatitis B e antigen expression. METHODS: The hepatitis B virus DNA sequence around the precore region was determined from sera of 45 black South Africans. The South African mutations were introduced into hepatitis B virus dimers of the same genotype, and hepatitis B e antigen was quantified from culture medium of transfected HepG2 or Huh7 cells. RESULTS: The South African sequence changes were easily detectable in the acute, hepatitis B e antigen-positive phase of infection, suggesting that they were stable traits and were not selected by immune pressure. Triple mutations at the -5, -3, and -2 positions of the AUG codon severely impaired hepatitis B e antigen expression (P < 0.001). The frequent double mutation at the -5 and -2 positions moderately reduced hepatitis B e antigen levels (P < 0.001) to an extent comparable to that of the common core promoter mutations (1762(T)1764(A)). The presence of both South African and core promoter mutations diminished hepatitis B e antigen expression in an additive manner. It is interesting to note that the triple South African mutations enabled core protein translation from precore messenger RNA, which could rescue the replication defect of a hepatitis B virus genome with an ablated core gene. CONCLUSIONS: We have identified a novel class of hepatitis B e antigen variants with reduced hepatitis B e antigen translation by a ribosomal leaky scanning mechanism. Reduction in hepatitis B e antigen expression may contribute to accelerated seroconversion from hepatitis B e antigen to its antibody in black South Africans infected with hepatitis B virus very early in life.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

The gene for ribosomal protein L7a-1 in Schizosaccharomyces pombe contains an intron after the initiation codon.

The gene encoding ribosomal protein L7a-1 in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe is identified by the similarity of its open reading frame to the respective gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The L7a gene is encoded in two different genomic environments as frequently found for ribosomal protein genes in this organism. One of these genes, L75a-1, is located on chromosome 2. The two consensus promoter elements homol D and homol E are both identified upstream of the start codon of this gene. The ATG start codon is separated from the main reading frame by an intron of 66 nucleotides.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2002

Positive and negative effects of the major mammalian messenger ribonucleoprotein p50 on binding of 40 S ribosomal subunits to the initiation codon of beta-globin mRNA.

p50, the major core protein bound to mammalian mRNAs, has been reported to stimulate translation at low p50/mRNA ratios and inhibit translation at high p50/mRNA ratios. This study aims to address the molecular mechanisms underlying these phenomena using the in vitro assembly of 48 S preinitiation complexes from fully purified translational components in the presence or absence of p50 as analyzed by the toeprint assay. With limited concentrations of eIF2, eIF3, and eIF4F, p50 (but not pyrimidine tract-binding protein, which was taken for comparison) strongly stimulates formation of the 48 S preinitiation complexes with beta-globin mRNA. This stimulation is observed when just a few molecules of p50 are bound per molecule of the mRNA. When the amount of p50 in solution is increased over some threshold p50/mRNA ratio, a remarkable repression is observed that can still be relieved by adding more eIF2 and eIF4F. At even higher concentrations of p50, the inhibitory effect becomes irreversible. The threshold ratio depends upon the extent of secondary structure of the 5'-untranslated region linked to the beta-globin coding region. Chemical probing has confirmed that the binding of p50 to mRNA involves only the sugar-phosphate backbone of the mRNA leaving nucleotide bases free for interaction with other messenger ribonucleoprotein (mRNP) components. These data are best compatible with the functional role of p50 as a "manager" of mRNA-protein interactions in mammalian mRNPs.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Cell-specific and hormone-regulated expression of gonadotropin-regulated testicular RNA helicase gene (GRTH/Ddx25) resulting from alternative utilization of translation initiation codons in the rat testis.

