Evolution of the genetic code in yeasts

• Type: Another Publication in an International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2006

Authors

miranda, im (Author) Other; Raquel M Silva (Author) Other; Santos, MAS (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Yeast

Vol. 23

Pages: 203-213

ISSN: 0749-503X

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 54 Citations

Scopus - 56 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-004-NM6

DOI: 10.1002/yea.1350

Abstract (EN): During the last 30 years, a number of genetic code alterations have been uncovered in bacteria and in the mitochondria and cytoplasm of various eukaryotes, invalidating the hypothesis that the genetic code is universal and frozen. In the mitochondria of most yeasts, the UGA stop codon is decoded as tryptophan and the four leucine codons of the CUN family (N = any nucleotide) are decoded as threonine. Recently, a unique genetic code change involving the decoding of the leucine CUG codon as serine was discovered in the cytoplasm of Candida and Debaryomyces species, indicating that the genetic code of yeasts may be under specific evolutionary pressures whose molecular nature is not yet fully understood. This genetic code alteration is mediated by a novel serine-tRNA that acquired a leucine 5'-CAG-3' anticodon (ser-tRNA(CAG)) through insertion of an adenosine in the intron of its gene. This event, which occurred 272 25 million years ago, reprogrammed the identity of approximately 30 000 CUG codons existent in the ancestor of these yeasts and had a profound impact on the evolution of the genus Candida and of other species. Here, we review the most recent results and concepts arising from the study of this genetic code change and highlight how its study is changing our views of the evolution of the genetic code. Copyright (C) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 11