Objective The last step in the transfer of genic information into protein is the release of the nascent polypeptide chain from the ribosome: the termination of translation. In the overall process of protein synthesis, translation termination is much less well understood than the initiation and elongation steps and several important issues in this process remain obscure. The aim of this project is to focus on three of these unresolved problems. Firstly, although for prokaryotes three release factors (RFs) have been identified and sequenced, nothing was known about the structure of eukaryotic RF (eRF) - it was thought, though not proven, to be a single protein. An attempt to clone this factor some years ago failed. Recently a protein family from eukaryotes possessing RF activity has been identified. The project will therfore: compare the structure of the identified eRF1 with bacterial RFs to search for potential structural and functional similarities, and significant differences; evaluate the role of GTP in eRF1 activity; and search for other putative RF(s) in eukaryotes. Secondly, termination of translation depends on the context of the termination codons. However, the molecular mechanism of this context influence is not clear. The project will study context effects by various experimental means combined with computer analysis of databanks. New assays for eukaryotic termination will also be developed. Finally, the project will also try to unravel the hitherto unknown sequence of reactions in prokaryotic termination, comprising the release of polypeptide from peptidyl-tRNA and the release of the ribosome from mRNA, promoted by the three polypeptide RFs and the ribosome release factor (RRF). Programme(s) IC-INTAS - International Association for the promotion of cooperation with scientists from the independent states of the former Soviet Union (INTAS), 1993- Topic(s) 44 - Biotechnology Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme Data not available Coordinator Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique EU contribution No data Address Rue Pierre et Marie Curie 13 75005 Paris France See on map Total cost No data Participants (7) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all Aarhus Universitet Denmark EU contribution No data Address 8000 Aarhus See on map Total cost No data Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique France EU contribution No data Address 75251 Paris See on map Total cost No data Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique France EU contribution No data Address 35042 Rennes See on map Total cost No data Institute of Experimental Cardiology Russia EU contribution No data Address 121552 Moscow See on map Total cost No data Max-Planck Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Wissenschaften e.V. Germany EU contribution No data Address 14195 Berlin See on map Total cost No data Russian Academy of Sciences Russia EU contribution No data Address 117984 Moscow See on map Total cost No data Russian Academy of Sciences Russia EU contribution No data Address 142292 Pushchino, Moscow Region See on map Total cost No data
