YEAST CELLS MAY USE AUC OR AAG AS INITIATION CODON for PROTEIN SYNTHESIS by OLE OLSEN
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Carlsberg Res. Commun. Vol. 52, p. 83-90, 1987 YEAST CELLS MAY USE AUC OR AAG AS INITIATION CODON FOR PROTEIN SYNTHESIS by OLE OLSEN Department of Physiology, Carlsberg Laboratory, Gamle Cadsbergvej 10, DK-2500 Copenhagen Valby Keywords: Recombinant DNA, translation initiation, secretion A yeast expression plasmid without an ATG codon for initiation of mouse a-amylase protein synthesis directs the synthesis and secretion of active enzyme indistinguishable from both native mouse a-amylase and amylase synthesized from plasmids with normal AT(3 initiation codons. The initiation of amylase synthesis directed by this plasmid is at either an AUC or an AAG codon. In either case the amino acid sequence of the hydrophobic core and peptidase cleaving region of the signal peptide are normal, and the protein translation remains in frame with the structural gene of the mouse a-amylase. 1. INTRODUCTION mal context for initiation was 6NNAUGGA A where Initiation of protein synthesis in eukaryotes is a purine in position -3 (three nucleotides up- catalysed by a relatively large number of specific stream of the AUG initiator codon) is most eukaryotic initation factors (eIFs) bringing highly conserved. about the formation of the 80S initiation com- Until recently it was generally believed that plex composed ofmRNA, an 80S ribosome and eukaryotic ribosomes initiate exclusively at met-tRNAi (l 3). Eukaryotic met-tRNAi differs AUG codons although it had been shown by from its prokaryotic counterpart by being asso- RAJBHANDARYand GHOSH (24) that yeast met- ciated with the 40S pre-initation complex before tRNAi may function with either AUG or GUG binding to mRNA (13). This suggests that the as initiation codon in a cell-free translation cell has a requirement for met-tRNA~ during an system from E. coli. At present, a few examples early step of the initiation process leading to of non-AUG codons for initiation of protein assembly of the 80S complex. The ability of the synthesis are known from eukaryotes. In yeast 40S complex to recognize an AUG initiation cells UUG- and AUA-codons may be used in codon in proper context is probably dependent initiation of protein synthesis (34) but it is on codon-anticodon interaction. Among the emphasized that the start codon must appear in important features (13), the cap structure a proper context. BECERRAet at. (2) have shown (mTG5'pppN) at the 5" end ofeukaryotic mRNA that the methionyl-tRNA dependent initiation is essential for efficient initiation which usually ofadeno-associated virus (AAV) B protein starts occurs at the first AUG triplet downstream from from an ACG codon, and ANDERSON et al. (1) the cap structure. From a survey of published have shown that an ACG codon (replacing the DNA sequences it was concluded that the opti- AUG used in vivo to initiate the synthesis of Abbreviations: ADHI (PR) = alcohol dehydrogenase I (promoter); bp = base pair(s). Springer-Verlag 0105-1938/87/0052]0083/$01.60 O. OLSEN:Non-AUG initiation of translation bacteriophage T7 gene 0,3 protein) may func- yeast cells as follows. Total DNA was prepared tion as initiation codon in a wheat germ cell-free as described by STRUHLet al. (28). After incuba- protein synthesizing system. tion with RNase A, the DNA samples were In the present study a yeast plasmid directing extracted twice with an equal volume of phenol the synthesis and secretion of low amounts of and once with chloroform, precipitated from mouse salivary a-amylase has been sequenced in 70% ethanol, washed, and resuspended in 10 the region flanking the promoter and the cDNA mM-Tris-HCl, 1 mM-EDTA (pH 7.5). This solu- coding for the secreted protein. It was found that tion was used to transform competent E. coli the a-amylase coding region was without an JM83 cells. ATG codon for initiation of translation. This E. coli plasmid DNA was prepared by the example of a heterologous gene in yeast cells method of BmNBOIM and DOLV (3) which for being expressed without an AUG initiation large scale preparations was followed by caesium codon shows that yeast cells may use either AAG chloride equilibrium centrifugation. Purifica- or AUC codons for translation initiation. The tion of specific DNA fragments from low melt- secretion level of a-amylase directed from this ing temperature agarose gels was carried out as plasmid is low compared to plasmids with an described by MANIATlSet al. (16). ATG start codon. However, the pre-a-amylase synthesized from mRNA without an AUG codon is apparently processed and secreted in 2.4. Transformations the same manner as a-amylase initiated from an Transformation ofE. coli with plasmid DNA AUG codon. was performed as described by COHEN et al. (8). Yeast cells were transformed according to the method OfITo et al. (12) using lithium acetate to 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS induce