title: Recoding of translation in turtle mitochondrial genomes: programmed frameshift mutations and evidence of a modified genetic code.
abstract: A +1 frameshift insertion has been documented in the mitochondrial gene nad3 in some birds and reptiles. By sequencing polyadenylated mRNA of the chicken (Gallus gallus), we have shown that the extra nucleotide is transcribed and is present in mature mRNA. Evidence from other animal mitochondrial genomes has led us to hypothesize that certain mitochondrial translation systems have the ability to tolerate frameshift insertions using programmed translational frameshifting. To investigate this, we sequenced the mitochondrial genome of the red-eared slider turtle (Trachemys scripta), where both the widespread nad3 frameshift insertion and a novel site in nad4l were found. Sequencing the region surrounding the insertion in nad3 in a number of other turtles and tortoises reveal general mitochondrial +1 programmed frameshift site features as well as the apparent redefinition of a stop codon in Parker's snake-neck turtle (Chelodina parkeri), the first known example of this in vertebrate mitochondria.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6.
authors.forename: R David
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: Andrew T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Beckenbach
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D042967:Electron Transport Complex I / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016368:Frameshift Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D005815:Genetic Code / Q000235:genetics*; D054629:Genome, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014426:Turtles / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D042967:Electron Transport Complex I