Knowing when not to stop: selenocysteine incorporation in eukaryotes.
The regulation of translation frequently involves protein-RNA interactions. An intriguing example of this is the alternative decoding of UGA, typically a stop codon, as selenocysteine. Two RNA structures, the mRNA selenocysteine insertion sequence (SECIS element) and a unique selenocysteyl-tRNA, are required for this process. In prokaryotes, a single RNA-binding protein, a selenocysteine-specific elongation factor, interacts with both the tRNA and mRNA to confer decoding. Whether eukaryotes use a similar mechanism is currently the subject of intense investigation.
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Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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MJ
D001483:Base Sequence; D003062:Codon / Q000235:genetics; D018388:Codon, Terminator / Q000235:genetics; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008954:Models, Biological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D010445:Peptide Elongation Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011387:Prokaryotic Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012346:RNA, Transfer, Amino Acyl / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D012643:Selenium / Q000378:metabolism*; D017279:Selenocysteine / Q000235:genetics*; D051140:Selenoproteins; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000378:metabolism
D003062:Codon; D018388:Codon, Terminator; D010445:Peptide Elongation Factors; D011506:Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012346:RNA, Transfer, Amino Acyl; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D051140:Selenoproteins; D014131:Trace Elements; C112705:selenocysteinyl-tRNA; D017279:Selenocysteine; D012643:Selenium