competence. Yeast transformants were 2.1. Strains and media selected on SC medium without tryptophan and E. coil K-12 strain JM101 (17) was used to cells secreting a-amylase were detected on simi- propagate M 13mp phage vectors as described by lar medium supplied with 1% starch (29). MESSING (18). Otherwise the E. coli K-12 strain JM83 (17) was used as host in bacterial cloning experiments as described by VIEIRAand MESS- 2.5. DNA sequence determination ING (30). The Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain The nucleotide sequence of the a-amylase DBY746 (29) was grown in either YPD or SC cDNA gene (9) and its 5' flanking regions was media (22). determined by the dideoxynucleotide chain ter- mination method of SANGER et al. (25, 26) except that the elongation reaction temperature 2.2. Enzymes and chemicals was 55 ~ Radioactive nucleotides were purchased from New England Nuclear. All enzymes as well as deoxy- ~nd dideoxynucleotides were from 2.6. Activity staining of secreted a-amylase Boehringer Mannheim. Yeast cells grown in liquid medium were spun down. The supernatant was concentrated and dialysed in an Amicon ultrafiltration unit. Non- 2.3. Plasmids and DNA purification denaturing electrophoretic separation of the The yeast expression plasmid, pMA56, was concentrated supernatant polypeptides was car- kindly provided by Dr. B.D. HALL,University of fled out in 13% polyacrylamide gels using a Washington, Seattle, USA. pMS 15 was one of Tris-glycine buffer system, pH 8,3 (14). several plasmids constructed by inserting a Amylase activity was visualized by incubating mouse a-amylase cDNA gene behind the ADH! the gels for 2 hours at 37 ~ in a 50 mM-phos- gene promoter of plasmid pMA56 (29). phate buffer (pH 6,9) containing 4% starch and Recombinant plasmids were recovered from 0,08% NaCI (4, 27). After rinsing in water the 84 Carlsberg Res. Commun. Vol. 52, p. 83-90, 1987 O. OLSEN: Non-AUG initiation of translation E A E E directing different levels of a-amylase secretion from yeast (Figure 1). The plasmids were con- structed by inserting Bal31 exonuclease treated a-amylase eDNA in the yeast expression vector B, C E pMA56 using EcoRI linkers (29). Among these plasmids one, pMS 15, gave rise to low level of amylase secretion from yeast. It was chosen for further analysis and the nucle- otide sequence flanking the ADHI gene pro- moter and the a-amylase cDNA was deter- mined. In Figure 2 the nucleotide sequence is shown in comparison with the sequence of the // analagous region from plasmid pMSI2 which directs high level of amylase secretion from yeast cells. While plasmid pMS 12 contains a complete a-amylase coding region the nucleotide se- quence found in pMS15 seems to represent an aberrant cloning event where the a-amylase Figure 1. Physical map of a-amylase expression plas- mids. Mouse salivary a-amylase eDNA is inserted eDNA has been inserted in the vector via an adjacent to the yeast ADHI gene promoter. The plas- EcoRI* site present in position +5 of the coding mid contains a yeast TRP1 gene for selection and the region, i.e. within the second codon. origin of replication from the yeast 2Ix circular plasmid. The sequence specificity of EcoRI* activity is The plasmid also contains most of the E. coli plasmid not quite clear, but the activity may be induced pBR322 including both the ampicillin resistance gene as a result of increased glycerol concentration in and the origin of replication. Cleavage sites for restric- the reaction mixture (6). POLISKY et al. (23) tion enzymes Apa| (A), BamHI (B), ClaI (C) and EcoRI observed EcoRI* activity under conditions of (E) are shown. elevated pH and low ionic strength. They sug- gest that EcoRI* cleaves between the first and second base of the sequence NAATTN thereby generating the same type of 5' protruding ends gels were stained for 5-15 minutes in a 1% I2-KI as normal EcoRI digestion. During the con- solution. Bands with amylase activity appeared struction of the pMS plasmid series a 30 fold as clear regions against a dark background. molar excess of EcoRI linker was used; subse- quently the linkers were digested with EcoRI using standard conditions. Yet it seems that a 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION few EcoRI* sites were cleaved. The generated This report presents results of the analysis of restriction fragments were cloned in the EcoRI an aberrant plasmid among a series of plasmids site of the vector pMA56. ,,, CCAAG~ATACAATCAAG6AATTCC~6~AAGAATACTG~AA~A~CATA~CAAAAT~AAATTCTTCCTGCT(~:TTTCC~' . , pMS12 , , , ~GTTC~TAT~TTAGTTCCTTA'~CCCTTCTTAT~AC~TT~TCGTATC~TTTTACTTTAA~AA66ACGAC~AAA6~'~- , , ,,, CC~AGCATACA~TC~AG G~,ATTCTTC CTGCTGCTTTCCC, , , pMS15 ,,, GGTTCGTATGTTAGTTCCTTA~GAAG~iACGACGAAAGG6.,, Figure 2. Comparison of the nucleotide sequence flanking the promoter and the a-amylase eDNA of plasmids pMS 12 and pMSl 5. Vertical an-rows indicate where the a-amylase eDNA is inserted into the EcoRI site of the yeast expression plasmid pMA56.