FEBS Letters
Volume 514, Issue 1 , Pages 84-89, 6 March 2002

Tandem termination signals: myth or reality?

Edited by Lev Kisselev

  • Louise L Major

      Affiliations

    • Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
    • ,
  • Tina D Edgar

      Affiliations

    • Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
    • ,
  • Po Yee Yip

      Affiliations

    • Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
    • ,
  • Leif A Isaksson

      Affiliations

    • Department of Microbiology, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
    • ,
  • Warren P Tate

      Affiliations

    • Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Fax: (64)-3-479 7866

Received 4 November 2001; received in revised form 18 November 2001; accepted 21 November 2001.

Abstract 

In two Escherichia coli genomes, laboratory strain K-12 and pathological strain O157:H7, tandem termination codons as a group are slightly over-represented as termination signals. Individually however, they span the range of representations, over, as expected, or under, in one or both of the strains. In vivo, tandem termination codons do not make more efficient signals. The second codon can act as a backstop where readthrough of the first has occurred, but not at the expected efficiency. UGAUGA remains an enigma, highly over-represented, but with the second UGA a relatively inefficient back up stop codon.

Keywords:  Termination signal, Tandem codon, Escherichia coli translation

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PII: S0014-5793(02)02301-3

FEBS Letters
Volume 514, Issue 1 , Pages 84-89, 6 March 2002

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