Mutants of elongation factor Tu promote ribosomal frameshifting and nonsense readthrough.
This is the first report of ribosomal frameshifting promoted by mutants of the elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu). EF-Tu mutants can suppress both -1 and +1 frameshift mutations. The level of nonsense readthrough is also increased at some UGA (this paper) and UAG (Hughes, 1987) sites by these mutants. Suppression occurs when a mutant tuf allele is paired with a wild-type copy of the other tuf gene but is most efficient when both tuf genes are mutant. Frameshifting mediated by the tuf alleles studied, tufA8 and tufB103, is not general; indeed most frameshift mutations are not suppressed. Several possible mechanisms by which mutant EF-Tu may cause frameshifting are discussed.
Hughes
D
D
Department of Genetics, Trinity College, Dublin Ireland.
Atkins
J F
JF
Thompson
S
S
D000483:Alleles; D001483:Base Sequence; D003062:Codon; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005796:Genes; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009876:Operon; D010444:Peptide Elongation Factor Tu / Q000235:genetics*; D012270:Ribosomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D012483:Salmonella Phages / Q000235:genetics; D012486:Salmonella typhimurium / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
D003062:Codon; D010444:Peptide Elongation Factor Tu