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PubMed1994

Nonsense and missense mutations in the muscular chloride channel gene Clc-1 of myotonic mice.

In mature vertebrate muscle, the chloride channel Clc-1 is necessary for the stabilization of the resting potential. Its functional defect leads to the disease myotonia. The ADR mouse (phenotype ADR, genotype adr/adr) is an animal model for human myotonias. The adr gene is a member of a family of non-complementing recessive autosomal mutations ("alleles" of adr) that cause myotonia in the mouse. The standard allele adr has arisen by the insertion of a retroposon into the chloride channel gene Clc-1 (Steinmeyer, K., Klocke, R., Ortland, C., Gronemeier, M., Jockusch, H., Gründer, S., and Jentsch, T. J. (1991) Nature 354, 304-308). In order to study the nature of two other alleles, adrmto and adrK, we have analyzed overlapping Clc-1 cDNA amplification products by the hydroxylamine and osmium tetroxide modification technique and direct sequencing. A comparison between ADR*MTO and C57BL/6 wild type showed six base pair substitutions, one of which resulted in a stop codon in position 47, whereas the five others are either silent or lead to amino acid substitutions in non-conserved regions of the Clc-1 sequence and were already present in the wild type inbred SWR/J strain from which adrmto was derived. The detection of the stop codon in the adrmto allele is further indication of the identity of the Clc-1 chloride channel with the adr myotonia gene in the mouse, because a chain termination close to the N terminus would necessarily destroy gene function. For the ethylnitrosourea-induced mutation adrK, an Ile-->Thr exchange in codon 553 was identified. As this affects a conserved residue within a highly conserved region of the Clc-1 gene, a functional significance of this residue is suggested.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1995

Two distinct temperature-sensitive alleles at the elav locus of Drosophila are suppressed nonsense mutations of the same tryptophan codon.

The Drosophila gene elav encodes a 483-amino-acid-long nuclear RNA binding protein required for normal neuronal differentiation and maintenance. We molecularly analyzed the three known viable alleles of the gene, namely elavts1, elavFliJ1, and elavFliJ2, which manifest temperature-sensitive phenotypes. The modification of the elavFliJ1 allele corresponds to the change of glycine426 (GGA) into a glutamic acid (GAA). Surprisingly, elavts1 and elavFliJ2 were both found to have tryptophan419 (TGG) changed into two different stop codons, TAG and TGA, respectively. Unexpectedly, protein analysis from elavts1 and elavFliJ2 reveals not only the predicted 45-kD truncated ELAV protein due to translational truncation, but also a predominant full-size 50-kD ELAV protein, both at permissive and nonpermissive temperatures. The full-length protein present in elavts1 and elavFliJ2 can a priori be explained by one of several mechanisms leading to functional suppression of the nonsense mutation or by detection of a previously unrecognized ELAV isoform of similar size resulting from alternative splicing and unaffected by the stop codon. Experiments described in this article support the functional suppression of the nonsense mutation as the mechanism responsible for the full-length protein.

Alleles↗
PubMed2001

Aminoglycoside-mediated suppression of nonsense mutations in late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis.

The ability of aminoglycoside antibiotics to promote readthrough of eukaryotic stop codons has attracted interest in these drugs as potential therapeutic agents in human disorders caused by nonsense mutations. One disease for which such a therapeutic strategy may be viable is classical late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (LINCL), a fatal childhood neurodegenerative disorder with currently no effective treatment. Premature stop codon mutations in the gene CLN2 encoding the lysosomal tripeptidyl-peptidase 1 (TPP-I) are associated with disease in approximately half of children diagnosed with LINCL. The aim of this study was to examine the ability of the aminoglycoside gentamicin to restore TPP-I activity in LINCL cell lines. In one patient-derived cell line that was compound heterozygous for a commonly seen nonsense mutation, Arg208Stop and a different rare nonsense mutation, approximately 7% of normal levels of TPP-I were maximally restored with gentamicin treatment. In other cell lines from patients that were compound heterozygous for Arg208Stop and a splice junction mutation, approximately 0.5% of maximal activity was restored. These results suggest that pharmacological suppression of nonsense mutations by aminoglycosides or functionally similar pharmaceuticals may have therapeutic potential in LINCL.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed1990

Apolipoprotein B messenger RNA editing in the rat liver. Modulation by fasting and refeeding a high carbohydrate diet.

