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Taurine-containing uridine modifications in tRNA anticodons are required to decipher non-universal genetic codes in ascidian mitochondria.

ABSTRACT: Variations in the genetic code are found frequently in mitochondrial decoding systems. Four non-universal genetic codes are employed in ascidian mitochondria: AUA for Met, UGA for Trp, and AGA/AGG(AGR) for Gly. To clarify the decoding mechanism for the non-universal genetic codes, we isolated and analyzed mitochondrial tRNAs for Trp, Met, and Gly from an ascidian, Halocynthia roretzi. Mass spectrometric analysis identified 5-taurinomethyluridine (?m(5)U) at the anticodon wobble positions of tRNA(Met)(AUR), tRNA(Trp)(UGR), and tRNA(Gly)(AGR), suggesting that ?m(5)U plays a critical role in the accurate deciphering of all four non-universal codes by preventing the misreading of pyrimidine-ending near-cognate codons (NNY) in their respective family boxes. Acquisition of the wobble modification appears to be a prerequisite for the genetic code alteration.

SUBMITTER: Suzuki T

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3195572 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Taurine-containing uridine modifications in tRNA anticodons are required to decipher non-universal genetic codes in ascidian mitochondria.

Suzuki Takeo T Miyauchi Kenjyo K Suzuki Tsutomu T Yokobori Shin-Ichi SI Shigi Naoki N Kondow Akiko A Takeuchi Nono N Yamagishi Akihiko A Watanabe Kimitsuna K

The Journal of biological chemistry 20110826 41

Variations in the genetic code are found frequently in mitochondrial decoding systems. Four non-universal genetic codes are employed in ascidian mitochondria: AUA for Met, UGA for Trp, and AGA/AGG(AGR) for Gly. To clarify the decoding mechanism for the non-universal genetic codes, we isolated and analyzed mitochondrial tRNAs for Trp, Met, and Gly from an ascidian, Halocynthia roretzi. Mass spectrometric analysis identified 5-taurinomethyluridine (τm(5)U) at the anticodon wobble positions of tRNA ...[more]

PMID: 21873425

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Project description:BACKGROUND: Animal mitochondrial genomes typically encode one tRNA for each synonymous codon family, so that each tRNA anticodon essentially has to wobble to recognize two or four synonymous codons. Several factors have been hypothesized to determine the nucleotide at the wobble site of a tRNA anticodon in mitochondrial genomes, such as the codon-anticodon adaptation hypothesis, the wobble versatility hypothesis, the translation initiation and elongation conflict hypothesis, and the wobble cost hypothesis. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, we analyzed codon usage and tRNA anticodon wobble sites of 29 marine bivalve mitochondrial genomes to evaluate features of the wobble nucleotides in tRNA anticodons. The strand-specific mutation bias favors G and T on the H strand in all the 29 marine bivalve mitochondrial genomes. A bias favoring G and T is also visible in the third codon positions of protein-coding genes and the wobble sites of anticodons, rejecting that codon usage bias drives the wobble sites of tRNA anticodons or tRNA anticodon bias drives the evolution of codon usage. Almost all codon families (98.9%) from marine bivalve mitogenomes support the wobble versatility hypothesis. There are a few interesting exceptions involving tRNA(Trp) with an anticodon CCA fixed in Pectinoida species, tRNA(Ser) with a GCU anticodon fixed in Mytiloida mitogenomes, and the uniform anticodon CAU of tRNA(Met) translating the AUR codon family. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results demonstrate that most of the nucleotides at the wobble sites of tRNA anticodons in marine bivalve mitogenomes are determined by wobble versatility. Other factors such as the translation initiation and elongation conflict, and the cost of wobble translation may contribute to the determination of the wobble nucleotide in tRNA anticodons. The finding presented here provides valuable insights into the previous hypotheses of the wobble nucleotide in tRNA anticodons by adding some new evidence.

Dataset Information

Taurine-containing uridine modifications in tRNA anticodons are required to decipher non-universal genetic codes in ascidian mitochondria.

Publications

Taurine-containing uridine modifications in tRNA anticodons are required to decipher non-universal genetic codes in ascidian mitochondria.

Similar Datasets

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