The Biological Role of Sulfur and Selenium in Bacterial Translation

Conference Year

January 2021

Abstract

The process of translation, ribosomes decoding genetic information from mRNA and joining amino acids together using tRNA, is an essential part of protein production in the cell. Under conditions of oxidative stress, the translation process can be altered due to oxidation of sulfur- and selenium-modified uridines located on glutamate, glutamine and lysine tRNAs, leading to impaired ability of the ribosome to make protein. Our hypothesis is that during translation under oxidative stress, the selenium-modified uridine can resist oxidation and retain function much better than the sulfur-modified uridine. This hypothesis will be tested by comparing the ability of E. coli wild type (WT) and mutant E. coli (∆SelU) to translate under either normal conditions or oxidative stress.

Primary Faculty Mentor Name

Robert Hondal

Status

Undergraduate

Student College

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Program/Major

Microbiology and Molecular Genetics

Primary Research Category

Biological Sciences

Abstract only.

Share

COinS
 

The Biological Role of Sulfur and Selenium in Bacterial Translation

The process of translation, ribosomes decoding genetic information from mRNA and joining amino acids together using tRNA, is an essential part of protein production in the cell. Under conditions of oxidative stress, the translation process can be altered due to oxidation of sulfur- and selenium-modified uridines located on glutamate, glutamine and lysine tRNAs, leading to impaired ability of the ribosome to make protein. Our hypothesis is that during translation under oxidative stress, the selenium-modified uridine can resist oxidation and retain function much better than the sulfur-modified uridine. This hypothesis will be tested by comparing the ability of E. coli wild type (WT) and mutant E. coli (∆SelU) to translate under either normal conditions or oxidative stress.