Ribosome bypassing at serine codons as a test of the model of selective transfer RNA charging

Recently, a model of the flux of amino acids through transfer RNAs (tRNAs) and into protein has been developed. The model predicts that the charging level of different isoacceptors carrying the same amino acid respond very differently to variation in supply of the amino acid or of the rate of charging. It has also been shown that ribosome bypassing is specifically stimulated at ‘hungry’ codons calling for an aminoacyl-tRNA in short supply. We have constructed two reporters of bypassing, which differ only in the identity of the serine codon subjected to starvation. The stimulation of bypassing as a function of starvation differed greatly between the two serine codons, in good agreement with the quantitative predictions of the model.