Apolipoprotein B (apoB) mRNA is modified by a posttranscriptional editing reaction in which a single base (C to U) change in apoB100 mRNA modifies a glutamine (CAA) to a translational stop codon (UAA), producing apoB48 mRNA in mammalian intestine. Rat liver normally contains both edited and unedited apoB mRNAs and previous work (Davidson, N. O., Powell, L. M., Wallis, S. C., and Scott, J. (1988) J. Biol. Chem. 263, 13482-13485) has demonstrated that the introduction of a translational stop codon can be modulated by thyroid hormone. In the current study, hepatic lipogenesis was modulated in vivo by fasting and refeeding a high carbohydrate diet, a maneuver which produced a 30-fold increase in hepatic triglyceride content. In this setting, hepatic apoB100 synthesis became undetectable in animals subjected to 48 h fasting and subsequently refed a high carbohydrate diet for either 24 or 48 h. This change was accountable for by an increase in the proportion of edited apoB mRNA, as determined by primer extension analysis, from 37% UAA in fasted animals to 79 and 91% UAA at 24 and 48 h of refeeding, respectively. The effect of this regimen on the expression of other hepatic apolipoprotein genes was less dramatic. ApoA-I and apoA-IV gene expression was modulated over a 2-fold range, in contrast to the (6-14-fold) pretranslational changes induced by thyroid hormone administration. ApoCIII mRNA abundance was unaltered in the setting of either fasting and refeeding or thyroid hormone administration, while apoE gene expression demonstrated a pretranslational increase following prolonged fasting. Taken together the data provide evidence that apoB mRNA editing is modulated by alterations in hepatic lipogenesis which additionally produce effects on the expression of other hepatic apolipoprotein genes suggesting that they are not coordinately regulated in vivo.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Directionally evolving genetic code: the UGA codon from stop to tryptophan in mitochondria.

For the comprehensive analyses of deviant codes in protistan mitochondria (mt), we sequenced about a 1.1-kb region of a mitochondrial (mt) gene, the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (coxI) in two chlorarachniophytes, the filose amoeba Euglypha rotunda, the cryptomonad Cryptomonas ovata, the prymnesiophyte (haptophyte) Diacronema vlkianum (Pavlovales), and the diatom Melosira ambigua. As a result of this analysis, we noticed that the UGA codon is assigned to tryptophan (Trp) instead of being a signal for translational termination in two chlorarachniophytes and in E. rotunda. The same type of deviant code was reported previously in animals, fungi, ciliates, kinetoplastids, Chondrus crispus (a red alga), Acanthamoeba castellanii (an amoeboid protozoon), and three of the four prymnesiophyte orders with the exception of the Pavlovales. A phylogenetic analysis based on the COXI sequences of 56 eukaryotes indicated that the organisms bearing the modified code, UGA for Trp, are not monophyletic. Based on these studies, we propose that the ancestral mitochondrion was bearing the universal genetic code and subsequently reassigned the codon to Trp independently, at least in the lineage of ciliates, kinetoplastids, rhodophytes, prymnesiophytes, and fungi. We also discuss how this codon was directionally captured by Trp tRNA.

Amoeba↗
PubMed2006

Identification of a novel mutation in the dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase gene in a patient with a lethal outcome following 5-fluorouracil administration and the determination of its frequency in a population of 500 patients with colorectal carcinoma.

OBJECTIVES: Life-threatening toxic side-effects following 5-FU exposure have been related to deficiency of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), the rate-limiting enzyme in its catabolism. We presently report a new DPYD gene SNP in a Spanish woman who died from multivisceral 5-FU-induced toxicity. DESIGN AND METHODS: We looked for 22 known SNPs by Pyrosequecing. Then, we sequenced the whole 23 exons of DPYD, along with adjacent intronic sequences. PCR was carried out to determine whether or not exons were deleted in the DPYD. To determine whether the predicted stop codon indeed resulted in a truncated protein, a bacterial expression vector was employed to generate the predicted protein. 500 patients were genotyped to determine allele frequency. RESULTS: A novel mutation 464 T>A was identified in DPYD gene exon 5, resulting in the replacement of leucine 155 by a stop codon in the protein. We confirmed this mutation by Pyrosequencing and its involvement by a protein truncation test. We genotyped the patient's family and the allele frequency was 0.2%. CONCLUSION: The involvement of this variant in 5-FU life-threatening toxicity supports its inclusion in pretherapeutic genetic screening.

