On programmed ribosomal frameshifting: the alternative proteomes
- MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, Translational Research Resource Centre, University College London, London, UK
Frameshifting results from two main mechanisms: genomic insertions or deletions (indels) or programmed ribosomal frameshifting. Whereas indels can disrupt normal protein function, programmed ribosomal frameshifting can result in dual-coding genes, each of which can produce multiple functional products. Here, I summarize technical advances that have made it possible to identify programmed ribosomal frameshifting events in a systematic way. The results of these studies suggest that such frameshifting occurs in all genomes, and I will discuss methods that could help characterize the resulting alternative proteomes.
Keywords: frameshift, genomic, proteomic, screen, systems biology, high-throughput
Citation: Ketteler R (2012) On programmed ribosomal frameshifting: the alternative proteomes. Front. Gene. 3:242. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2012.00242
Received: 06 September 2012; Paper pending published: 01 October 2012;
Accepted: 21 October 2012; Published online: 19 November 2012.
Copyright © 2012 Ketteler. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in other forums, provided the original authors and source are credited and subject to any copyright notices concerning any third-party graphics etc.
*Correspondence: Robin Ketteler, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology, Translational Research Resource Centre, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK. e-mail: r.ketteler@ucl.ac.uk