Recognition of translational termination signals

Evolutionary conservation of reactions in translation

Current X-ray diffraction and cryoelectron microscopic data of ribosomes of eubacteria have shed considerable light on the molecular mechanisms of translation. Structural studies of the protein factors that activate ribosomes also point to many common features in the primary sequence and tertiary structure of these proteins. The reconstitution of the complex apparatus of translation has also revealed new information important to the mechanisms. Surprisingly, the latter approach has uncovered a number of proteins whose sequence and/or structure and function are conserved in all cells, indicating that the mechanisms are indeed conserved. The possible mechanisms of a new initiation factor and two elongation factors are discussed in this context.

Ribosomal binding site of release factors RF1 and RF2. A new translational termination assay in vitro

We have established a new in vitro assay for translational termination. It consists of 70 S ribosomes bound to a synthetic RNA minimessenger via interaction with P-site binding fMet-tRNAfMet. If the A-site codon is a stop signal, release activity can be measured by quantifying hydrolyzed formylmethionine. Characteristics of this assay in terms of reaction time, ion concentration, release factor RF1 and RF2 concentration, and competition with A-site-decoding tRNA are discussed. The new assay shows that polypeptide chain release activity is directly dependent on the presence of a stop codon in the ribosomal A-site.

Alternative patterns of his operon transcription and mRNA processing generated by metabolic perturbation

Previous studies have shown that the expression of the his operon of Salmonella typhimurium is regulated at the level of transcription initiation, transcription elongation and RNA processing. We have analyzed his RNA in both prototrophic strains or strains harboring regulatory and auxotrophic mutations grown under a variety of metabolic conditions that lead to differential expression of the operon. Under some of these conditions, there is an increase in the amount of prematurely released his-specific RNA, resulting in modulation of the relative amount of full-length transcripts. Under the same metabolic conditions, there is also a modulation of RNA processing events that generate a very stable RNA species comprising the five distal cistrons. These effects appear to be due to perturbation of the translation process caused by alterations in the intracellular pool of initiator transfer RNA.

Localization and characterization of the gene encoding release factor RF3 in Escherichia coli

Two protein release factors (RFs) showing codon specificity, RF1 and RF2, are known to be required for polypeptide chain termination in Escherichia coli. A third protein component has also been described that stimulates termination in vitro, but it has remained uncertain whether this protein, RF3, participates in termination in vivo or is essential to cell growth. We report (i) the purification and N-terminal sequencing of RF3; (ii) the isolation of transposon insertion mutants similar to miaD, a suppressor of a leaky UAA mutation affecting the gene miaA, leading to enhanced nonsense suppression; (iii) the localization of the affected gene on the physical map of the chromosome; and (iv) the cloning and sequencing of the wild-type gene, providing proof that it encodes the factor RF3. We designate the gene prfC. Two transposon insertions were shown to interrupt the coding sequence of prfC, at codons 287 and 426. The enhanced nonsense suppression in the insertion mutants shows that the product participates in termination in vivo. The isolation of such mutants strongly suggests that the gene product is not essential to cell viability, though cell growth is affected. RF3 is a protein with a molecular weight of 59,460 containing 528 amino acids and displays much similarity to elongation factor EF-G, a GTP binding protein necessary for ribosomal translocation, and other GTP binding proteins known or thought to interact with the ribosome.

Two regions of the Escherichia coli 16S ribosomal RNA are important for decoding stop signals in polypeptide chain termination

Two regions of the 16S rRNA, helix 34, and the aminoacyl site component of the decoding site at the base of helix 44, have been implicated in decoding of translational stop signals during the termination of protein synthesis. Antibiotics specific for these regions have been tested to see how they discriminate the decoding of UAA, UAG, and UGA by the two polypeptide chain release factors (RF-1 and RF-2). Spectinomycin, which interacts with helix 34, stimulated RF-1 dependent binding to the ribosome and termination. It also stimulated UGA dependent RF-2 termination at micromolar concentrations but inhibited UGA dependent RF-2 binding at higher concentrations. Alterations at position C1192 of helix 34, known to confer spectinomycin resistance, reduced the binding of f[3H]Met-tRNA to the peptidyl-tRNA site. They also impaired termination in vitro, with both factors and all three stop codons, although the effect was greater with RF-2 mediated reactions. These alterations had previously been shown to inhibit EF-G mediated translocation. As perturbations in helix 34 effect both termination and elongation reactions, these results indicate that helix 34 is close to the decoding site on the bacterial ribosome. Several antibiotics, hygromycin, neomycin and tetracycline, specific for the aminoacyl site, were shown to inhibit the binding and function of both RFs in termination with all three stop codons in vitro. These studies indicate that decoding of all stop signals is likely to occur at a similar site on the ribosome to the decoding of sense codons, the aminoacyl site, and are consistent with a location for helix 34 near this site.

Use of single-stranded DNA oligonucleotides in programming ribosomes for translation

Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) oligomers were compared to synthetic RNA oligomers in their ability to program E. coli ribosomes in vitro. AUG and dATG-containing oligomers promoted the non-enzymatic binding of fmet-tRNA to ribosomes, with similar dependence on time and magnesium concentration; only at 10 mM Mg++ or at low oligomer concentration was RNA slightly preferred in complex formation. These initiation complexes were biologically active in that fmet-tRNA, bound in response to ssDNA or RNA, was fully reactive with puromycin. While dAUG could not function as an initiation codon, p-dAUG functioned as well as AUG or dATG. However, dUAA and p-dUAA could not replace UAA in directing release-factor (RF) activity, and dTAA functioned only to a slight extent. Release factors had specificity for termination complexes containing dATGTAA, dATGTAG, or dATGTGA. At Mg++ concentrations of 15 mM or higher, these hexamers directed peptidyl transferase-dependent fmet-tRNA hydrolysis in the absence of RF. We suggest this RF-independent activation of peptidyl transferase as a unique system for studying the mechanism of termination. Overall, these results indicate that ssDNA can be used in place of RNA for certain studies of protein synthesis.

Codon recognition in polypeptide chain termination: site directed crosslinking of termination codon to Escherichia coli release factor 2

An RNA synthesized in vitro was positioned on the Escherichia coli ribosome at the P site with tRNAala, and with a termination codon, UAA, as the next codon in the A site. Such a complex bound stoichiometric amounts of release factor 2 (RF-2); a corresponding RNA with UAC in place of UAA was not a template for the factor. An RNA containing 4-thio-UAA in place of the UAA supported binding of RF-2, and this has allowed site-directed crosslinking from the first position of the termination codon to answer two long standing questions about the termination of protein biosynthesis, the position of the termination codon and its proximity to the release factor during codon recognition. An RF-2.mRNA crosslinked product was detected, indicating the release factor and the termination codon are in close physical contact during the codon recognition event of termination. The 4-thio-U crosslinked also to the ribosome but only to the 30S subunit, and the proteins and the rRNA site concerned were identified. RF-2 decreased significantly the crosslinking to the ribosomal components, but no new crosslink sites were found. If the stop codon was deliberately displaced from the decoding site by one codon's length then a different pattern of crosslinking in particular to the rRNA resulted. These observations are consistent with a model of codon recognition by RF-2 at the decoding site, without a major shift in position of the codon.