Gene recoding by synonymous mutations creates promiscuous intragenic transcription initiation in mycobacteria.

ABSTRACT: Each genome encodes some codons more frequently than their synonyms (codon usage bias), but codons are also arranged more frequently into specific pairs (codon pair bias). Recoding viral genomes and yeast or bacterial genes with non-optimal codon pairs has been shown to decrease gene expression. Gene expression is thus importantly regulated not only by the use of particular codons but by their proper juxtaposition. We therefore hypothesized that non-optimal codon pairing could likewise attenuate Mtb genes. We explored the role of codon pair bias by recoding Mtb genes ( rpoB, mmpL3, ndh ) and assessing their expression in the closely related and tractable model organism M. smegmatis . To our surprise, recoding caused the expression of multiple smaller protein iso

SUBMITTER: Hegelmeyer NK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10055193 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature