Deciphering the molecular mechanism of stop codon readthrough

Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2021 Feb;96(1):310-329. doi: 10.1111/brv.12657. Epub 2020 Oct 22.

Abstract

Recognition of the stop codon by the translation machinery is essential to terminating translation at the right position and to synthesizing a protein of the correct size. Under certain conditions, the stop codon can be recognized as a coding codon promoting translation, which then terminates at a later stop codon. This event, called stop codon readthrough, occurs either by error, due to a dedicated regulatory environment leading to generation of different protein isoforms, or through the action of a readthrough compound. This review focuses on the mechanisms of stop codon readthrough, the nucleotide and protein environments that facilitate or inhibit it, and the therapeutic interest of stop codon readthrough in the treatment of genetic diseases caused by nonsense mutations.

Keywords: mechanism; molecules; premature termination codon; readthrough activators; screening; stop codon readthrough; translation termination.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Codon, Nonsense*
  • Codon, Terminator / genetics
  • Protein Biosynthesis*

Substances

  • Codon, Nonsense
  • Codon, Terminator