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Protein-directed ribosomal frameshifting temporally regulates gene expression

Published version
Peer-reviewed

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Authors

Ling, R 
Finch, LK 
Jones, JD 
Bell, S 

Abstract

Programmed −1 ribosomal frameshifting is a mechanism of gene expression, whereby specific signals within messenger RNAs direct a proportion of translating ribosomes to shift −1 nt and continue translating in the new reading frame. Such frameshifting normally occurs at a set ratio and is utilized in the expression of many viral genes and a number of cellular genes. An open question is whether proteins might function as trans-acting switches to turn frameshifting on or off in response to cellular conditions. Here we show that frameshifting in a model RNA virus, encephalomyocarditis virus, is trans-activated by viral protein 2A. As a result, the frameshifting efficiency increases from 0 to 70% (one of the highest known in a mammalian system) over the course of infection, temporally regulating the expression levels of the viral structural and enzymatic proteins.

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Keywords

Animals, Cell Line, Encephalomyocarditis virus, Frameshifting, Ribosomal, Gene Expression Regulation, Viral, Inverted Repeat Sequences, Mesocricetus, Nucleic Acid Conformation, Open Reading Frames, Protein Biosynthesis, RNA, Messenger, RNA, Viral, Ribosomes, Viral Proteins

Journal Title

Nature Communications

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2041-1723
2041-1723

Volume Title

8

Publisher

Nature Publishing Group
Sponsorship
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/L000334/1)
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/J007072/1)
Medical Research Council (MR/M011747/1)
European Research Council (646891)
Wellcome Trust (088789/Z/09/Z)
Wellcome Trust (106207/Z/14/Z)
Wellcome Trust (202797/Z/16/Z)
This work was supported by Wellcome Trust grants (088789) and (106207), UK Biotechnology and Biological Research Council (BBSRC) grant (BB/J007072/1) and a European Research Council (ERC) European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme grant (646891) to A.E.F.; by BBSRC grant (BB/L000334/1) and UK Medical Research Council grant (MR/M011747/1) to I.B.; by a BBSRC PhD studentship to L.K.F.; and by a Wellcome Trust PhD scholarship to J.D.J.