Adenine↗
PubMed1987

Characterization and nucleotide sequence of two herpes simplex virus 1 genes whose products modulate alpha-trans-inducing factor-dependent activation of alpha genes.

Herpes simplex viruses encode a structural protein which induces, in trans, expression of alpha genes, the first set of genes to be expressed after infection of permissive cells. This protein, designated as the alpha-trans-inducing factor (alpha-TIF), maps within the BamHI F fragment, and its gene has been sequenced. In the course of mapping the domain of the alpha-TIF gene, it was noted that the intact BamHI fragment was consistently more effective than the complete domain of the alpha-TIF gene in inducing expression of alpha genes. Cotransfections of DNA fragments containing an alpha indicator gene and the alpha-TIF gene with various regions of the BamHI F DNA fragment revealed that the sequences located 3' to the alpha-TIF gene raised the activity of the alpha-TIF gene to nearly the same level as that of the intact BamHI F fragment. The nucleotide sequence and S1 nuclease mapping analyses revealed the presence of two transcribed open reading frames capable of encoding polypeptides with translated molecular weights of 77,357 and 70,527. To determine whether the effect of these sequences in trans on alpha-TIF-mediated induction of alpha genes was due to expression of these genes or competition for transcriptional factors, we constructed plasmids that contained both genes. Into each or both of these genes we inserted, near the translation initiation sites, 14-base-pair linkers carrying translational stop codons (TAG) in all three reading frames. Analyses of these plasmids indicated that the gene encoding the 70,527-molecular-weight polypeptide reduced alpha-TIF-dependent induction of alpha genes, whereas the gene encoding the 77,357-molecular-weight polypeptide increased this activity. Insertion of the stop codons abolished these activities.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1997

Cloning of a polycistronic cDNA from tomato encoding gamma-glutamyl kinase and gamma-glutamyl phosphate reductase.

We isolated from a tomato cDNA library the tomPRO1 locus, which encodes gamma-glutamyl kinase (GK) and gamma-glutamyl phosphate reductase (GPR). This locus is unusual among eukaryotic genetic elements because it contains two open reading frames, and thus resembles prokaryotic polycistronic operons. The first open reading frame, specifying GK, is terminated by a TAA codon, which is followed by five nucleotides, an ATG translation initiation codon, and the second open reading frame, encoding GPR. DNA sequence analysis of fragments obtained by PCR amplification confirmed that the internal TAA and neighboring sequences are present in the endogenous tomPRO1 sequence in tomato. We demonstrated with RNase protection assays that the tomPRO1 locus is transcribed in tomato tissue culture cells, into a product that contains the internal stop codon. In Escherichia coli, tomPRO1 directed the synthesis of two proteins, a 33-kDa GK and a 44-kDa GPR. Antibodies against the 44-kDa GPR purified from E. coli recognized a 70-kDa product in tomato tissue culture cells and a 60-kDa product in leaves and roots. These results suggest that in tomato tissues, GPR is made as part of a longer polypeptide by some translational mechanism that enables bypass of the internal stop codon, such as frameshifting or ribosome hopping. The tomPRO1 locus may be the first example of a nuclear genetic element in plants that encodes two functional enzymes in two distinct open reading frames.

Aldehyde Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed2005

Pseudogenization of a sweet-receptor gene accounts for cats' indifference toward sugar.

