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Trans-acting RNA inhibits tRNA suppressor activity in vivo

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 August 2002

DOMENICA GANDINI ATTARDI
Affiliation:
Istituto di Biologia Cellulare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Campus “A. Buzzati-Traverso,” 00016 Monterotondo Scalo (RM), Italy
GLAUCO P. TOCCHINI-VALENTINI
Affiliation:
Istituto di Biologia Cellulare, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Campus “A. Buzzati-Traverso,” 00016 Monterotondo Scalo (RM), Italy
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Abstract

We constructed two aptamers, each of which contains a 7-nt-long loop complementary to the anticodon loop of a suppressor tRNA. One of these aptamers can form a stable bimolecular complex with the suppressor tRNA in vitro and protects the 7 nt in the suppressor's anticodon loop from RNase S1. An Escherichia coli strain, carrying an amber mutation in the lac Z gene, produces β-galactosidase only if the suppressor is present; the aptamer's coexpression in the cell inhibits the activity of the suppressor tRNA. Moreover, in E. coli extract, the aptamer partially inhibits the read-through of the stop codon on the part of the suppressor tRNA. These results point to a novel strategy that need not be limited to the suppressor tRNA. By constructing appropriate inducible aptamers, it may well be possible to effectively control translation in vivo.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
2002 RNA Society

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