# Mechanisms of Non-Shine-Dalgarno Translation Initiation

> **NIH NIH R35** · WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $369,922

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The foundational mechanism of translation initiation was discovered in E. coli over 40 years
ago. Despite the textbook perception that this mechanism is ubiquitous among all bacteria, E.
coli is actually highly adapted to utilize Shine-Dalgarno sequences for translation initiation.
Examination of genomic data across species reveals that fewer than half of all bacterial
messages have Shine-Dalgarno sequences to position ribosomes at the initiation codon.
Indeed, many pathogenic bacteria lack Shine-Dalgarno sites in most messages and the
molecular mechanisms of start codon selection are largely unknown in these species.
C. crescentus is currently the best model system to study non-Shine-Dalgarno translation
initiation as it has a rapid doubling time, a broad array of genetic tools, and a low fraction of
genes initiated at Shine-Dalgarno sites (23.5%), including 375 leaderless mRNAs containing a
5’ AUG. By combining in vitro translation assays and in vivo ribosome profiling experiments we
seek to define the important aspects of non-Shine-Dalgarno initiation in this organism. We
believe that many of the characteristics of C. crescentus translation initiation will be shared with
the translation initiation pathways of pathogenic organisms, potentially leading to the
identification of new antibiotic targets.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9986777
- **Project number:** 5R35GM124733-04
- **Recipient organization:** WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Jared Michael Schrader
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $369,922
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-08-15 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9986777

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9986777, Mechanisms of Non-Shine-Dalgarno Translation Initiation (5R35GM124733-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9986777. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*