Nucleic Acids Research, 1988, Vol. 16, No. 9 4111-4120
© 1988
Articles |
Codon preference reflects mistranslational constraints: a proposal
Monsanto Company 700 Chesterfield Village Pkwy, St Louis, MO 63198, USA
Received December 8, 1987. Revised April 8, 1988. Accepted April 8, 1988.
Following the observation of lysine for arginine misincorporation at the poor choice codon arg-AGA, a comparison of codon usage patterns for highly expressed mRNA's in E. coli provides a basis for the proposal that the major codon preference is subject to mistranslational constraints. In addition, the codons are utilized, as well as arranged, to provide a hydropathically conservative amino acid as the most probable replacement resulting from a mistranslational event.