A change in the genetic code inMycoplasma capricolum

Summary Mycoplasma capricolum was previously found to use UGA instead of UGG as its codon for tryptophan and to contain 75%A+ T in its DNA. The codon change could have been due to mutational pressure to replace C+G by A+T, resulting in the replacement of UGA stop codons by UAA, change of the anticodon in tryptophan tRNA from CCA to UCA, and replacement of UGG tryptophan codons by UGA. None of these changes should have been deleterious.     

C to U editing of the anticodon of imported mitochondrial tRNA(Trp) allows decoding of the UGA stop codon in Leishmania tarentolae

All mitochondrial tRNAs in kinetoplastid protists are encoded in the nucleus and imported into the organelle. The tRNA(Trp)(CCA) can decode the standard UGG tryptophan codon but can not decode the mitochondrial UGA tryptophan codon. We show that the mitochondrial tRNA(Trp) undergoes a specific C to U nucleotide modification in the first position of the anticodon, which allows decoding of mitochondrial UGA codons as tryptophan. Functional evidence for the absence of a UGA suppressor tRNA in the cytosol, using a reporter gene, was also obtained, which is consistent with a mitochondrial localization of this editing event. Leishmania cells have dealt with the problem of a lack of expression within the organelle of this non-universal tRNA by compartmentalizing an editing activity that modifies the anticodon of the imported tRNA.     

UGA can be decoded as tryptophan at low efficiency in Bacillus subtilis.

Replacement of cat-86 codon 7 or 144 with the UGA codon permitted the gene to confer chloramphenicol resistance in wild-type Bacillus subtilis. UAA replacements of the same codons resulted in a chloramphenicol-sensitive phenotype in wild-type B. subtilis and a chloramphenicol-resistant phenotype in suppressor-positive strains. N-terminal sequencing showed that UGA at codon 7 was decoded as tryptophan in wild-type cells, at an efficiency of about 6%.     

Lack of peptide-release activity responding to codon UGA in Mycoplasma capricolum.

In Mycoplasma capricolum, a relative of Gram-positive eubacteria with a high genomic AT-content (75%), codon UGA is assigned to tryptophan instead of termination signal. Thus, in this bacterium the release factor 2 (RF-2), that recognizes UAA and UGA termination codons in eubacteria such as Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, would be either specific to UAA or deleted. To test this, we have constructed a cell-free translation system using synthetic mRNA including codon UAA [mRNA(UAA)], UAG [mRNA(UAG)] and UGA [mRNA(UGA)] in-frame. In the absence of tryptophan, the translation of mRNA(UGA) ceased at UGA sites without appreciable release of the synthesized peptides from the ribosomes, whereas with mRNA(UAA) or mRNA(UAG) the bulk of the peptides was released. Upon addition of the E.coli S-100 fraction or B.subtilis S-100 fraction to the translation system, the synthesized peptides with mRNA(UGA) were almost completely released from the ribosomes, presumably because of the presence of RF-2 active to UGA in the added S-100 fraction. These data suggest that RF-2 is deleted or its activity to UGA is strongly weakened in M.capricolum.     

Intragenic localization of chain-terminating triplets arising by transitions and transversions

Mutational changes involving transitions can convert only one sense codon to ochre, two codons to amber, and two codons to UGA. One codon, UGG for tryptophan, can be converted by transitions to either amber or UGA. By transversion changes 15 other codons can be converted to ochre and/or amber and/or UGA. Ten amino acids can never be replaced by chain termination as a result of transition and transversion mutagenesis of single base-pairs. For two systems (bacteriophage T4 lysozyme and Escherichia coli K12 tryptophan synthetase A protein) in which the poly-peptide gene product has been completely sequenced one can construct predictive intra-genic distribution maps for the location of all possible chain-terminating mutations arising as a result of transitions and transversions.     

Mollicute Acholeplasma florum possesses a gene of phosphoenolpyruvate sugar phosphotransferase system and it uses UGA as tryptophan codon]

Acholeplasmas are mollicutes which do not require sterol for growth and do not possess a phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent sugar-phosphotransferase system. In contrast to spiroplasmas, mycoplasmas and ureaplasmas, they utilize UGA as a stop codon and not as a tryptophan codon. Acholeplasma florum, because of its metabolic properties and its close phylogenetic relationship to members of the genera Spiroplasma and Mycoplasma, does not seem to be an acholeplasma senso stricto. Here, we present molecular data to support this hypothesis. We have detected a gene coding for one of the components of the phosphotransferase system (PTS) in A. florum. In addition we demonstrate that the organism uses UGA as a tryptophan codon and not as a stop codon. These findings offer strong evidence, along with an earlier phylogenetic proposal, that A. florum is not a member of the genus Acholeplasma.     

Selenocysteine insertion directed by the 3'-UTR SECIS element in Escherichia coli

Co-translational insertion of selenocysteine (Sec) into proteins in response to UGA codons is directed by selenocysteine insertion sequence (SECIS) elements. In known bacterial selenoprotein genes, SECIS elements are located in the coding regions immediately downstream of UGA codons. Here, we report that a distant SECIS element can also function in Sec insertion in bacteria provided that it is spatially close to the UGA codon. We expressed a mammalian phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase in Escherichia coli from a construct in which a natural E.coli SECIS element was located in the 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) and adjacent to a sequence complementary to the region downstream of the Sec UGA codon. Although the major readthrough event at the UGA codon was insertion of tryptophan, Sec was also incorporated and its insertion was dependent on the functional SECIS element in the UTR, base-pairing potential of the SECIS flanking region and the Sec UGA codon. These data provide important implications into evolution of SECIS elements and development of a system for heterologous expression of selenoproteins and show that in addition to the primary sequence arrangement between UGA codons and SECIS elements, their proximity within the tertiary structure can support Sec insertion in bacteria.     

Recent evidence for evolution of the genetic code.

The genetic code, formerly thought to be frozen, is now known to be in a state of evolution. This was first shown in 1979 by Barrell et al. (G. Barrell, A. T. Bankier, and J. Drouin, Nature [London] 282:189-194, 1979), who found that the universal codons AUA (isoleucine) and UGA (stop) coded for methionine and tryptophan, respectively, in human mitochondria. Subsequent studies have shown that UGA codes for tryptophan in Mycoplasma spp. and in all nonplant mitochondria that have been examined. Universal stop codons UAA and UAG code for glutamine in ciliated protozoa (except Euplotes octacarinatus) and in a green alga, Acetabularia. E. octacarinatus uses UAA for stop and UGA for cysteine. Candida species, which are yeasts, use CUG (leucine) for serine. Other departures from the universal code, all in nonplant mitochondria, are CUN (leucine) for threonine (in yeasts), AAA (lysine) for asparagine (in platyhelminths and echinoderms), UAA (stop) for tyrosine (in planaria), and AGR (arginine) for serine (in several animal orders) and for stop (in vertebrates). We propose that the changes are typically preceded by loss of a codon from all coding sequences in an organism or organelle, often as a result of directional mutation pressure, accompanied by loss of the tRNA that translates the codon. The codon reappears later by conversion of another codon and emergence of a tRNA that translates the reappeared codon with a different assignment. Changes in release factors also contribute to these revised assignments. We also discuss the use of UGA (stop) as a selenocysteine codon and the early history of the code.     

In vitro suppression of a nonsense mutant of Drosophila melanogaster.

When RNA isolated from the Drosophila melanogaster alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) negative mutant CyOnB was translated "in vitro" in the presence of yeast opal suppressor tRNA, a wild type size ADH protein was obtained in addition to the mutant gene product. This identifies the CyOnB mutant as an opal (UGA) nonsense mutant. From the molecular weight of the mutant protein, and from the known sequence of the ADH gene (Benyajati et al., Proc.Natl.Acad.Sci. USA 78, 2717-2721, 1981), we conclude that the tryptophan codon UGG in position 234 has been changed into a UGA nonsense codon in the CyOnB mutant. Furthermore, we show that the UAA stop codon of the wild type ADH gene is resistant to suppression by a yeast ochre suppressor tRNA. This is in contrast to the high efficiency of suppression of the CyOnB UGA nonsense codon, despite an almost identical codon context.     

Structure and properties of a bovine liver UGA suppressor serine tRNA with a tryptophan anticodon

A bovine liver serine tRNA with a variety of unusual features has been sequenced and characterized. This tRNA is aminoacylated with serine, although it has a tryptophan anticodon CmCA. In ribosome binding assays, this tRNA (tRNA_CmCA^Ser) binds to the termination codon UGA and shows little or no binding in response to a variety of other codons including those for tryptophan and serine. The unusual codon recognition properties of this molecule were confirmed in an in vitro assay where this tRNA suppressed UGA termination. This is the first naturally occurring eucaryotic suppressor tRNA to be so characterized. Other unusual features, possibly related to the ability of this tRNA to read UGA, are the presence of two extra nucleotides, compared to all other tRNAs, between the universal residues U at position 8 and A at position 14 and the presence of an extra unpaired nucleotide within the double-stranded loop IV stem. This tRNA is also the largest eucaryotic tRNA sequenced to date (90 nucleotides). Despite its size, however, it contains only six modified residues. tRNA_CmCA^Ser shows extremely low homology to other mammalian serine (47–52% homology) or tryptophan (49% homology) tRNAs.     

