Biopolym. Cell. 1988; 4(3):133-138.
http://dx.doi.org/10.7124/bc.00021F
Structure and Function of Biopolymers
Comparative study of poly(U) and poly(dT) template activity in cell-free protein synthesizing systems from Escherichia coli and wheat germ
1Potapov A. P., 1Soldatkin K. A., 1Soldatkin A. P., 1El'skaya A. V.
  1. Institute of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR
    Kiev, USSR

Abstract

To study the role of the codon sugar-phosphate backbone in mRNA decoding process we have compared the messenger activity of authentic ribo- and deoxyribopolynucleotides, poly(U) and poly(dT), in bacterial (E. coli) and plant (wheat germ) cell-free protein-synthesizing systems with and without neomycin (aminoglycoside antibiotic). The effect of neomycin significantly depends on the nature of the cell-free system, magnesium ion and antibiotic concentration. The E. coli system is very sensitive to neomycin. In the presence of neomycin the translation of poly(U) is deeply suppressed, while the translation of poly(dT) is greatly stimulated. The eukaryotic system is relatively insensitive to low concentrations of the antibiotic and unable to translate poly(dT). The results obtained indicate that the translation systems are very sensitive to the structure of the messenger sugars and that the system capacity to translate polynucleotide can be transformed only according to the principle В«either ribo- or deoxyribopoly-nucleotide messenger. The transforming agent neomycin does not affect the stage of transpeptidation.
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