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Plastid mRNA Translation

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Chloroplast Biotechnology

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1132))

Abstract

Overall translational machinery in plastids is similar to that of E. coli. Initiation is the crucial step for translation and this step in plastids is somewhat different from that of E. coli. Unlike the Shine-Dalgarno sequence in E. coli, cis-elements for translation initiation are not well conserved in plastid mRNAs. Specific trans-acting factors are generally required for translation initiation and its regulation in plastids. During translation elongation, ribosomes pause sometimes on photosynthesis-related mRNAs due probably to proper insertion of nascent polypeptides into membrane complexes. Codon usage of plastid mRNAs is different from that of E. coli and mammalian cells. Plastid mRNAs do not have the so-called rare codons. Translation efficiencies of several synonymous codons are not always correlated with codon usage in plastid mRNAs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Gene Research, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan

    Masahiro Sugiura

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  1. Masahiro Sugiura
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  1. Rutgers University, Waksman Inst.of Microbiology, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA

    Pal Maliga

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Sugiura, M. (2014). Plastid mRNA Translation. In: Maliga, P. (eds) Chloroplast Biotechnology. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1132. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-995-6_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-995-6_4

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-62703-994-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-62703-995-6

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