Abstract
Codon nonsense mutations include amber, ochre, or opal mutations according to termination codon consisting of three types (TAG, TAA and TGA). Codon nonsense mutations are also divided into natural and artificial mutations. We discussed the interaction of codon nonsense mutations and suppressor tRNAs in vitro and in vivo. Nonsense suppressions do not only happen in prokaryotes but also in eukaryotes. Meanwhile, the misreading of termination codon and in-corporation of nonnatural amino acids into proteins are also introduced.
Highlights
Nonsense suppressors are alleles of tRNA genes altered in the anticodon, leading to insertion of an amino acid in response to a termination codon
When RNA isolated from the Drosophila melanogaster alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) negative mutant CyOnB was translated “in vitro” in the presence of yeast opal suppressor tRNA, a wild type size ADH protein was produced in addition to the mutant gene product
A nonsense mutation (UAG) in the thymidine kinase gene of herpes simplex virus type 1 can be suppressed in vivo to produce active thymidine kinase by prior infection with a defective simian virus 40 stock which acts as a vector to introduce a functional suppressor tRNA gene into mammalian cells in culture
Summary
Nonsense suppressors are alleles of tRNA genes altered in the anticodon, leading to insertion of an amino acid in response to a termination codon. Nonsense suppressors include three kinds of amber, ochre or opal suppressor [1,2] These suppressors have become important tools in bacterial genetics as well as in the study of recognition of tRNA by aminoacyl tRNA synthetase [3,4]. By this method, a number of genes containing amber, ochre, or opal mutations (resulting in UAG, UAA, or UGA chain-terminating codons, respectively) are expressed in mutant strains that synthesize suppressor tRNA capable of increasing an amino acid in response to the nonsense mutation [5,6]. This paper introduces the utilization of nonsense suppressors in vitro and in vivo (bacteria, yeast, zooblast, plant cell) and discuss the relationship of nonsense suppressors and genetic diseases
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