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Programmed translational frameshifting
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore 21228, USA.
Annual Review of Genetics
|January 1, 1996
Summary
Programmed frameshift sites in genes induce rare translational errors, causing ribosomes to pause and shift reading frames. These sites, including -1, +1 frameshifts, and translational hops, offer insights into frame maintenance mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Errors altering the translational reading frame are rare but essential for some gene functions.
- Programmed frameshift sites are specific sequences that manipulate the translation machinery to induce non-canonical decoding.
- These sites are found across diverse species and employ distinct mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanisms and diversity of programmed frameshift sites.
- To understand how these sites manipulate the ribosome during translation.
- To explore the use of programmed frameshift sites as tools for studying translational frame maintenance.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of genetic sequences encoding programmed frameshift sites.
- Observation of ribosome pausing and tRNA slippage during elongation.
- Comparison of different frameshift mechanisms (-1, +1, translational hops).
Main Results:
- Programmed frameshift sites induce ribosome pausing, facilitating kinetically unfavorable decoding events.
- Most frameshifts involve tRNA slippage, but some occur without it.
- Distinct mechanisms drive -1 frameshifts, +1 frameshifts, and translational hops.
Conclusions:
- Programmed frameshift sites are diverse and mechanistically distinct.
- Ribosome pausing is a common feature, enabling alternative decoding events.
- These sites serve as valuable tools for probing the fundamental process of translational frame maintenance.