Mutations in Caenorhabditis elegans eIF2beta permit translation initiation from non-AUG start codons.

ABSTRACT: Recognition of the AUG start codon on mRNAs during translation initiation in eukaryotes occurs in a preinitiation complex that includes small ribosomal subunits and multiple translation initiation factors. The complexity of this process and the lack of appropriate tools have prevented its genetic study in multicellular organisms. Here we describe a genetic system in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to study how the AUG start codon is selected. We have generated a sensitive reporter assay that allows for the isolation of mutants with reduced fidelity to recognize the AUG start codon. Two mutants were identified to have dominant missense mutations in iftb-1, which encodes the beta-subunit of eIF2 (eIF2beta). Both mutations occur in a conserved region located outside of the C2-C2 zinc fing

SUBMITTER: Zhang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2870950 | biostudies-literature | 2010 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature