Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Print PDF (629K)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (34)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Commercial Re-use Guidelines
for Open Access NAR Content
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Shpaer, E. G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Shpaer, E. G.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Nucleic Acids Research, 1985, Vol. 13, No. 1 275-288
© 1985

Articles

The secondary structure of mRNAs from Escherichia coli: its possible role in increasing the accuracy of translation

Eugene G. Shpaer

Institute of Organic Synthesis, Latvian SSR Academy of Sciences Aizkraukles 21, Riga 226006, USSR

Received September 6, 1984. Revised December 3, 1984. Accepted December 3, 1984.

A secondary structure model was proposed for mRNAs during translation (in a polysome) where the secondary structure is described by a Set of small unbranched hairpins. Computer simulation experiments reveal that the number of hairpins is much greater (P<10–6) in highly expressed mRNAs from E. coli as compared with the random sequences coding for the same amino acid sequence, i.e. certain synonymous codons are used in definite mRNA positions to increase the number of hairpins. No constraints on the amino acid sequence, which would affect the secondary structure of mRNAs, were found.

The codons UGU, UGC (Cys), GCC (Ala), ACA, ACG (Thr), CCU, CCC (Pro), etc. translated by minor tRNAs were found to occur significantly more frequently in the position 5' to the hairpins than the other codons translated by major tRNAs (P<5·10–6). This correlation leads to the hypothesis that the process of hairpin unfolding can increase the time of translocation from the A to P ribosome site of the codon 5' to the hairpin, thus decreasing the probability of translational error (the latter would likely occur more frequently in the cadons translated by minor tRNAs).


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Genome ResHome page
S. Itzkovitz and U. Alon
The genetic code is nearly optimal for allowing additional information within protein-coding sequences
Genome Res., April 1, 2007; 17(4): 405 - 412.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Genome ResHome page
T. Bollenbach, K. Vetsigian, and R. Kishony
Evolution and multilevel optimization of the genetic code
Genome Res., April 1, 2007; 17(4): 401 - 404.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.