Gonadotropin-regulated testicular RNA helicase (GRTH) is a novel DEAD-box protein with ATPase and RNA helicase activities. GRTH gene transcription is stimulated by human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) via cyclic AMP-induced androgen formation in testicular Leydig cells. In this study, immunocytochemical and Western analyses identified GRTH as a developmentally regulated protein in Leydig cells and in germ cells (pachytene spermatocytes and round spermatids) of the rat testis. Three ATGs with the potential for generation of multiple protein species were identified. Germ cells primarily utilized the 1st ATG codon (+1) and contained major proteins of 61/56 kDa, whereas Leydig cells utilized preferentially the 2nd ATG codon (+ 343) with expression of 48/43 kDa species. A 3rd ATG was weakly utilized and yielded a 33-kDa protein only in germ cells. The increase in GRTH 43-kDa protein in Leydig cells caused by hCG treatment was prevented by the androgen receptor antagonist, flutamide. In round spermatids, hCG caused a significant decrease of 61 kDa species and an induction 48/43 kDa species, whereas no changes were observed in pachytene spermatocytes. Reversal of this hormone-induced switch of expression by flutamide indicated a role of androgen in utilization of the 2nd ATG. These studies have demonstrated a cell-specific and hormone-dependent alternative usage of ATG codons in the testis. They have also revealed that the androgen-dependent transcription of GRTH expression in Leydig cells is accompanied by a marked increase of 43-kDa species. The findings indicate that expression of GRTH proteins is regulated by gonadotropin/androgen at the translational level.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2000

Vitamin D receptor initiation codon polymorphism in Japanese patients with Graves' disease.

Recent studies have shown that related genetic influences on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover are related to allelic variations in the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene. Osteoporosis as a complication of hyperthyroidism is characterized by increased rates of both bone formation and bone resorption. In addition, VDR gene polymorphism influences susceptibility to some autoimmune diseases such as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and multiple sclerosis (MS). In the gene encoding the VDR, we investigated the distribution of a VDR-FokI polymorphism that changes the predicted protein sequence. The subjects were 131 female Japanese patients with Graves' disease and 150 female controls. The distribution of genotype frequencies differs between Graves' disease and controls (chi2 = 5.99, degrees of freedom = 2, p = 0.0386). We found overexpression of F allele (69% vs. 61%, p = 0.0472) and homozygote FF (48% vs. 33%, p = 0.0118) in Graves' disease patients compared with controls. We also correlated a VDR-FokI polymorphism with BMD in the distal radius and biochemical markers of bone turnover in patients with Graves' disease in remission. Although generally no significant association was seen between age-adjusted BMD and genotype, patients in remission for >5 years showed significantly lower age-adjusted BMD in Ff heterozygotes than in ff homozygotes (Z = 1.14 ff vs. Z = -0.43 Ff, p < 0.05). Moreover, serum concentrations of bone alkaline phosphatase were significantly greater in Ff homozygotes than in FF homozygotes (78 +/- 12 vs. 59 +/- 10, p < 0.05). The genotypes did not differ in serum concentrations of osteocalcin, urinary hydroxyproline, or urinary deoxypyridinoline. Our results indicate, for the first time, an association between Graves' disease and a VDR polymorphism in the Japanese and suggest that a VDR-FokI polymorphism may affect bone mineral metabolism and can predict risk of osteoporosis as a complication of Graves' disease in patients in remission.

Adult↗
PubMed1999

A sequence downstream of the initiation codon is essential for cold shock induction of cspB of Escherichia coli.

Cold shock induction of cspB has been shown to be primarily regulated at the mRNA level. Here, we demonstrate that the induction of cspB at low temperature also requires the translational cis-acting element called the downstream box (DB). Full induction of cspB at low temperature is achieved in the presence of both the Shine-Dalgarno sequence and DB. We propose that the DB sequence functions as a translational enhancer for the biosynthesis of CspB to bypass the inhibitory effect in translation caused by cold shock.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1988

Mutations in the leader sequence and initiation codon of the gene for ribosomal protein S20 (rpsT) affect both translational efficiency and autoregulation.

We have transferred the complete structural gene and part of the leader for ribosomal protein S20 of Escherichia coli to a controllable expression vector and have used oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis to create mutations in the untranslated leader of the plasmid-borne gene. We have assayed for posttranscriptional regulation of the synthesis of S20 after inducing transcription of the mutant S20 mRNA from the expression vector. We found that two mutations lead to loss of feedback control of S20 synthesis: (i) a change of the initiation codon from UUG to AUG and (ii) a replacement of part of the S20 leader with a nonhomologous sequence including an AUG initiation codon. These mutations also lead to increases in both the intrinsic translational efficiency of the plasmid-encoded S20 mRNA in vitro and its half-life in vivo. A double mutation (GA to CT) at residues -3 and -4 relative to the initiation codon does not result in overproduction of S20. Rather, it reduces translational efficiency in vitro and mRNA stability in vivo. Our results demonstrate the fundamental importance of the UUG initiation codon in mediating autogenous repression of S20 synthesis.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1992

RNA editing in tobacco chloroplasts leads to the formation of a translatable psbL mRNA by a C to U substitution within the initiation codon.

