Analysis of Context Sequence Surrounding Translation Initiation Site from Complete Genome of Model Plants

Regions flanking the translation initiation site (TIS) are thought to play a crucial role in translation efficiency of mRNAs, but their exact sequence and evolution in eukaryotes are still a matter of debate. We investigated the context sequences in 20 nucleotides around the TIS in multi-cellular eukaryotes, with a focus on two model plants and a comparison to human. We identified consensus sequences aaaaaaa(A/G)(A/C)aAUGGcgaataata and ggcggc(g/c)(A/G)(A/C)(G/C)AUGGCggcggcgg for Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa, respectively. We observe strongly conserved G at position +4 and A or C at position -2; however, the exact nucleotide frequencies vary between the three organisms even at these conserved positions. The frequency of pyrimidines, which are considered sub optimum at position -3, is higher in both plants than in human. Arabidopsis is GC-depleted (AU-enriched) compared to both rice and human, and the enrichment is slightly stronger upstream than downstream of AUG. While both plants are similar though not identical in their variation of nucleotide frequencies, rice and human are more similar to each other than Arabidopsis and human. All three organisms display clear periodicity in A + G and C + U content when analyzing normalized frequencies. These findings suggest that, besides few highly conserved positions, overall structure of the context sequence plays a larger role in TIS recognition than the actual nucleotide frequencies.     

Selection of AUG initiation codons differs in plants and animals.

The influence of the nucleotide at position -3 relative to the AUG initiation codon on the initiation of protein synthesis was studied in two different in vitro translation systems using synthetic mRNAs. The four mRNAs, transcribed from cDNAs directed by an SP6 promoter, were identical except for mutations at nucleotide -3. In each case, translation of mRNAs produced a single protein of Mr = 12,600. Relative translational efficiencies showed a hierarchy in the reticulocyte lysate system (100, 85, 61 and 38% for A, G, U and C in position -3, respectively) but no differences in the wheat germ system. Differential mRNA degradation or polypeptide chain elongation were excluded as causes of the differences observed in translation in the reticulocyte lysate. mRNA competition increased the differences observed in translational efficiencies in reticulocyte lysate but showed no effect in wheat germ. Analysis of 61 plant and 209 animal mRNA sequences revealed qualitative and quantitative differences between the consensus sequences surrounding AUG initiation codons. Whereas the consensus sequence for animals was CACCAUG that for plants was AACAAUGGC. Both the structural and functional findings suggest that the factors which select AUG initiation codons in plants and animals differ significantly.     

Diversity of preferred nucleotide sequences around the translation initiation codon in eukaryote genomes

Understanding regulatory mechanisms of protein synthesis in eukaryotes is essential for the accurate annotation of genome sequences. Kozak reported that the nucleotide sequence GCCGCC(A/G)CCAUGG (AUG is the initiation codon) was frequently observed in vertebrate genes and that this 'consensus' sequence enhanced translation initiation. However, later studies using invertebrate, fungal and plant genes reported different 'consensus' sequences. In this study, we conducted extensive comparative analyses of nucleotide sequences around the initiation codon by using genomic data from 47 eukaryote species including animals, fungi, plants and protists. The analyses revealed that preferred nucleotide sequences are quite diverse among different species, but differences between patterns of nucleotide bias roughly reflect the evolutionary relationships of the species. We also found strong biases of A/G at position -3, A/C at position -2 and C at position +5 that were commonly observed in all species examined. Genes with higher expression levels showed stronger signals, suggesting that these nucleotides are responsible for the regulation of translation initiation. The diversity of preferred nucleotide sequences around the initiation codon might be explained by differences in relative contributions from two distinct patterns, GCCGCCAUG and AAAAAAAUG, which implies the presence of multiple molecular mechanisms for controlling translation initiation.     

Compilation and analysis of sequences upstream from the translational start site in eukaryotic mRNAs.

5-Noncoding sequences have been tabulated for 211 messenger RNAs from higher eukaryotic cells. The 5'-proximal AUG triplet serves as the initiator codon in 95% of the mRNAs examined. The most conspicuous conserved feature is the presence of a purine (most often A) three nucleotides upstream from the AUG initiator codon; only 6 of the mRNAs in the survey have a pyrimidine in that position. There is a predominance of C in positions -1, -2, -4 and -5, just upstream from the initiator codon. The sequence CCAGCCAUG (G) thus emerges as a consensus sequence for eukaryotic initiation sites. The extent to which the ribosome binding site in a given mRNA matches the -1 to -5 consensus sequence varies: more than half of the mRNAs in the tabulation have 3 or 4 nucleotides in common with the CCACC consensus, but only ten mRNAs conform perfectly.     

