The genetic code is not frozen but still evolving, which can result in the acquisition of 'dialectal' codons that deviate from the universal genetic code. RNA modifications in the anticodon region of tRNAs play a critical role in establishing such non-universal genetic codes. In echinoderm mitochondria, the AAA codon specifies asparagine instead of lysine. By analyzing mitochondrial (mt-) tRNA isolated from the sea urchin (Mesocentrotus nudus), we discovered a novel modified nucleoside, hydroxy-N-threonylcarbamoyladenosine (htA), 3' adjacent to the anticodon (position 37). Biochemical analysis revealed that htA37 has the ability to prevent mt-tRNA from misreading AAA as lysine, thereby indicating that hydroxylation of N-threonylcarbamoyladenosine (tA) contributes to the establishment of the non-universal genetic code in echinoderm mitochondria.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nsmb.3449DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

genetic code
16
non-universal genetic
12
echinoderm mitochondria
12
code echinoderm
8
genetic
5
hydroxylation conserved
4
conserved trna
4
trna modification
4
modification establishes
4
establishes non-universal
4

Similar Publications

Efficient genome editing in medaka () using a codon-optimized SaCas9 system.

J Zhejiang Univ Sci B

December 2024

Key Laboratory of Freshwater Animal Breeding, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Fisheries, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China.

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9) system, belonging to the type II CRISPR/Cas system, is an effective gene-editing tool widely used in different organisms, but the size of Cas9 (SpCas9) is quite large (4.3 kb), which is not convenient for vector delivery. In this study, we used a codon-optimized Cas9 (SaCas9) system to edit the tyrosinase (, oculocutaneous albinism II (), and paired box 6.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

RNA viruses possess small genomes encoding a limited repertoire of essential and often multifunctional proteins. Although genetically tagging viral proteins provides a powerful tool for dissecting mechanisms of viral replication and infection, it remains a challenge. Here, we leverage genetic code expansion to develop a recoded strain of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in which the multifunctional nucleoprotein is site-specifically modified with a noncanonical amino acid.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aging is a complex and multifaceted process involving many epigenetic alterations. One key area of interest in aging research is the role of histone modifications, which can dynamically regulate gene expression. Here, we conducted a pan-tissue analysis of the dynamics of seven key histone modifications during human aging.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Altered chromatin landscape and 3D interactions associated with primary constitutional MLH1 epimutations.

Clin Epigenetics

December 2024

Hereditary Cancer Group, ONCOBELL Program, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain.

Background: Lynch syndrome (LS), characterised by an increased risk for cancer, is mainly caused by germline pathogenic variants affecting a mismatch repair gene (MLH1, MSH2, MSH6, PMS2). Occasionally, LS may be caused by constitutional MLH1 epimutation (CME) characterised by soma-wide methylation of one allele of the MLH1 promoter. Most of these are "primary" epimutations, arising de novo without any apparent underlying cis-genetic cause, and are reversible between generations.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Predicting gene sequences with AI to study codon usage patterns.

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A

January 2025

Department of Computer Science, University of Haifa, Haifa 3303221, Israel.

Selective pressure acts on the codon use, optimizing multiple, overlapping signals that are only partially understood. We trained AI models to predict codons given their amino acid sequence in the eukaryotes and and the bacteria and to study the extent to which we can learn patterns in naturally occurring codons to improve predictions. We trained our models on a subset of the proteins and evaluated their predictions on large, separate sets of proteins of varying lengths and expression levels.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!