Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

A different genetic code in human mitochondria.

B G Barrell, A T Bankier, J Drouin

    Nature
    |November 8, 1979
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Related Concept Videos

    You might also read

    Related Articles

    Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

    Sort by
    Same author

    Economic Burden of Disease in France In 2012: A Top-Down Allocation of Health Care Expenditure by Disease Based on the French Health insurance Database (SNIIRAM).

    Value in health : the journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research·2016
    Same author

    Characterization of MENX-associated pituitary tumours.

    Neuropathology and applied neurobiology·2012
    Same author

    Phenotypic homogeneity and genotypic variability in a large series of congenital isolated ACTH-deficiency patients with TPIT gene mutations.

    The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism·2011
    Same author

    Women and work: the more, the better?

    Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien·2011
    Same author

    [Not Available].

    Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien·2011
    Same author

    The genome of the simian and human malaria parasite Plasmodium knowlesi.

    Nature·2008
    Same journal

    Incoming US science academy chief vows to 'double down' on research.

    Nature·2026
    Same journal

    Author Correction: Synthesis of enantioenriched atropisomers by biocatalytic deracemization.

    Nature·2026
    Same journal

    Electrodeposited self-assembled molecules for perovskite photovoltaics.

    Nature·2026
    Same journal

    Neutrino's nursery found: the 'Shadow Blaster'.

    Nature·2026
    Same journal

    Dementia risk in middle-aged people linked to a blood protein.

    Nature·2026
    Same journal

    Daily briefing: What's really happening with trust in science.

    Nature·2026
    See all related articles

    Human mitochondrial DNA analysis reveals UGA codons code for tryptophan, not termination. It also suggests AUA codons may code for methionine, differing from standard genetic codes.

    Area of Science:

    • Molecular Biology
    • Genetics
    • Biochemistry

    Background:

    • The standard genetic code is nearly universal but exceptions exist in organelles.
    • Mitochondrial genetic codes often differ from the nuclear genetic code.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the genetic code used in human mitochondria.
    • To compare human mitochondrial DNA sequences with beef heart protein sequences.

    Main Methods:

    • DNA sequencing of the human mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit II gene.
    • Amino acid sequence analysis of beef heart cytochrome oxidase II protein.
    • Comparison of DNA and protein sequences.

    Main Results:

    • The UGA codon in human mitochondria functions as a tryptophan codon, not a stop codon.

    Related Experiment Videos

  • The AUA codon may function as a methionine codon, not an isoleucine codon.
  • The human mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase II gene is adjacent to tRNAAsp and tRNALys genes with unique sequences.

    • Conclusions:

    • Human mitochondrial genetic code exhibits unique features, including non-standard codon assignments.
    • Mitochondrial tRNAs display significant divergence from known sequences, potentially explaining codon reassignment.