Recognition of AUG and alternative initiator codons is augmented by G in position +4 but is not generally affected by the nucleotides in positions +5 and +6.

A primer extension (toeprinting) assay was used to monitor selection by ribosomes of the first versus the second AUG codon as a function of introducing mutations on the 3' side (positions +4, +5 and +6) of the first AUG codon. Six different flanking codons starting with G (GCG, GCU, GCC, GCA, GAU and GGA) strongly augmented selection of AUG#1 when compared with matched mRNAs that had A or C instead of G in position +4. Augmentation by G in position +4 failed only when it was combined with U in position +5, as in the sequence augGUA. In contrast with the usual enhancing effect of introducing G in position +4, most mutations in position +5 had no discernible effect, as shown with the series augANA (where N = C, A, G or U) and the series augCNA. AUG codon recognition was also unaffected by mutations in position +6, as shown by testing four mRNAs that had augCCN as the start site. Thus the primary sequence context that augments the recognition of AUG start codons does not appear generally to extend beyond G in position +4. When the toeprinting assay was used with mRNAs that initiate translation at CUG instead of AUG, cugGAU was not recognized better than cugGGU, contradicting the hypothesis that initiation at non-AUG codons might be favored by A instead of G in position +5.     

Translation of chloroplast-encoded mRNA: potential initiation and termination signals.

A survey of 196 protein-coding chloroplast DNA sequences demonstrated the preference for AUG and UAA codons for initiation and termination of translation, respectively. As in prokaryotes at every nucleotide position from -25 to +25 (AUG is +1 to +3) and for 25 nucleotides 5' and 3' to the termination codon an A or U is predominant, except for C at +5 and G at +22. A Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence (GGAGG or tri- or tetranucleotide variant) was found within 100 bp 5' to the AUG codon in 92% of the genes. In 40% of these cases, the location of the SD sequence was similar to that of the consensus for prokaryotes (-12 to -7 5' to AUG), presumed to be optimal for translation initiation. A SD sequence could not be located in 6% of the chloroplast sequences. We propose that mRNA secondary structures may be required for the relocation of a distal SD sequences to within the optimal region (-12 to -7) for initiation of translation. We further suggest that termination at UGA codons in chloroplast genes may occur by a mechanism, involving 16S rRNA secondary structure, which has been proposed for UGA termination in E. coli.     

At least six nucleotides preceding the AUG initiator codon enhance translation in mammalian cells

Sequences flanking the AUG initiator codon influence its recognition by eukaryotic ribosomes. From a comparison of several hundred mRNA sequences, CCA/GCCAUGG emerged as the consensus sequence for initiation in higher eukaryotes. Systematic mutagenesis of a cloned preproinsulin gene confirmed the facilitating effect of A or G in position -3 (i.e. 3 nucleotides upstream from the AUG codon), C in positions -1 and -2, and G immediately following the AUG codon. The analysis of a new set of mutants now reveals that sequences slightly farther upstream are also influential, the optimal context for initiation being (GCC)GCCA/GCCAUGG. Possible mechanistic implications of the repeating GCC motif are discussed.     

Compilation and comparison of the sequence context around the AUG startcodons in Saccharomyces cerevisiae mRNAs.

The nucleotide sequence of the translation initiation regions of 96 Saccharomyces cerevisiae mRNAs was compiled and compared. The entire 5' untranslated sequence of most mRNAs is very rich in A-residues. G-residues are underrepresented in the untranslated region. The AUG startcodon context appeared to be distinctly different from that of animal mRNAs, although an A-residue at -3 also occurs very frequently (81 percent) in yeast mRNAs. The prevailing codon 3' adjacent to the AUG is the UCU serine codon. All these features are more extreme in the highly expressed genes. Fifty percent of all highly expressed genes use the UCU serine codon as second triplet. In this group G-residues are completely absent in the 7 bases preceding the startcodon and an A-residue occurs at position -1 and -3 at a frequency of 89 percent and 100 percent, respectively. The abundance of A-residues throughout the leader suggests that unstructured mRNA is required for efficient translation initiation in yeast. The consensus sequence for the AUG context in highly expressed genes can be summarized as follows: (Sequence: see text).     

Possible role of flanking nucleotides in recognition of the AUG initiator codon by eukaryotic ribosomes.

