Mutations in the highly conserved GGQ motif of class 1 polypeptide release factors abolish ability of human eRF1 to trigger peptidyl-tRNA hydrolysis.

Although the primary structures of class 1 polypeptide release factors (RF1 and RF2 in prokaryotes, eRF1 in eukaryotes) are known, the molecular basis by which they function in translational termination remains obscure. Because all class 1 RFs promote a stop-codon-dependent and ribosome-dependent hydrolysis of peptidyl-tRNAs, one may anticipate that this common function relies on a common structural motif(s). We have compared amino acid sequences of the available class 1 RFs and found a novel, common, unique, and strictly conserved GGQ motif that should be in a loop (coil) conformation as deduced by programs predicting protein secondary structure. Site-directed mutagenesis of the human eRF1 as a representative of class 1 RFs shows that substitution of both glycyl residues in this motif, G183 and G184, causes complete inactivation of the protein as a release factor toward all three stop codons, whereas two adjacent amino acid residues, G181 and R182, are functionally nonessential. Inactive human eRF1 mutants compete in release assays with wild-type eRF1 and strongly inhibit their release activity. Mutations of the glycyl residues in this motif do not affect another function, the ability of eRF1 together with the ribosome to induce GTPase activity of human eRF3, a class 2 RF. We assume that the novel highly conserved GGQ motif is implicated directly or indirectly in the activity of class 1 RFs in translation termination.

Fine mechanisms of ectromelia virus thymidine kinase-negative mutants avirulence.

Three independently selected spontaneous thymidine kinase-negative mutants (TK-phenotype) and a recombinant with Escherichia coli beta-galactosidase gene (LacZ+ phenotype) inserted in the viral thymidine kinase gene (tk) were derived from a plaque-cloned isolate of K-1 ectromelia virus strain (TK+ phenotype). Dramatically decreased virulence of TK- variants was observed for all routes of mouse inoculation. The kinetics of TK+ and TK- variants in various target organs indicated a significant decrease of production and dissemination of TK- mutants and recombinant in the organs of mice. In the spleen and liver of intranasally or intracerebrally infected mice TK- virus was not detected during the entire period of observation. Analysis of organs homogenates of mice intranasally infected by a mixture of recombinant with TK-LacZ+ phenotype and parental isolate with TK+LacZ- phenotype on the monolayers of TK- cells indicated that only white plaques (LacZ-) with the TK+ phenotype appeared from liver and spleen homogenates. Thus, the mouse acts as a live filter much more efficiently than any other selective systems. Ultrastructural studies showed that viral damage in animals infected by TK- variants was far less than that observed in mice, infected with wild type of ectromelia virus and pathological lessions were slight and reversible. Replication of ectromelia virus TK- variants was blocked at the viroplasma stage in cells with a high level of differentiation in contrast to TK+ variants. Most likely, such restriction of target cells assortment is the general reason of reduced virulence in the case of tk-gene inactivation.