Translational Reinitiation: Reinitiation of lac Repressor Fragments at Three Internal Sites Early in the lac i gene of Escherichia coli

Abstract

Three early amber mutations in the lac i gene have been shown to arise from the codons corresponding to residues 7, 12, and 17 of the lac repressor polypeptide chain. All three mutations allow translational reinitiation at the same two sites, resulting in the synthesis of two lac repressor fragments. The amino-terminal sequences of these fragments show that the first site is the triplet coding for valine residue 23, while the second is the first internal in-phase AUG codon corresponding to residue 42. Translational reinitiation appears to be a common event in E. coli, since there are at least three such sites in the first 70 in-phase codons of the i-gene messenger RNA, and all amber mutants found in this region show translational reinitiation. Only one of these sites involves an AUG codon; the other two involve an in vivo ambiguity of the genetic code, in that the same codon can be translated into two different amino acids depending on whether it is recognized during initiation or elongation of protein biosynthesis. The two non-AUG codons are the codons corresponding to leucine residue 62 and valine residue 23 of the lac repressor.