Sequences flanking the initiator codon in eukaryotic mRNAs are not random. Out of 153 messages examined, 151 have either a purine in position -3, or a G in position +4, or both. Thus, [A/G]XXAUGG emerges as the favored sequence for eukaryotic initiation sites. Nucleotides flanking nonfunctional AUG triplets, which occur in the 5'-noncoding region of a few eukaryotic messages, are different from those found at most functional sites. Whereas most authentic initiator codons are preceded by a purine (usually A) in position -3, most nonfunctional AUGs have a pyrimidine in that position. The observed asymmetry suggests that purines in positions -3 and +4 might facilitate recognition of the AUG condon during formation of initiation complexes. To test this idea, in vitro binding studies were carried out with 32P-labeled oligonucleotides. Binding of AUG-containing oligonucleotides to wheat germ ribosomes was significantly enhanced by placing a purine in position -3 or +4. The scanning model, which postulates that 40S ribosomal subunits attach at the 5'-end of a message and migrate down to the AUG codon, is discussed in light of these new observations. A modified version of the scanning mechanism is proposed.     

Translational efficiency of a non-AUG initiation codon is significantly affected by its sequence context in yeast

Previous studies have shown that translation of mrna for yeast glycyl-tRNA synthetase is alternatively initiated from UUG and a downstream AUG initiation codon. Evidence presented here shows that unlike an AUG initiation codon, efficiency of this non-AUG initiation codon is significantly affected by its sequence context, in particular the nucleotides at positions -3 to -1 relative to the initiation codon. A/A/R (R represents A Or G) and C/G/C appear to be the most and least favorable sequences at these positions, respectively. Mutation of the native context sequence -3 to -1 from AAA to CGC reduced translation initiation from the UUG codon up to 32-fold and resulted in loss of mitochondrial respiration. although an AUG initiation codon is, in general, unresponsive to context changes in yeast, an AAA (-3 to -1) to CGC mutation still reduced its initiating activity up to 8-fold under similar conditions. these results suggest that sequence context is more important for translation initiation in yeast than previously appreciated.     

Analysis of oligonucleotide AUG start codon context in eukariotic mRNAs

The AUG start codon context features have been investigated by analyzing eukaryotic mRNAs belonging to various taxonomic groups. The functional relevance of each specific position surrounding the AUG start codon has been established as a function of the measured shift between base composition observed at that particular position, and base composition averaged over all the 5'untranslated regions. A more detailed analysis carried out on human genes belonging to different isochores showed significant isochore-specific fea-tures that cannot be explained only by a mutational bias effect. The most represented heptamers spanning from position -3 to +4 with respect to the initiator AUG have been determined for mRNAs belonging to different taxonomic groups and a web page utility has been set up (http://bigarea.area.ba.cnr.it:8000/BioWWW/ATG.html) to determine the relative abundance of a user submitted oligonucleotide context in a given species or taxon.     

Contextual Features of Higher Plant mRNA 5"-Untranslated Regions

Computer analysis of nucleotide sequences of 5"-untranslated regions (5"-UTR) of higher plant mRNA adopted from the EMBL nucleotide sequence database was carried out. It was demonstrated that the average nucleotide frequencies of the leader sequences and adjacent regions of basal promoters are similar, whereas introns and 3"-UTR have a higher content of T and a lower content of C. A particular 5"-UTR contextual feature is a misbalance in the content of complementary nucleotides, probably caused by negative influence of the stable secondary structure on the translation properties of the leader sequence. Approximately 20% of 5"-UTR possess AUG triplets, i.e., twice as much as it has been estimated earlier. The properties of the open reading frames of the leader sequence (uORF) and presumable causes of their high content in 5"-UTR of eukaryotic mRNAs are discussed. The nature of correlation between some features of uORFs and protein-coding gene sequences is analyzed. It is demonstrated that in effectively translated mRNAs the leader AUG triplets are more frequently located in a nonoptimal context, whereas the terminating codons of uORFs more frequently exist in the optimal one. A hypothesis is put forward that the efficiency of termination at the uORF stop codon might substantially interfere with the mRNA translation activity.     

The sequence context of the initiation codon in the encephalomyocarditis virus leader modulates efficiency of internal translation initiation.

Translation initiation on poliovirus and encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) mRNAs occurs by a cap-independent mechanism utilizing an internal ribosomal entry site (IRES). However, no unifying mechanism for AUG initiation site selection has been proposed. Analysis of initiation of mRNAs translated in vitro has suggested that initiation of poliovirus mRNA translation likely involves both internal binding of ribosomes and scanning to the first AUG which is in a favorable context for initiation. In contrast, internal initiation on EMCV mRNA may not utilize scanning, since ribosomes bind directly or very close to the initiation codon AUG-11. We have studied in vivo the sequence requirements for internal initiation around the EMCV initiation codon, both in monocistronic and in dicistronic mRNAs. Our studies show that the upstream AUG-10 is normally not used and that there is no specific sequence requirement for nucleotides between AUG-10 and AUG-11. However, the sequence context of AUG-11 does influence the efficiency of initiation at AUG-11. Efficient IRES-mediated internal initiation at AUG-11 exhibits a requirement for an adenine in the -3 position, similar to cap-dependent initiation. These results support a model for internal initiation on EMCV mRNA in which scanning starts at or near AUG-11. Although initiation primarily occurs at AUG-11, initiation at multiple downstream AUG codons can be detected. In addition, a poor sequence context around AUG-11 results in increased initiation at one or more downstream AUG codons, indicative of leaky scanning or jumping by the ribosome from AUG-11 mediated by the EMCV IRES.     

