Protein's 'silent code' affects how cells move

(University of Pennsylvania) Two forms of the ubiquitous protein actin differ by only four amino acids but are dissimilar in 13% of their nucleotide coding sequences due to silent substitutions. A new study led by the University of Pennsylvania reveals that these supposedly " silent " differences have an impact on how fast actin mRNA gets translated into protein and subsequently on the protein's function in propelling cell movement.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: news