Although domestic cats (Felis silvestris catus) possess an otherwise functional sense of taste, they, unlike most mammals, do not prefer and may be unable to detect the sweetness of sugars. One possible explanation for this behavior is that cats lack the sensory system to taste sugars and therefore are indifferent to them. Drawing on work in mice, demonstrating that alleles of sweet-receptor genes predict low sugar intake, we examined the possibility that genes involved in the initial transduction of sweet perception might account for the indifference to sweet-tasting foods by cats. We characterized the sweet-receptor genes of domestic cats as well as those of other members of the Felidae family of obligate carnivores, tiger and cheetah. Because the mammalian sweet-taste receptor is formed by the dimerization of two proteins (T1R2 and T1R3; gene symbols Tas1r2 and Tas1r3), we identified and sequenced both genes in the cat by screening a feline genomic BAC library and by performing PCR with degenerate primers on cat genomic DNA. Gene expression was assessed by RT-PCR of taste tissue, in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemistry. The cat Tas1r3 gene shows high sequence similarity with functional Tas1r3 genes of other species. Message from Tas1r3 was detected by RT-PCR of taste tissue. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemical studies demonstrate that Tas1r3 is expressed, as expected, in taste buds. However, the cat Tas1r2 gene shows a 247-base pair microdeletion in exon 3 and stop codons in exons 4 and 6. There was no evidence of detectable mRNA from cat Tas1r2 by RT-PCR or in situ hybridization, and no evidence of protein expression by immunohistochemistry. Tas1r2 in tiger and cheetah and in six healthy adult domestic cats all show the similar deletion and stop codons. We conclude that cat Tas1r3 is an apparently functional and expressed receptor but that cat Tas1r2 is an unexpressed pseudogene. A functional sweet-taste receptor heteromer cannot form, and thus the cat lacks the receptor likely necessary for detection of sweet stimuli. This molecular change was very likely an important event in the evolution of the cat's carnivorous behavior.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1998

A direct estimation of the context effect on the efficiency of termination.

An in vitro assay in which terminating Escherichia coli ribosomes with different stop signals in the A-site compete for a limited amount of a release factor (RF1 or RF2) has been used to estimate the relative termination efficiencies at stop codons with different adjacent downstream nucleotides. The assay allows direct measurements of relative kcat/Km parameters for the productive association of release factors to ribosomes. The kcat/Km parameter is larger for UAA(U) than for UAA(C) programmed ribosomes and the difference in kcat/Km is much larger for RF2 (about 80%) than for RF1 (about 30%). These differences in the kcat/Km parameter are not affected by the addition of release factor RF3. The only discernible effect of RF3 is a considerable acceleration of RF1/2 recycling.The estimated kcat/Km parameters correlate well with the affinities of release factors for ribosomes programmed with different stop signals. These affinities were estimated from the extent of inhibition of ribosomal recycling by high concentrations of release factors in the absence of release factor RF3. The affinity for RF2 depends on the immediate downstream context of the stop codon in the translated mRNA and is about three times higher for UAA(U) than for UAA(C). The corresponding difference in affinities for RF1 is twofold. For all stop signals studied, the estimated affinity of RF2 for terminating ribosomes is much lower than that of RF1. It is also striking that the affinity of ribosomes for a chromosomally expressed RF2 is at least three times higher than for RF2 isolated from an overproducing E. coli strain.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1990

DNA sequence analysis of three inhibitor-positive hemophilia B patients without gross gene deletion: identification of four novel mutations in factor IX gene.

Three hemophilia B patients with anti-factor IX antibodies who had no detectable gross deletion of the factor IX gene by Southern blotting analysis were investigated at the molecular level. All eight exons, accompanied by their splicing junction sites and presumptive promoter regions of the factor IX gene in these patients (total 5.5 kb in length) were amplified with the use of the polymerase chain reaction, followed by complete nucleotide sequence analysis. Three different types of novel single base substitutions and a 2 base-pair nucleotide deletion were identified. Patient HB-5 had two point mutations in his factor IX gene. One was located at the promoter region at nucleotide -793 and the other (C-to-T transition) was found in exon VI of the gene changing Gln-191 to a stop codon. Patient HB-6 had a point mutation (G-to-A) in the splice acceptor site, which interrupted the normal splicing of the last intron G. A small two-nucleotide deletion in exon III was detected in patient HB-7 and yielded frameshifted amino acids and terminated by a stop codon. These resuslts suggest that not only the gross gene deletion of factor IX gene but also the point mutations or small nucleotide deletion that may cause the interruption of coding informations for mature protein synthesis is predisposed to development of anti-factor IX inhibitors in patients with hemophilia B.

Autoantibodies↗
PubMed1993

Two different allelic mutations in the lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) gene resulting in classic LCAT deficiency: LCAT (tyr83-->stop) and LCAT (tyr156-->asn).