Context effects and inefficient initiation at non-AUG codons in eucaryotic cell-free translation systems.

The context requirements for recognition of an initiator codon were evaluated in vitro by monitoring the relative use of two AUG codons that were strategically positioned to produce long (pre-chloramphenicol acetyl transferase [CAT]) and short versions of CAT protein. The yield of pre-CAT initiated from the 5'-proximal AUG codon increased, and synthesis of CAT from the second AUG codon decreased, as sequences flanking the first AUG codon increasingly resembled the eucaryotic consensus sequence. Thus, under prescribed conditions, the fidelity of initiation in extracts from animal as well as plant cells closely mimics what has been observed in vivo. Unexpectedly, recognition of an AUG codon in a suboptimal context was higher when the adjacent downstream sequence was capable of assuming a hairpin structure than when the downstream region was unstructured. This finding adds a new, positive dimension to regulation by mRNA secondary structure, which has been recognized previously as a negative regulator of initiation. Translation of pre-CAT from an AUG codon in a weak context was not preferentially inhibited under conditions of mRNA competition. That result is consistent with the scanning model, which predicts that recognition of the AUG codon is a late event that occurs after the competition-sensitive binding of a 40S ribosome-factor complex to the 5' end of mRNA. Initiation at non-AUG codons was evaluated in vitro and in vivo by introducing appropriate mutations in the CAT and preproinsulin genes. GUG was the most efficient of the six alternative initiator codons tested, but GUG in the optimal context for initiation functioned only 3 to 5% as efficiently as AUG. Initiation at non-AUG codons was artifactually enhanced in vitro at supraoptimal concentrations of magnesium.     

Context organization of mRNA 5'-untranslated regions of higher plants

Computer analysis of nucleotide sequences of 5'-untranslated regions (5'-UTR) of higher plants mRNA adopted from the EMBL nucleotide sequence databank was carried out. It was demonstrated that the average nucleotide frequencies of the leader sequences and adjacent regions of basal promoters are similar, whereas introns and 3'-UTR have a higher content of T and a lower content of C. A particular 5'-UTR contextual feature is a misbalance in the content of complementary nucleotides; probably a stable secondary structure adversely affects the translation properties of the leader sequence. About 20% of 5'-UTR contain AUG triplets, which is twice the earlier estimate. Considered are the properties of leader open reading frames (uORF), the possible causes of their high content in 5'-UTRs of eukaryotic mTNAs, and correlations between the features of uORFs and of the protein-encoding sequence of the gene. It is demonstrated that in effectively translated mRNAs the leader AUG triplets are more frequently located in a nonoptimal context, whereas terminating codons of uORFs more frequently exist in the optimal one. A hypothesis is put forward that the efficiency of termination at the uORF stop codon might substantially interfere with the mRNA translation activity.     

An AUG initiation codon, not codon–anticodon complementarity, is required for the translation of unleadered mRNA in Escherichia coli

We determined the in vivo translational efficiency of 'unleadered' lacZ compared with a conventionally leadered lacZ with and without a Shine–Dalgarno (SD) sequence in Escherichia coli and found that changing the SD sequence of leadered lacZ from the consensus 5'-AGGA-3' to 5'-UUUU-3' results in a 15-fold reduction in translational efficiency; however, removing the leader altogether results in only a twofold reduction. An increase in translation coincident with the removal of the leader lacking a SD sequence suggests the existence of stronger or novel translational signals within the coding sequence in the absence of the leader. We examined, therefore, a change in the translational signals provided by altering the AUG initiation codon to other naturally occurring initiation codons (GUG, UUG, CUG) in the presence and absence of a leader and find that mRNAs lacking leader sequences are dependent upon an AUG initiation codon, whereas leadered mRNAs are not. This suggests that mRNAs lacking leader sequences are either more dependent on perfect codon–anticodon complementarity or require an AUG initiation codon in a sequence-specific manner to form productive initiation complexes. A mutant initiator tRNA with compensating anticodon mutations restored expression of leadered, but not unleadered, mRNAs with UAG start codons, indicating that codon–anticodon complementarity was insufficient for the translation of mRNA lacking leader sequences. These data suggest that a cognate AUG initiation codon specifically serves as a stronger and different translational signal in the absence of an untranslated leader.