Ribosome rescue activity of an Arabidopsis thaliana ArfB homolog

• Published in: Genes & Genetic Systems Vol. 95; no. 3; pp. 119 - 131
• Main Authors: Nagao, Michiaki, Tsuchiya, Fumina, Motohashi, Reiko, Abo, Tatsuhiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan The Genetics Society of Japan 01-06-2020; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: ADP-Ribosylation Factors - chemistry; ADP-Ribosylation Factors - genetics; ADP-Ribosylation Factors - metabolism; Arabidopsis; Arabidopsis Proteins - chemistry; Arabidopsis Proteins - genetics; Arabidopsis Proteins - metabolism; Arabidopsis thaliana; ArfB; Bacteria; chloroplast; Chloroplasts; Chloroplasts - metabolism; Protein Domains; Protein Sorting Signals; Protein Transport; ribosome rescue; Ribosomes - metabolism; Termination factors; Tobacco; translation; Arabidopsis thaliana; translation; ArfB; chloroplast; ribosome rescue
• ISSN: 1341-7568; 1880-5779
• DOI: 10.1266/ggs.20-00007

A homolog of the bacterial ribosome rescue factor ArfB was identified in Arabidopsis thaliana. The factor, named AtArfB for Arabidopsis thaliana ArfB, showed ribosome rescue activity in both in vivo and in vitro assays based on the bacterial translation system. As has been shown for ArfB, the ribosome rescue activity of AtArfB was dependent on the GGQ motif, the crucial motif for the function of class I release factors and ArfB. The C-terminal region of AtArfB was also important for its function. The N-terminal region of AtArfB, which is absent in bacterial ArfB, functioned as a transit peptide for chloroplast targeting in tobacco cells. These results strongly suggest that AtArfB is a ribosome rescue factor that functions in chloroplasts.