The molecular defects in the lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) gene have been identified in a 52-year-old patient with classic LCAT deficiency, presenting with corneal clouding and proteinuria. Plasma total cholesterol was normal, triglycerides were elevated, whereas high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (8 mg/dl) and plasma cholesteryl esters (6% of total cholesterol) were markedly reduced. Plasma cholesterol esterification rate (pCER) was zero, alpha-LCAT activity, assayed using an HDL-like proteoliposome substrate was reduced to 1.6% of control, and LCAT mass was 3.7% of normal plasma levels. DNA sequence analysis of the proband's LCAT gene identified a C to A substitution, converting tyr83 to a stop codon, and a T to A transition, replacing tyr156 by asn. Restriction analysis of PCR-amplified DNA from the proband, a control and his four children using the enzymes Acc I and Rsa I established that the patient is a compound heterozygote for both mutations. The two children, heterozygous for the stop codon defect, were phenotypically indistinguishable from the two with the tyr156 defect. In vitro expression of LCAT (tyr156-->asn) in human embryonic kidney-293 cells established the functional significance of this mutation. The secreted translation product had only 6% of control mass and no detectable CER; however, the residual LCAT mass of the in vitro expressed LCAT (tyr156-->asn) demonstrated a specific alpha-LCAT activity of 30% of control, suggesting that this amino acid substitution results in a mutant enzyme that retains some enzymic activity, but may be rapidly catabolized. In summary, we have identified two unique defects in the LCAT gene that lead to the expression of classic LCAT deficiency in this kindred.

Alleles↗
PubMed1999

Effects of release factor 1 on in vitro protein translation and the elaboration of proteins containing unnatural amino acids.

An in vitro protein synthesizing system was modified to facilitate the improved, site-specific incorporation of unnatural amino acids into proteins via readthrough of mRNA nonsense (UAG) codons by chemically misacylated suppressor tRNAs. The modified system included an S-30 extract derived from Escherichia coli that expresses a temperature-sensitive variant of E. coli release factor 1 (RF1). Mild heat treatment of the S-30 extract partially deactivated RF1 and improved UAG codon readthrough by as much as 11-fold, as demonstrated by the incorporation of unnatural amino acids into positions 25 and 125 of HIV-1 protease and positions 10 and 22 of E. coli dihydrofolate reductase. The increases in yields were the greatest for those amino acids normally incorporated poorly in the in vitro protein synthesizing system, thus significantly enhancing the repertoire of modified amino acids that can be incorporated into the proteins of interest. The substantial increase in mutant protein yields over those obtained with an S-30 extract derived from an RF1 proficient E. coli strain is proposed to result from a relaxed stringency of termination by RF1 at the stop codon (UAG). When RF1 levels were depleted further, the intrinsic rate of DHFR synthesis increased, consistent with the possibility that RF1 competes not only at stop codons but also at other mRNA codons during peptide elongation. It thus seems possible that in addition to its currently accepted role as a protein factor involved in peptide termination, RF1 is also involved in functions that control the rate at which protein synthesis proceeds.

Alanine↗
PubMed1998

Different ocular abnormalities in individuals of a three-generation family caused by a new nonsense mutation in the PST domain of the PAX6 gene. Mutations in brief no. 189. Online.

PAX6 is a candidate gene for familial aniridia. We have carried out a mutational analysis of the PAX6 gene in a three-generation family from Germany, containing 5 individuals affected with ocular abnormalities. In all affected individuals, a heterozygous mutation was detected in the PAX6 gene, exchanging tyrosine 369 by a stop codon. The mutation is located in the 3' moiety of the PST domain, at the C terminus of the PAX6 protein. In the affected family members, the same heterozygous mutation leads to distinct phenotypes of varying severity. Most notably, no aniridia was observed in one of the family members carrying the mutation, although other ocular abnormalities (underdeveloped iris and cataracts) were present. We discuss the possibility that small C terminal truncations of the PAX6 protein might lead to less severe or more divergent phenotypes than trancations at internal positions.

Aniridia↗
PubMed2000

Constructing high complexity synthetic libraries of long ORFs using in vitro selection.

