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Determining Whether The Nature Of The Amino Acid Substitution Or The Extent Of Mistranslation Affects The Impact Of Mistranslating Trnas In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae., Yanrui Zhu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Mistranslation occurs when an mRNA sequence is improperly decoded. Mistranslation can destabilize the proteome thus having a detrimental impact on the cell. tRNA variants with altered charging or decoding capabilities can increase mistranslation. Four mistranslating tRNAs were evaluated in yeast cells for their effect on growth, heat shock response, genetic interactions and cell morphology. Three of the tRNAs mistranslate at similar frequency, allowing for direct comparison of different amino acid substitutions. Each variant had distinct phenotypic consequences. Two of the tRNAs cause the same type of amino acid substitution but to different extents. The tRNA with the higher mistranslation frequency …