tRNA modifications during decoding
Maria Kompatscher (PhD Student)
During translation 61 different codons need to be translated into a sequence of 21 amino acids. tRNAs are necessary to function as adapters to transform the 4 letter genetic code into a sequence of 21 different amino acids. Remarkably, the number of required tRNAs varies strongly between various organisms. Whereas certain eukaryotes require and express up to 55 different tRNAs, some bacteria only depend on 28. In this project we strive towards a better understanding of how organisms can provide efficient protein synthesis with a reduced number of tRNAs. We want to reveal to what extend modifications or the tRNA sequences contribute to different decoding capabilities.
