Sangam: A Confluence of Knowledge Streams

Alternative translation initiation codons for the plastid maturase MatK: unraveling the pseudogene misconception in the Orchidaceae

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dc.contributor Biological Sciences
dc.creator Barthet, Michelle M.
dc.creator Moukarzel, Keenan
dc.creator Smith, Kayla N.
dc.creator Patel, Jaimin
dc.creator Hilu, Khidir W.
dc.date 2015-09-29T06:02:26Z
dc.date 2015-09-29T06:02:26Z
dc.date 2015-09-29
dc.date 2015-09-29T06:02:26Z
dc.date.accessioned 2023-03-01T18:54:43Z
dc.date.available 2023-03-01T18:54:43Z
dc.identifier BMC Evolutionary Biology. 2015 Sep 29;15(1):210
dc.identifier http://hdl.handle.net/10919/56667
dc.identifier https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-015-0491-1
dc.identifier.uri http://localhost:8080/xmlui/handle/CUHPOERS/281859
dc.description Background The plastid maturase MatK has been implicated as a possible model for the evolutionary “missing link” between prokaryotic and eukaryotic splicing machinery. This evolutionary implication has sparked investigations concerning the function of this unusual maturase. Intron targets of MatK activity suggest that this is an essential enzyme for plastid function. The matK gene, however, is described as a pseudogene in many photosynthetic orchid species due to presence of premature stop codons in translations, and its high rate of nucleotide and amino acid substitution. Results Sequence analysis of the matK gene from orchids identified an out-of-frame alternative AUG initiation codon upstream from the consensus initiation codon used for translation in other angiosperms. We demonstrate translation from the alternative initiation codon generates a conserved MatK reading frame. We confirm that MatK protein is expressed and functions in sample orchids currently described as having a matK pseudogene using immunodetection and reverse-transcription methods. We demonstrate using phylogenetic analysis that this alternative initiation codon emerged de novo within the Orchidaceae, with several reversal events at the basal lineage and deep in orchid history. Conclusion These findings suggest a novel evolutionary shift for expression of matK in the Orchidaceae and support the function of MatK as a group II intron maturase in the plastid genome of land plants including the orchids.
dc.description Published version
dc.format application/pdf
dc.format application/pdf
dc.language en_US
dc.rights Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
dc.rights http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.rights Barthet et al.
dc.title Alternative translation initiation codons for the plastid maturase MatK: unraveling the pseudogene misconception in the Orchidaceae
dc.title BMC Evolutionary Biology
dc.type Article - Refereed
dc.type Text


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