LACK OF PEPTIDE-RELEASE ACTIVITY RESPONDING TO CODON UGA IN MYCOPLASMA-CAPRICOLUM

In Mycoplasma capricolum, a relative of Gram-positive eubacteria with a high genomic AT-content (75%), codon UGA is assigned to tryptophan instead of termination signal. Thus, in this bacterium the release factor 2 (RF-2), that recognizes UAA and UGA termination codons in eubacteria such as Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, would be either specific to UAA or deleted. To test this, we have constructed a cell-free translation system using synthetic mRNA including codon UAA [mRNA(UAA)], UAG [mRNA(UAG)] and UGA [mRNA(UGA)] in-frame. In the absence of tryptophan, the translation of mRNA(UGA) ceased at UGA sites without appreciable release of the synthesized peptides from the ribosomes, whereas with mRNA(UAA) or mRNA(UAG) the bulk of the peptides was released. Upon addition of the Ecoli S-100 fraction or B.subtilis S-100 fraction to the translation system, the synthesized peptides with mRNA(UGA) were almost completely released from the ribosomes, presumably because of the presence of RF-2 active to UGA in the added S-100 fraction. These data suggest that RF-2 is deleted or its activity to UGA is strongly weakened in M.capricolum.