Nuclear genetic codes with a different meaning of the UAG and the UAA codon.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Departures from the standard genetic code in eukaryotic nuclear genomes are known for only a handful of lineages and only a few genetic code variants seem to exist outside the ciliates, the most creative group in this regard. Most frequent code modifications entail reassignment of the UAG and UAA codons, with evidence for at least 13 independent cases of a coordinated change in the meaning of both codons. However, no change affecting each of the two codons separately has been documented, suggesting the existence of underlying evolutionary or mechanistic constraints.

Results

Here, we present the discovery of two new variants of the nuclear genetic code, in which UAG is translated as an amino acid while UAA is kept as a termination codon (along with UGA). The first

SUBMITTER: Panek T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5304391 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature