The Frequency of Internal Shine-Dalgarno-like Motifs in Prokaryotes.

ABSTRACT: In prokaryotes, translation initiation typically depends on complementary binding between a G-rich Shine-Dalgarno (SD) motif in the 5' untranslated region of mRNAs, and the 3' tail of the 16S ribosomal RNA (the anti-SD sequence). In some cases, internal SD-like motifs in the coding region generate "programmed" ribosomal pauses that are beneficial for protein folding or accurate targeting. On the other hand, such pauses can also reduce protein production, generating purifying selection against internal SD-like motifs. This selection should be stronger in GC-rich genomes that are more likely to harbor the G-rich SD motif. However, the nature and consequences of selection acting on internal SD-like motifs within genomes and across species remains unclear. We analyzed the frequency of SD-like

SUBMITTER: Diwan GD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4943179 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature