title: Nitrate-inducible formate dehydrogenase in Escherichia coli K-12. II. Evidence that a mRNA stem-loop structure is essential for decoding opal (UGA) as selenocysteine.
abstract: fdnG, encoding the selenopeptide of Escherichia coli formate dehydrogenase-N, contains an in-frame opal (UGA) codon at amino acid position 196 that directs selenocysteine incorporation. We have identified sequences that contribute to the mRNA context required for decoding this UGA as selenocysteine. We identified a potential stem-loop structure immediately downstream of UGA196 that is comparable in size and structure to a stem-loop predicted to form in fdhF, which encodes the selenopeptide of E. coli formate dehydrogenase-H. Mutational analysis of the fdnG stem-loop structure suggests that it is critical for decoding UGA196 as selenocysteine. Our data indicate that both stability and specific nucleotide sequences of the stem-loop likely contribute to the appropriate mRNA context for selenocysteine incorporation into the fdnG gene product.
authors.affiliation: Section of Microbiology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853-8101.
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Berg
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baron
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Stewart
mesh_terms: D001482:Base Composition; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003062:Codon / Q000235:genetics*; D003545:Cysteine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism; D004790:Enzyme Induction; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D005560:Formate Dehydrogenases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D009566:Nitrates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D016566:Organoselenium Compounds / Q000378:metabolism*; D010957:Plasmids; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D017279:Selenocysteine
chemical_list: D003062:Codon; D009566:Nitrates; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D016566:Organoselenium Compounds; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D017279:Selenocysteine; D005560:Formate Dehydrogenases; D003545:Cysteine