Spotlight on alternative frame coding: Two long overlapping genes in are translated and under purifying selection.

The existence of overlapping genes (OLGs) with significant coding overlaps revolutionizes our understanding of genomic complexity. We report two exceptionally long (957 nt and 1536 nt), evolutionarily novel, translated antisense open reading frames (ORFs) embedded within annotated genes in the pathogenic Gram-negative bacterium . Both OLG pairs show sequence features consistent with being genes and transcriptional signals in RNA sequencing.

A Novel pH-Regulated, Unusual 603 bp Overlapping Protein Coding Gene Is Encoded Antisense to in O157:H7 (EHEC).

Antisense transcription is well known in bacteria. However, translation of antisense RNAs is typically not considered, as the implied overlapping coding at a DNA locus is assumed to be highly improbable. Therefore, such overlapping genes are systematically excluded in prokaryotic genome annotation.

A talin homologue of Dictyostelium rapidly assembles at the leading edge of cells in response to chemoattractant.

In an attempt to identify unknown actin-binding proteins in cells of Dictyostelium discoideum that may be involved in the control of cell motility and chemotaxis, monoclonal antibodies were raised against proteins that had been enriched on an F-actin affinity matrix. One antibody recognized a protein distinguished by its strong accumulation at the tips of filopods. These cell-surface extensions containing a core of bundled actin filaments are rapidly protruded and retracted by cells in the growth-phase stage.

Actin-associated proteins in motility and chemotaxis of Dictyostelium cells.

The amoeboid cells of Dictyostelium discoideum are amenable to a combined biochemical, genetic, and cell biological approach that can be focussed to the study of molecular interactions underlying the chemotactic responses of eukaryotic cells. In these responses the actin-based motility system is involved. This system is characterised in Dictyostelium cells by a large number and variety of regulatory proteins.