title: Editing of a chloroplast mRNA by creation of an initiation codon.
abstract: Primary mRNA transcripts in several systems are edited by single base substitutions, small deletions or insertions to yield functional messenger RNA species. Mitochondrial mRNAs in particular, including those from plants, seem to be the subject of extensive editing, unlike mRNAs encoded by chloroplast DNA, for which the prediction of amino-acid sequence from the corresponding gene sequence is generally unambiguous. Occasionally, however, an ACG codon appears at the 5' terminus of chloroplast genes, where the initiation codon ATG would be expected. Here we present evidence for a C----U editing that is responsible for the conversion of the ACG codon to an AUG initiation codon in the mRNA transcript from the rpl2 gene of the maize plastome, showing that mRNA editing can also occur in chloroplasts.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Biologie III, Universität Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hoch
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Maier
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Appel
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Igloi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kössel
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002736:Chloroplasts / Q000502:physiology*; D003062:Codon; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009876:Operon; D010442:Peptide Chain Initiation, Translational; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012323:RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics*; D003313:Zea mays / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D003062:Codon; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D010940:Plant Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV