Frontiers in Genetics (Jan 2019)

Codon-Specific Translation by m1G37 Methylation of tRNA

  • Ya-Ming Hou,
  • Isao Masuda,
  • Howard Gamper

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2018.00713
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9

Abstract

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Although the genetic code is degenerate, synonymous codons for the same amino acid are not translated equally. Codon-specific translation is important for controlling gene expression and determining the proteome of a cell. At the molecular level, codon-specific translation is regulated by post-transcriptional epigenetic modifications of tRNA primarily at the wobble position 34 and at position 37 on the 3′-side of the anticodon. Modifications at these positions determine the quality of codon-anticodon pairing and the speed of translation on the ribosome. Different modifications operate in distinct mechanisms of codon-specific translation, generating a diversity of regulation that is previously unanticipated. Here we summarize recent work that demonstrates codon-specific translation mediated by the m1G37 methylation of tRNA at CCC and CCU codons for proline, an amino acid that has unique features in translation.

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