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Updated: May 28, 2026

Toeprinting Analysis of Translation Initiation Complex Formation on Mammalian mRNAs
Published on: May 10, 2018
Wobble base-pairing slows in vivo translation elongation in metazoans
1Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5324, USA.
Abstract:
In the universal genetic code, most amino acids can be encoded by multiple trinucleotide codons, and the choice among available codons can influence position-specific translation elongation rates. By using sequence-based ribosome profiling, we obtained transcriptome-wide profiles of in vivo ribosome occupancy as a function of codon identity in Caenorhabditis elegans and human cells. Particularly striking in these profiles was a universal trend of higher ribosome occupancy for codons translated via G:U wobble base-pairing compared with synonymous codons that pair with the same tRNA family using G:C base-pairing. These data support a model in which ribosomal translocation is slowed at wobble codon positions.
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