The alternative flatworm mitochondrial code

The alternative flatworm mitochondrial code (translation table 14) is a genetic code found in the mitochondria of Platyhelminthes and Nematoda.

Code

   AAs = FFLLSSSSYYY*CCWWLLLLPPPPHHQQRRRRIIIMTTTTNNNKSSSSVVVVAAAADDEEGGGG

Starts = -----------------------------------M----------------------------

 Base1 = TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

 Base2 = TTTTCCCCAAAAGGGGTTTTCCCCAAAAGGGGTTTTCCCCAAAAGGGGTTTTCCCCAAAAGGGG

 Base3 = TCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAGTCAG

Bases: adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G) and thymine (T) or uracil (U).

Amino acids: Alanine (Ala, A), Arginine (Arg, R), Asparagine (Asn, N), Aspartic acid (Asp, D), Cysteine (Cys, C), Glutamic acid (Glu, E), Glutamine (Gln, Q), Glycine (Gly, G), Histidine (His, H), Isoleucine (Ile, I), Leucine (Leu, L), Lysine (Lys, K), Methionine (Met, M), Phenylalanine (Phe, F), Proline (Pro, P), Serine (Ser, S), Threonine (Thr, T), Tryptophan (Trp, W), Tyrosine (Tyr, Y), Valine (Val, V)

Differences from the standard code

Differences from the standard code:

	Code 14	Standard
AAA	Asn	Lys
AGA	Ser	Arg
AGG	Ser	Arg
UAA	Tyr	Ter
UGA	Trp	Ter

Systematic range and comments

Platyhelminthes (flatworms) and Nematoda (roundworms).

Code 14 differs from code 9 (the echinoderm and flatworm mitochondrial code) only by translating UAA to Tyr rather than STOP. A study in 2000^[1] has found no evidence that the codon UAA codes for Tyr in the flatworms but other opinions exist. There are very few GenBank records that are translated with code 14 but a test translation shows that re-translating these records with code 9 can cause premature terminations. More recently, UAA has been found to code for tyrosine in the nematodes Radopholus similis^[2] and Radopholus arabocoffeae.^[3]

See also

• List of genetic codes

References

• This article contains public domain text from the NCBI page compiled by Andrzej (Anjay) Elzanowski and Jim Ostell.^[4]

1. Telford MJ, Herniou EA, Russell RB, Littlewood DT. (October 2000). "Changes in mitochondrial genetic codes as phylogenetic characters: two examples from the flatworms.". Proceedings National Academy of Sciences USA. 10. 97 (21): 11359–64. doi:10.1073/pnas.97.21.11359. PMC 17205. PMID 11027335.
2. Joachim EM Jacob, Bartel Vanholme, Thomas Van Leeuwen and Godelieve Gheysen (2009). "A unique genetic code change in the mitochondrial genome of the parasitic nematode Radopholus similis". PMC 2761399.
3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?name=Radopholus+arabocoffeae
4. The Genetic Codes

External links