Evidence that a downstream pseudoknot is required for translational read-through of the Moloney murine leukemia virus gag stop codon.
Approximately 5% of the ribosomes translating the gag gene of murine leukemia viruses read through the UAG terminator and translate the in-frame pol gene to produce the gag-pol fusion polyprotein, the sole source of the pol gene products. We show that a pseudoknot located eight nucleotides 3' of the UAG codon in the Moloney murine leukemia virus is required for read-through. This requirement is markedly different from that known to be involved in other cases of read-through but surprisingly similar to some stimulatory sequences known to promote ribosomal frameshifting.
Wills
N M
NM
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City 84112.
Gesteland
R F
RF
Atkins
J F
JF
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D003062:Codon / Q000235:genetics; D015685:Fusion Proteins, gag-pol / Q000235:genetics*; D015750:Genes, gag; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D008979:Moloney murine leukemia virus / Q000235:genetics*; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012156:Reticulocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D012270:Ribosomes / Q000378:metabolism; D013728:Terminator Regions, Genetic; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014908:Triticum / Q000378:metabolism
D003062:Codon; D015685:Fusion Proteins, gag-pol; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes