title: Premature termination codons destabilize ferredoxin-1 mRNA when ferredoxin-1 is translated.
abstract: Ferredoxin-1 (Fed-1) mRNA is poorly translated in dark-treated tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) leaves, resulting in destabilization of Fed-1 mRNA and a differential light/dark accumulation of the mRNA. Insertion of nonsense codons within the Fed-1 coding sequence disrupts the light regulation of Fed-1 mRNA abundance. Here we show that the nonsense codon effect results primarily from lowering the Fed-1 mRNA stability in light-treated leaf tissue and in rapidly growing tobacco cell cultures, but not in dark-treated leaf tissue. These results suggest that nonsense codons trigger a decay pathway distinct from that seen for Fed-1 mRNA in the dark. We propose that nonsense-mediated decay of nonsense-containing Fed-1 mRNA occurs in light-treated leaves and in non-photosynthetic tobacco culture cells where Fed-1 mRNA is being actively translated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Botany, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA. marie_petracek@biochem.okstate.edu
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Petracek
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nuygen
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Dickey
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018388:Codon, Terminator; D005288:Ferredoxins / Q000235:genetics*; D009154:Mutation; D018532:Pisum sativum / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018388:Codon, Terminator; D005288:Ferredoxins; D012333:RNA, Messenger