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Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Analysis of Translation Initiation During Stress Conditions by Polysome Profiling
Published on: May 19, 2014
Unexpected translation initiation within the coding region of eukaryotic genes expressed in Escherichia coli
G Preibisch1, H Ishihara, D Tripier
1Department of Biochemistry, Hoechst AG, Frankfurt, F.R.G.
Abstract:
When expressing several eukaryotic genes in Escherichia coli, we observed N-terminally truncated proteins which were attributed to translation initiation at downstream AUG codons. These AUG codons are located between 4 and 20 nucleotides 3' from sequences resembling bacterial SD elements. Although the presence of such downstream SD sequences is not sufficient for downstream initiation to occur, in two cases their removal abolishes synthesis of the truncated proteins. In one construct, a potential hairpin-loop structure is likely to inhibit translation initiation at the correct site and favor downstream initiation.
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