This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Tormay, P Articles by Böck, A Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Tormay, P Articles by Böck, A

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J Bacteriol. 1994 March; 176(5): 1268-1274

research-article

Genes coding for the selenocysteine-inserting tRNA species from Desulfomicrobium baculatum and Clostridium thermoaceticum: structural and evolutionary implications.

Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie, Universität München, Germany.

ABSTRACT

The genes (selC) coding for the selenocysteine-inserting tRNA species (tRNA(Sec)) from Clostridium thermoaceticum and Desulfomicrobium baculatum were cloned and sequenced. Although they differ in numerous positions from the sequence of the Escherichia coli selC gene, they were able to complement the selC lesion of an E. coli mutant and to promote selenoprotein formation in the heterologous host. The tRNA(Sec) species from both organisms possess all of the unique primary, secondary, and tertiary structural features exhibited by E. coli tRNA(Sec) (C. Baron, E. Westhof, A. Böck, and R. Giegé, J. Mol. Biol. 231:274-292, 1993). The structural and functional properties of the tRNA(Sec) species from prokaryotes analyzed thus far support the notion that tRNA(Sec) may be an evolutionarily conserved structure whose function in the primordial genetic code was to decode UGA with selenocysteine.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Low, S. C., Harney, J. W., Berry, M. J. (1995). Cloning and Functional Characterization of Human Selenophosphate Synthetase, an Essential Component of Selenoprotein Synthesis. J. Biol. Chem. 270: 21659-21664 [Abstract] [Full Text]