title: Evolutionary origin of nonuniversal CUGSer codon in some Candida species as inferred from a molecular phylogeny.
abstract: CUG, a universal leucine codon, has been reported to be read as serine in various yeast species belonging to the genus Candida. To gain a deeper insight into the origin of this deviation from the universal genetic code, we carried out a phylogenetic analysis based on the small-subunit ribosomal RNA genes from some Candida and other related Hemiascomycetes. Furthermore, we determined the phylogenetic relationships between the tRNA(Ser)CAG, responsible for the translation of CUG, from some Candida species and the other serine and leucine isoacceptor tRNAs in C. cylindracea. We demonstrate that the group of Candida showing the genetic code deviation is monophyletic and that this deviation could have originated more than 150 million years ago. We also describe how phylogenetic analysis can be used for genetic code predictions.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biochimica e Biologia Molecolare, Università di Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pesole
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lotti
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Alberghina
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Saccone
mesh_terms: D001203:Ascomycota / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D002175:Candida / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D003062:Codon; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005800:Genes, Fungal; D005815:Genetic Code; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012331:RNA, Fungal / Q000235:genetics; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S / Q000235:genetics; D012356:RNA, Transfer, Leu / Q000235:genetics; D012362:RNA, Transfer, Ser / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D012694:Serine; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D003062:Codon; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012331:RNA, Fungal; D012337:RNA, Ribosomal, 18S; D012356:RNA, Transfer, Leu; D012362:RNA, Transfer, Ser; D012694:Serine