Altered tRNA dynamics during translocation on slippery mRNA as determinant of spontaneous ribosome frameshifting

Abstract

Slippery sequences in mRNA can cause the ribosome to change its reading frame. Using smFRET, Poulis et al. show how reversible fluctuations of peptidyl-tRNA slow down translocation, alter ribosome dynamics, and favor spontaneous ribosome frameshifting.