Cytochrome oxidase subunit III gene in Neurospora crassa mitochondria. Location and sequence

We have located and sequenced the gene for cytochrome oxidase subunit III (CoIII) in Neurospora crassa mitochondria. The CoIII gene is located downstream from the small rRNA gene within a cluster of tRNA genes and is coded by the same strand as the tRNA and the rRNA genes. Like the tRNA and the rRNA genes, the CoIII gene is also flanked by the GC-rich palindromic DNA sequences which are highly conserved in N. crassa mitochondria. The CoIII coding sequence predicts a protein 269 amino acids long including 8 tryptophan residues. All 8 tryptophan residues are coded for by UGA. This supports our previous conclusion based on the anticodon sequence of N. crassa mitochondrial tryptophan tRNA and provides evidence for the notion that use of UGA as a codon for tryptophan rather than chain termination may be a feature common to most mitochondrial protein synthesis systems. The close correspondence between the amino acid composition of N. crassa CoIII and that of the protein predicted by the CoIII gene sequence suggests that unlike in mammalian mitochondria, AUA is a codon for isoleucine and not for methionine in N. crassa mitochondria. The N. crassa CoIII sequence shows strong homologies to the corresponding yeast and human proteins (53 and 47%, respectively). The overall hydrophobic character of the protein is consistent with suggestions that most of CoIII is embedded in the mitochondrial inner membrane.     

Isolation of a rat mitochondrial release factor. Accommodation of the changed genetic code for termination

A single release factor has been isolated and partially purified from rat mitochondria. It requires ethanol in addition to the specific termination codon when assayed in a heterologous system with Escherichia coli ribosomes. The factor recognizes the codons UAA and UAG but not UGA, and therefore it has been designated mtRF-1. A factor of the bacterial RF-2 type, which in E. coli recognizes UGA, or of the mammalian type, which recognizes all three termination codons, has not been detected in mitochondria. The absence of a factor responding to UGA accommodates the use of this codon as a signal for tryptophan in the rat mitochondrial genetic code. The mtRF-1 could translate all of the known termination codons in the rat mitochondrial genome. It does not respond to AGG and AGA which in bovine and human mitochondrial DNA code for termination but which in rat mitochondria may not code for either an amino acid or for termination.     

SBP,SECIS binding protein,binds to the RNA fragment upstream of the Sec UGA codon in glutathione peroxidase mRNA

In mammals, most of the selenium contained in the body is present as an unusual amino acid, selenocysteine (Sec), whose codon is UGA. Because the UGA codon is typically recognized as a translation stop signal, it is intriguing how a cell recognizes and distinguishes a UGA Sec codon from a UGA stop codon. For eukaryotic selenoprotein mRNAs, it has been proposed that a conserved stem-loop structure designated the Sec insertion sequence (SECIS) in the 3'-untranslated (3'-UTR) region is required for recognition of UGA as a Sec codon. Some proteins which bind to SECIS (SBP) have been reported. However, it is not clear how the SECIS element in the 3'-UTR can mediate Sec insertion far at the in-frame UGA Sec codons. The idea that there must be a signal near the UGA Sec codon is still considered. Therefore, we searched for a protein which binds to an RNA sequence surrounding the UGA Sec codon on human glutathione peroxidase (GPx) mRNA. We found a protein which strongly bound to the RNA fragment upstream of the UGA Sec codon. However, this protein did not bind to the RNA sequence downstream of the UGA codon. This protein also bound to the SECIS sequence in the 3'-UTR of human GPx, and this binding to SECIS was competed with the RNA fragment upstream of the UGA Sec codon. Comparison of the RNA fragment with the SECIS fragment identified the conserved regions, which appeared in the region upstream of the in-frame UGA Sec codon of Se-protein mRNAs. Thus, this study proposes a novel model to understand the mechanisms of Sec incorporation at the UGA Sec codon, especially the regions upstream of the UGA codon of mRNAs of mammalian selenoproteins. This model explains that the stem-loop structure covering the UGA codon is recognized by SBP and how the UGA Sec codon escapes from attack by eRF of the peptide releasing factor.     

The nucleotide sequence of spinach chloroplast tryptophan transfer RNA

Spinach chloroplast tRNATrp, purified by column chromatography and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, has been sequenced using in vitro labeling techniques. The sequence is : pG-C-G-C-U-C-U-U-A-G-U-U-C-A-G-U-U-C-Gm-G-D-A-G-A-A-C-m2G-psi-G-G-G-psi-C-U-C-A-A*-A-A-C-C-C-G-A-U-G-N-C-G-U-A-G-G-T-psi-C-A-A-G-U-C-C-U-A-C-A-G-A-G-C-G-U-G -C-C-AOH. Like the E. coli suppressor tRNA psu+UGA which translates both the opal terminator codon U-G-A and the tryptophan codon U-G-G, spinach chloroplast tRNATrp has C-C-A as an anticodon and contains an A-U pair in the D-stem.     

