The Definition of Open Reading Frame Revisited

Patricia Sieber; Matthias Platzer; Stefan Schuster

doi:10.1016/j.tig.2017.12.009

The Definition of Open Reading Frame Revisited

Trends Genet. 2018 Mar;34(3):167-170. doi: 10.1016/j.tig.2017.12.009. Epub 2018 Jan 30.

Authors

Patricia Sieber¹, Matthias Platzer², Stefan Schuster³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Bioinformatics, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Ernst-Abbe-Platz 2, 07743 Jena, Germany.
² Leibniz Institute on Aging - Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI), Beutenbergstraße 11, 07745 Jena, Germany.
³ Department of Bioinformatics, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Ernst-Abbe-Platz 2, 07743 Jena, Germany. Electronic address: stefan.schu@uni-jena.de.

PMID: 29366605
DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2017.12.009

Abstract

The term open reading frame (ORF) is of central importance to gene finding. Surprisingly, at least three definitions are in use. We discuss several molecular biological and bioinformatics aspects, and we recommend using the definition in which an ORF is bounded by stop codons.

Keywords: definition; gene finding; open reading frame; stop codon.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

5' Untranslated Regions / genetics*
Codon, Initiator / genetics*
Codon, Terminator / genetics*
Computational Biology / methods
DNA / genetics
Eukaryotic Cells / metabolism
Exons / genetics
Open Reading Frames / genetics*
Prokaryotic Cells / metabolism

Substances

5' Untranslated Regions
Codon, Initiator
Codon, Terminator
DNA