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The genetic code is the set of rules used by living cells to translate information encoded within genetic material into proteins. Translation is accomplished by the ribosome, which links proteinogenic amino acids in an order specified by messenger RNA (mRNA), using transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules to carry amino acids and to read the mRNA three nucleotides at a time. The genetic code is highly similar among all organisms and can be expressed in a simple table with 64 entries.
The start codon is the first codon of a messenger RNA (mRNA) transcript translated by a ribosome. The start codon always codes for methionine in eukaryotes and Archaea and a N-formylmethionine (fMet) in bacteria, mitochondria and plastids. The most common start codon is AUG.
petite (ρ–) is a mutant first discovered in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Due to the defect in the respiratory chain, 'petite' yeast are unable to grow on media containing only non-fermentable carbon sources and form small colonies when grown in the presence of fermentable carbon sources. The petite phenotype can be caused by the absence of, or mutations in, mitochondrial DNA, or by mutations in nuclear-encoded genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation. A neutral petite produces all wild type progeny when crossed with wild type.
A yeast expression platform is a strain of yeast used to produce large amounts of proteins, sugars or other compounds for research or industrial uses. While yeast are often more resource-intensive to maintain than bacteria, certain products can only be produced by eukaryotic cells like yeast, necessitating use of a yeast expression platform. Yeasts differ in productivity and with respect to their capabilities to secrete, process and modify proteins. As such, different types of yeast are better suited for different research and industrial applications.
Kluyveromyces lactis is a Kluyveromyces yeast commonly used for genetic studies and industrial applications. Its name comes from the ability to assimilate lactose and convert it into lactic acid.
A killer yeast is a yeast, such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which is able to secrete one of a number of toxic proteins which are lethal to susceptible cells. These "killer toxins" are polypeptides that kill sensitive cells of the same or related species, often functioning by creating pores in target cell membranes. These yeast cells are immune to the toxic effects of the protein due to an intrinsic immunity. Killer yeast strains can be a problem in commercial processing because they can kill desirable strains. The killer yeast system was first described in 1963. Study of killer toxins helped to better understand the secretion pathway of yeast, which is similar to those of more complex eukaryotes. It also can be used in treatment of some diseases, mainly those caused by fungi.
The pterobranchia mitochondrial code is a genetic code used by the mitochondrial genome of Rhabdopleura compacta (Pterobranchia). The Pterobranchia are one of the two groups in the Hemichordata which together with the Echinodermata and Chordata form the three major lineages of deuterostomes. AUA translates to isoleucine in Rhabdopleura as it does in the Echinodermata and Enteropneusta while AUA encodes methionine in the Chordata. The assignment of AGG to lysine is not found elsewhere in deuterostome mitochondria but it occurs in some taxa of Arthropoda. This code shares with many other mitochondrial codes the reassignment of the UGA STOP to tryptophan, and AGG and AGA to an amino acid other than arginine. The initiation codons in Rhabdopleura compacta are ATG and GTG.
Fred Sherman was an American scientist who pioneered the use of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a model for studying the genetics, molecular biology, and biochemistry of eukaryotic cells. His research encompassed broad areas of yeast biology including gene expression, protein synthesis, messenger RNA processing, bioenergetics, and mechanisms of mutagenesis. He also contributed extensively to the genetics of the opportunistic pathogen Candida albicans.
The mold, protozoan, and coelenterate mitochondrial code and the mycoplasma/spiroplasma code is the genetic code used by various organisms, in some cases with slight variations, notably the use of UGA as a tryptophan codon rather than a stop codon.
The invertebrate mitochondrial code is a genetic code used by the mitochondrial genome of invertebrates.
The echinoderm and flatworm mitochondrial code is a genetic code used by the mitochondria of certain echinoderm and flatworm species.
The alternative yeast nuclear code is a genetic code found in certain yeasts. However, other yeast, including Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Candida azyma, Candida diversa, Candida magnoliae, Candida rugopelliculosa, Yarrowia lipolytica, and Zygoascus hellenicus, definitely use the standard (nuclear) code.
The ascidian mitochondrial code is a genetic code found in the mitochondria of Ascidia.
The alternative flatworm mitochondrial code is a genetic code found in the mitochondria of Platyhelminthes and Nematodes.
The chlorophycean mitochondrial code is a genetic code found in the mitochondria of Chlorophyceae.
The trematode mitochondrial code is a genetic code found in the mitochondria of Trematoda.
The Thraustochytrium mitochondrial code is a genetic code found in the mitochondria of labyrinthulid Thraustochytrium aureum. The mitochondrial genome was sequenced by the Organelle Genome Megasequencing Program.
The pachysolen tannophilus nuclear code is a genetic code found in the ascomycete fungus Pachysolen tannophilus.
The Cephalodiscidae mitochondrial code is a genetic code used by the mitochondrial genome of Cephalodiscidae (Pterobranchia). The Pterobranchia are one of the two groups in the Hemichordata which together with the Echinodermata and Chordata form the major clades of deuterostomes.
Bernard Dujon is a French geneticist, born on August 8, 1947 in Meudon (Hauts-de-Seine). He is Professor Emeritus at Sorbonne University and the Institut Pasteur since 2015. He is a member of the French Academy of sciences.
References
This article incorporates text from the United States National Library of Medicine, which is in the public domain. [3]
- ↑ Clark-Walker, G. D.; Weiller, G. F. (1994). "The structure of the small mitochondrial DNA of Kluyveromyces thermotolerans is likely to reflect the ancestral gene order in fungi". Journal of Molecular Evolution. 38 (6): 593–601. Bibcode:1994JMolE..38..593C. doi:10.1007/bf00175879. PMID 8083884. S2CID 10510397.
- ↑ Susan G. Bonitz, Roberta Berlani, Gloria Coruzzi, May Li, Giuseppe Macino, Francisco G. Nobrega, Marina P. Nobrega, Arbara E. Thalenfeld and Alexander Tzagoloff (June 1980). "Codon recognition rules in yeast mitochondria" (PDF). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 77 (6): 3167–3170. Bibcode:1980PNAS...77.3167B. doi: 10.1073/pnas.77.6.3167 . PMC 349575 . PMID 6997870.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ Elzanowski A, Ostell J, Leipe D, Soussov V. "The Genetic Codes". Taxonomy browser. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 30 April 2015.