Plant mitochondrial genes can be expressed from mRNAs lacking stop codons.
The mRNAs of the nad6 and ccmC genes of Arabidopsis and cauliflower were found to be processed upstream of the inframe stop codons. This result was confirmed by northern hybridization and by RT-PCR. There is no evidence that an alternative stop codon is created post-transcriptionally, either by RNA editing or by polyadenylation. The non-stop mRNAs are found in the high molecular weight polysomal fractions, suggesting that they are translated. Using antibodies directed against CcmC, the corresponding protein was detected in Arabidopsis mitochondrial extracts. These observations raise the question of how the plant mitochondrial translation system deals with non-stop mRNAs.
Raczynska
Katarzyna Dorota
KD
Institut de Biologie Moléculaire des Plantes du CNRS, 12 rue du Général Zimmer, 67084 Strasbourg Cedex, France.
Le Ret
Monique
M
Rurek
Michal
M
Bonnard
Géraldine
G
Augustyniak
Halina
H
Gualberto
José Manuel
JM
D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D001937:Brassica / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D018388:Codon, Terminator / Q000235:genetics*; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D018388:Codon, Terminator; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins