Secondary structures and starvation-induced frameshifting.
We have examined the effect of a downstream secondary structure (the stem-loop sequence found downstream on the MMTV gag-pro frameshift site) on frameshifting at a bacterial shifty site (U UUC AUA) that responds strongly to a isoleucine-tRNA limitation. Our findings are as follows: (i) the downstream stem-loop has little effect on frameshifting in growing, unstarved cells; (ii) the stem-loop increases the frameshifting effect of isoleucine-tRNA limitation about fourfold, and this synergism is maximal with a distance of 5-9 nucleotides between the 'hungry' AUA codon and the stem-loop; and (iii) a stem-loop of different sequence at the same position has the same effect.
Atkinson
J
J
Department of Genetics, University of Washington, Seattle 98195-7360, USA.
Dodge
M
M
Gallant
J
J
D004926:Escherichia coli; D018965:Frameshifting, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D015750:Genes, gag; D008324:Mammary Tumor Virus, Mouse / Q000235:genetics; D009690:Nucleic Acid Conformation; D012355:RNA, Transfer, Ile / Q000235:genetics*; D012367:RNA, Viral
D012355:RNA, Transfer, Ile; D012367:RNA, Viral