The psbL gene which codes for a 38 amino acid peptide of photosystem II, together with the photosynthetic genes psbE and psbF, is contained in a conserved position of many species of higher plant plastomes. The alignment of the psbL nucleotide sequences from ten species shows strong conservation, which is indicative of a functional gene. The tobacco and spinach psbL genes have, however, an ACG codon instead of the initiator ATG codon observed in the homologous position of the other eight species. Evidence is presented that in tobacco chloroplasts a translatable psbL mRNA containing an AUG initiator codon is formed by a C to U editing of the ACG codon. This observation, following the previously reported editing of an rpl2 gene in maize chloroplasts, underlines a more widespread occurrence of this type of posttranscriptional mRNA modification and demonstrates its presence in a dicotyledon plant.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1990

Subcellular fate of the int-2 oncoprotein is determined by choice of initiation codon.

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) have been implicated in many aspects of cell growth and differentiation both in normal and neoplastic settings. For example, the mouse int-2 gene, which encodes an FGF-related product, is a frequent target of proviral activation in carcinomas induced by mouse mammary tumour virus, but apparently functions at discrete stages of normal embryonic development. Six classes of int-2 messenger RNA have been identified in embryonic cells, each of which is predicted to encode the same 245-amino-acid protein. But all known int-2 transcripts include sequences upstream of the AUG codon presumed to be the initiation codon. Here we report an additional N-terminally extended int-2 gene product initiated at an in-frame CUG codon. In COS-1 cells transiently transfected with appropriate int-2 complementary DNAs, the AUG-initiated product is found predominantly in the secretory pathway, whereas the CUG-initiated form is localized to the nucleus. These data indicate that the Int-2 oncoprotein could influence cellular behaviour by two distinct mechanisms.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

A conserved AUG triplet in the 5' nontranslated region of poliovirus can function as an initiation codon in vitro and in vivo.

Poliovirus translation is initiated at AUG743, 154 nt downstream of a conserved heptanucleotide CUUAUGG at the 3' border of the internal ribosome entry site. AUG586 is part of this motif and is normally not an initiation codon, but was activated following alteration of its context from CUUAUGG to ACCAUGG. Initiation at AUG586 was efficient and yielded a 7.2-kDa polypeptide translated in an open reading frame that overlapped AUG743 by 38 nt, but the presence of this activated codon reduced initiation at AUG743 by only 50%. Growth of a mutant poliovirus W1-5NC-1 containing the CUU-->ACC substitutions was impaired and was not alleviated by a termination codon placed four triplets downstream of AUG586 in the virus W1-5NC-2. The virus W1-5NC-6 contained the substitution U584A and had a similar sp phenotype; the phenotype of W1-5NC-1 is thus probably due to substitution within the conserved CUUAUGG motif per se rather than to activation of AUG586. A sp mutant virus W1-5NC-3 was derived from W1-5NC-1 by deletion of nt 588-745, indicating that AUG586 could initiate translation in vivo. These observations indicate that although AUG586 can be activated by upstream substitutions, it is nevertheless readily bypassed by ribosomes in mRNAs containing wt downstream elements, resulting in initiation at AUG743.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1999

The chloroplast infA gene with a functional UUG initiation codon.

All chloroplast genes reported so far possess ATG start codons and sometimes GTGs as an exception. Sequence alignments suggested that the chloroplast infA gene encoding initiation factor 1 in the green alga Chlorella vulgaris has TTG as a putative initiation codon. This gene was shown to be transcribed by RT-PCR analysis. The infA mRNA was translated accurately from the UUG codon in a tobacco chloroplast in vitro translation system. Mutation of the UUG codon to AUG increased translation efficiency approximately 300-fold. These results indicate that the UUG is functional for accurate translation initiation of Chlorella infA mRNA but it is an inefficient initiation codon.

Algal Proteins↗