We present a method that can significantly increase the complexity of protein libraries used for in vitro or in vivo protein selection experiments. Protein libraries are often encoded by chemically synthesized DNA, in which part of the open reading frame is randomized. There are, however, major obstacles associated with the chemical synthesis of long open reading frames, especially those containing random segments. Insertions and deletions that occur during chemical synthesis cause frameshifts, and stop codons in the random region will cause premature termination. These problems can together greatly reduce the number of full-length synthetic genes in the library. We describe a strategy in which smaller segments of the synthetic open reading frame are selected in vitro using mRNA display for the absence of frameshifts and stop codons. These smaller segments are then ligated together to form combinatorial libraries of long uninterrupted open reading frames. This process can increase the number of full-length open reading frames in libraries by up to two orders of magnitude, resulting in protein libraries with complexities of greater than 10(13). We have used this methodology to generate three types of displayed protein library: a completely random sequence library, a library of concatemerized oligopeptide cassettes with a propensity for forming amphipathic alpha-helical or beta-strand structures, and a library based on one of the most common enzymatic scaffolds, the alpha/beta (TIM) barrel.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1992

Mitochondrial rps14 is a transcribed and edited pseudogene in Arabidopsis thaliana.

We have isolated and analysed a 2 kb region of the mitochondrial genome of Arabidopsis thaliana (Columbia) showing a high level of nucleotide identity with the mitochondrial (mt) rps14 small-subunit ribosomal protein gene from Oenothera berteriana and Vicia faba, as well as with an open reading frame (ORF) located upstream of the nad3 locus in O. berteriana. The rps14 locus is present as a single copy in the A. thaliana mt genome and has a translational stop codon located near the initiation codon, as well as a deletion of one nucleotide that disturbs the coding sequence. The cloning and sequencing of nine amplified mt rps14 cDNAs clearly demonstrated that this gene is transcribed and that the mRNA precursors are edited at three positions, all involving C-to-U conversions. No editing events changing the stop codon and restoring the correct coding sequence were witnessed within the 9 individual cDNA clones. Therefore, we conclude that the single rps14 sequence of the mitochondrial genome from A. thaliana is in fact a pseudogene that is transcribed and edited but not translated.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1998

Incidence and clinical significance of hepatitis B virus precore gene translation initiation mutations in e antigen-negative patients.

Hepatitis Be antigen (HBeAg)-negative chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) variants harbouring changes in the precore region. Most commonly, a G to A point mutation at nucleotide 1896 (m1896) creates a novel translation stop codon that prevents HBeAg production. In the Mediterranean region the m1896 mutation prevails in greater than 98% of HBeAg-negative CHB patients. In this study the prevalence of additional mutations in the precore region was investigated among patients with chronic HBV infection. Precore sequences were determined by sequencing serum HBV DNA amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with primers flanking the precore/core region. Thirty-one HBeAg-negative and five HBeAg-positive individuals were studied. All HBeAg-negative patients (100%) harboured the m1896 mutation and 20 (64.5%) also had a G to A mutation at nucleotide 1899 (m1899). Additional mutations affecting the translation initiation of the precore gene were found in seven (22.5%) patients, all with active liver disease, five of whom had episodes of HBV reactivation. HBeAg-positive patients had no mutations in these positions and neither did any of the five BHeAg-negative patients with normal levels of liver enzymes, representing the healthy carrier state of HBV infection. Serial sample analysis from one patient revealed that the initiation codon mutation developed following HBeAg seroconversion and the appearance of m1896. During periods of high HBV replication, the ratio of mutant to wild-type ATG was found to increase in parallel with HBV DNA levels. These data show that a significant proportion of HBeAg-negative patients who already harbour the 1896 stop codon mutation may subsequently develop precore translation initiation mutations, which appear to be associated with enhanced HBV replication and severe liver disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Regulation of basal level expression of the tryptophan operon of Escherichia coli.

Mutations in prfB, encoding release factor 2 (UGA- and UAA-specific), increase transcription termination at the trp operon attenuator in Escherichia coli strains grown in the presence of tryptophan. The prfB mutations have no effect on basal level expression in strains in which the natural trp leader peptide stop codon UGA was replaced by either UAG or UAA. The effect of introducing prfB mutations into mutant strains containing altered trp leader regions that influence basal level transcription readthrough was also determined. Our findings support a model for basal level control of trp operon expression in which ribosome release from the leader peptide stop codon, formation of alternative transcript secondary structures, and the position of the transcribing RNA polymerase regulate expression.

Anthranilate Synthase↗