Codon reassignment to facilitate genetic engineering and biocontainment in the chloroplast of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

There is a growing interest in the use of microalgae as low‐cost hosts for the synthesis of recombinant products such as therapeutic proteins and bioactive metabolites. In particular, the chloroplast, with its small, genetically tractable genome (plastome) and elaborate metabolism, represents an attractive platform for genetic engineering. In Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, none of the 69 protein‐coding genes in the plastome uses the stop codon UGA, therefore this spare codon can be exploited as a useful synthetic biology tool. Here, we report the assignment of the codon to one for tryptophan and show that this can be used as an effective strategy for addressing a key problem in chloroplast engineering: namely, the assembly of expression cassettes in Escherichia coli when the gene product is toxic to the bacterium. This problem arises because the prokaryotic nature of chloroplast promoters and ribosome‐binding sites used in such cassettes often results in transgene expression in E. coli, and is a potential issue when cloning genes for metabolic enzymes, antibacterial proteins and integral membrane proteins. We show that replacement of tryptophan codons with the spare codon (UGG→UGA) within a transgene prevents functional expression in E. coli and in the chloroplast, and that co‐introduction of a plastidial trnW gene carrying a modified anticodon restores function only in the latter by allowing UGA readthrough. We demonstrate the utility of this system by expressing two genes known to be highly toxic to E. coli and discuss its value in providing an enhanced level of biocontainment for transplastomic microalgae.     

A model for Sec incorporation with the regions upstream of the UGA Sec codon to play a key role

For eukaryotic selenoprotein mRNAs, it has been proposed that the SECIS element in the 3'-UTR is required for recognition of UGA as a Sec codon. Some proteins which bind to SECIS (SBP) have been reported. However, it is not clear how the SECIS element in the 3'-UTR can mediate Sec insertion far at the in-frame UGA Sec codons. The idea that there must be a signal near the UGA Sec codon is still being considered. Therefore, we searched for a protein which binds to an RNA sequence surrounding the UGA Sec codon on human GPx mRNA. We found a protein, prepared from bovine brain microsomes, which strongly bound to the RNA fragment upstream of the UGA Sec codon but not to the RNA sequence downstream of the UGA codon. This protein also bound to the SECIS sequence in the 3'-UTR of human GPx, and this binding to SECIS was competed with the RNA fragment upstream of the UGA Sec codon. We also obtained the similar results with the RNA fragments of type I iodothyronine 5'-deiodinase (5'DI) mRNAs. Comparison of such RNA fragments with SECIS fragments revealed similarities in the region upstream of the in-frame UGA Sec codon of several Se-protein mRNAs. The study thus favors a novel model of Sec incorporation at the UGA Sec codon that involves the regions upstream of the UGA codon of mRNAs of mammalian selenoproteins. This model explains that the stem-loop structure covering the UGA codon is recognized by SBP and how the UGA Sec codon escapes from attack by eRF.     

Sequence and codon recognition of bean mitochondria and chloroplast tRNAsTrp: evidence for a high degree of homology.

Bean mitochondria and chloroplast tRNAsTrp, purified by RPC-5 chromatography and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, have been sequenced using post-labeling techniques. The high degree of sequence homology between bean mitochondria and chloroplast tRNAsTrp shows that these two tRNAs are coded for by closely related genes which have probably evolved from a common ancestor gene. The anticodon of bean mitochondria tRNATrp is CmCA, which can recognize UGG (the codon for tryptophan in the universal code) and is complementary neither to UGA (which codes for tryptophan in mammalian and yeast mitochondria) nor to CGG (which could be a tryptophan codeword in plant mitochondria).     

Genetic code and phylogenetic origin of oomycetous mitochondria

Summary We sequenced the 3-terminal part of the COX3 gene encoding cytochrome c oxidase subunit 3 from mitochondria of Phytophthora parasitica (phylum Oomycota, kingdom Protoctista). Comparison of the sequence with known COX3 genes revealed that UGG is used as a tryptophan codon in contrast to UGA in the mitochondrial codes of most organisms other than green plants. A very high AT mutation pressure operates on the mitochondrial genome of Phytophthora, as revealed by codon usage and by A + T content of noncoding regions, which seems paradoxical because AT pressure causes tryptophan codon reassignment from UGG to UGA in mitochondria of most species. The genetic code and other data suggest that mitochondria of Oomycota share a direct common ancestor with mitochondria of plants and that mitochondria of the ancestor of Planta and Oomycota were acquired in a second endosymbiotic event, which occurred later than the acquisition of mitochondria by other eukaryotes.Offprint requests to: P. Karlovsky