The T Box Mechanism: TRNA As a Regulatory Molecule

Overview

Journal FEBS Lett

Specialty Biochemistry

Date 2009 Nov 26

PMID 19932103

Citations 87

Authors

Nicholas J Green

Frank J Grundy

Tina M Henkin

Affiliations

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Abstract

The T box mechanism is widely used in Gram-positive bacteria to regulate expression of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase genes and genes involved in amino acid biosynthesis and uptake. Binding of a specific uncharged tRNA to a riboswitch element in the nascent transcript causes a structural change in the transcript that promotes expression of the downstream coding sequence. In most cases, this occurs by stabilization of an antiterminator element that competes with formation of a terminator helix. Specific tRNA recognition by the nascent transcript results in increased expression of genes important for tRNA aminoacylation in response to decreased pools of charged tRNA.

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