Ambiguous decoding of the CUG codon alters the functionality of the Candida albicans translation initiation factor 4E
Abstract
The opportunistic human pathogen Candida albicans is the only known eukaryotic organism with the ability to survive defects in mRNA capping, which suggests unique features of its eIF4E protein. Here, we provide the first experimental evidence of the function of the C. albicans putative gene orf19.7626 as an eIF4E protein.
We also show that Ca4ELeu116 and Ca4ESer116 protein variants, both of which occur naturally in C. albicans due to the ambiguous decoding of the CUG116 codon, display different sensitivities to elevated temperature. Our results clearly point to the importance of the S4–H4 loop for the function of the Ca4E translation initiation factor, and suggest the possible regulatory role of the codon-reading ambiguity within this loop in C. albicans.
We proved Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a useful tool organism for studies of C. albicans translation initiation apparatus.