Translation initiation downstream from annotated start codons in human mRNAs coevolves with the Kozak context.

ABSTRACT: Eukaryotic translation initiation involves preinitiation ribosomal complex 5'-to-3' directional probing of mRNA for codons suitable for starting protein synthesis. The recognition of codons as starts depends on the codon identity and on its immediate nucleotide context known as Kozak context. When the context is weak (i.e., nonoptimal), leaky scanning takes place during which a fraction of ribosomes continues the mRNA probing. We explored the relationship between the context of AUG codons annotated as starts of protein-coding sequences and the next AUG codon occurrence. We found that AUG codons downstream from weak starts occur in the same frame more frequently than downstream from strong starts. We suggest that evolutionary selection on in-frame AUGs downstream from weak start codons is d

SUBMITTER: Benitez-Cantos MS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7397870 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature