Lysis gene expression of RNA phage MS2 depends on a frameshift during translation of the overlapping coat protein gene

Abstract
Translation of the lysis cistron of MS2 RNA requires a frameshift of ribosomes reading the upstream coat protein mRNA. The out-of-phase fraction of ribosomes terminates at either 1 of 2 nonsense codons just preceding the lysis cistron. Termination is followed by initiation at the start codon of the lysis protein message.