Evidence to implicate translation by ribosomes in the mechanism by which nonsense codons reduce the nuclear level of human triosephosphate isomerase mRNA

Frameshift mutations in the v-src gene of avian sarcoma virus act in cis to specifically reduce v-src mRNA levels

A portion of the avian sarcoma virus (ASV) primary RNA transcripts is alternatively spliced in chicken embryo fibroblast cells to two different messages, the src and env mRNAs. Frameshift mutations of the viral genome causing premature translation termination within the src gene result in a decreased steady-state level of the src mRNA. In marked contrast, frameshift mutations at various positions of the env gene do not decrease the level of the env mRNA. We show that the src gene product is not required in trans for splicing and accumulation of src mRNA. Conversely, the truncated Src proteins do not act negatively in trans to decrease specifically the levels of src mRNA. Taken together, these results indicate that the frameshift mutations act in cis to reduce src mRNA levels. A double mutant with a lesion in the src initiator AUG and a frameshift within the src gene demonstrated wild-type RNA levels, indicating that the src mRNA must be recognized as a translatable mRNA for the effect on src mRNA levels to occur. Our results indicate that the reduced levels do not result from decreased cytoplasmic stability of the mature src mRNA. We also show that the src gene frameshift mutations affect src mRNA levels when expressed from intronless src cDNA clones. We conclude that the reduction of src mRNA levels triggered by the presence of frameshift mutations within the src gene occurs while it is associated with the nucleus. Our data also strongly suggest that this occurs at a step of RNA processing or transport independent of RNA splicing.

Searching for the 1 in 2,400,000: a review of dystrophin gene point mutations

The past few years have seen a rapid increase in our knowledge of naturally occurring mutations in the dystrophin gene. Although earlier studies were limited to gross rearrangement mutations, we are now in a position to draw lessons on the molecular etiology of the remaining one-third of cases of Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy (DMD, BMD) which are associated with small mutations. This paper reviews 70 published and unpublished small mutations in the dystrophin gene and asks what we can learn about their nature, their distribution, and approaches to their characterisation. Strikingly for such a well-conserved gene, missense mutations are extremely rare, and the vast majority of DMD point mutations, like the gross rearrangements, result in premature translational termination. It seems increasingly likely that almost all cases of DMD arise solely as a result of a reduction in the level of dystrophin transcripts, and we argue that > 95% of DMD mutations contribute nothing to the functional dissection of the dystrophin protein. Most of the few BMD point mutations presented here are missense mutations in the N-terminal or C-terminal domains or are splice-site mutations that probably act, like BMD deletions, via the production of in-frame, interstitially deleted transcripts.

Molecular genetic heterogeneity of myophosphorylase deficiency (McArdle's disease)

BACKGROUND AND METHODS

Myophosphorylase deficiency (McArdle's disease) is one of the most common causes of exercise intolerance, muscle cramps, and recurrent myoglobinuria. The myophosphorylase gene has been sequenced and assigned to chromosome 11, but the molecular basis of McArdle's disease is not known. We sequenced complementary DNA in 4 patients and studied genomic DNA by restriction-endonuclease analysis in 40 patients with McArdle's disease.

RESULTS

Sequence analysis revealed three distinct point mutations: the substitution of thymine for cytosine at codon 49 in exon 1, changing an encoded arginine to a stop codon; the substitution of adenine for guanine at codon 204 in exon 5, changing glycine to serine; and the substitution of cytosine for adenine at codon 542 in exon 14, changing lysine to threonine. Analysis of restriction-fragment-length polymorphisms of appropriate fragments of genomic DNA after amplification with the polymerase chain reaction showed that 18 patients were homozygous for the stop-codon mutation, 6 had different mutations in the two alleles (compound heterozygotes), and 11 were presumed to be compound heterozygotes for a known mutation and an unknown one; only 5 patients had none of the three mutations. All three mutations were present in various combinations in five members of a family in which transmission appeared to be autosomal dominant.

CONCLUSIONS

McArdle's disease is genetically heterogeneous, but the most common mutation is the substitution of thymine for cytosine at codon 49. These results suggest that in about 90 percent of patients the diagnosis of McArdle's disease can be made from a patient's leukocytes, thus avoiding the need for muscle biopsy.