© KIMBERLY BATTISTA
STOP AND GO SIGNALS
Certain ciliates use traditional stop codons ambiguously during translation. Sometimes these three-base-long RNA sequences code for an amino acid (green, left), and sometimes induce translation termination (red, right). Researchers propose that at the end of the mRNA coding sequence, the ribosome bumps up against proteins involved in termination—namely, eukaryotic release factors (eRF1 and eRF3) and poly(A) binding proteins (PABP)—thereby indicating that a stop codon means stop.
Read the full story.
Interested in reading more?
The Scientist ARCHIVES
Become a Member of
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!