Distinctive features in the SelB family of elongation factors for selenoprotein synthesis. A glimpse of an evolutionary complexified translation apparatus.
The last ten years have seen a dramatic increase in our understanding of the molecular mechanism allowing specific incorporation of selenocysteine into selenoproteins. Whether in prokaryotes or eukaryotes, this incorporation requires several gene products, among which the specialized elongation factor SelB and the tRNA(Sec) play a pivotal role. While the molecular actors have been discovered and their role elucidated in the eubacterial machinery, recent data from our and other laboratories pointed to a higher degree of complexity in archaea and eukaryotes. These findings also revealed that more needs to be discovered in this area. This review will focus on phylogenetic aspects of the SelB proteins. In particular, we will discuss the concerted evolution that occurred within the SelB/tRNA(Sec) couples, and also the distinctive roles carried out by the SelB C-terminal domains in eubacteria on the one side, and archaea and eukaryotes, on the other.
Fagegaltier
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Unité Propre de Recherche 9002 du CNRS, Structure des Macromolécules Biologiques et Mécanismes de Reconnaissance, Institut de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 15, Rue René Descartes, 67084 Strasbourg Cedex, France.
Carbon
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Krol
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D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006153:Guanosine Diphosphate / Q000378:metabolism*; D017017:Methanococcus / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D010445:Peptide Elongation Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012345:RNA, Transfer, Amino Acid-Specific / Q000378:metabolism*; D012643:Selenium / Q000378:metabolism; D051140:Selenoproteins
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D010445:Peptide Elongation Factors; D011506:Proteins; D012345:RNA, Transfer, Amino Acid-Specific; C061878:SelB protein, Bacteria; D051140:Selenoproteins; C036928:tRNA, selenocysteine-; D006153:Guanosine Diphosphate; D012643:Selenium