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An open reading frame (ORF) is a reading frame that has the potential to be transcribed into RNA and translated into protein. It requires a continuous sequence of DNA which may include a start codon, through a subsequent region which has a length that is a multiple of 3 nucleotides, to a stop codon in the same reading frame.
Since DNA is interpreted in groups of three nucleotides (codons), a DNA strand has three distinct reading frames. [15] The double helix of a DNA molecule has two anti-parallel strands; with the two strands having three reading frames each, there are six possible frame translations. [15] Example of a six-frame translation.
When DNA is double-stranded, six possible reading frames are defined, three in the forward orientation on one strand and three reverse on the opposite strand. [32]: 330 Protein-coding frames are defined by a start codon, usually the first AUG (ATG) codon in the RNA (DNA) sequence. In eukaryotes, ORFs in exons are often interrupted by introns.
Genes contain an open reading frame that can be transcribed, and regulatory sequences such as promoters and enhancers, which control transcription of the open reading frame. In many species , only a small fraction of the total sequence of the genome encodes protein.
This is known as the standard reading frame. However, in cases of frame shift mutations, an extra nucleotide (or more) is inserted into the DNA sequence, disrupting the typical reading frame and causing a shift in the sequence. This insertion prompts a shift in the reading frame due to the triplet nature of the genetic code.
Slippery sequences can potentially make the reading ribosome "slip" and skip a number of nucleotides (usually only 1) and read a completely different frame thereafter. In programmed −1 ribosomal frameshifting, the slippery sequence fits a X_XXY_YYH motif, where XXX is any three identical nucleotides (though some exceptions occur), YYY ...
Out-of-phase overlaps occurs when the shared sequences use different reading frames. This can occur in "phase 1" or "phase 2", depending on whether the reading frames are offset by 1 or 2 nucleotides. Because a codon is three nucleotides long, an offset of three nucleotides is an in-phase, phase 0 frame.
Another form of translational regulation in eukaryotes comes from unique elements on the 5′ UTR called upstream open reading frames (uORF). These elements are fairly common, occurring in 35–49% of all human genes. [17] A uORF is a coding sequence located in the 5′ UTR located upstream of the coding sequences initiation site.