Understanding Processes that Regulate the Translation of Messenger RNA into Protein

Three dimensional rendering of translation. Orange messenger RNA is translated by a purple ribosome into red protein.

Translation refers to the building of proteins from instructions carried by messenger RNAs (mRNAs). This process is highly regulated, as the initiation of mRNA translation also serves as a checkpoint for gene expression.

In a study from the Lorsch Lab, researchers developed a new tool, called Rec-Seq, that enables scientists to study translation initiation on all the mRNAs from a cell at once.
Rec-Seq is a deep sequencing-based approach that allows simultaneous monitoring of the formation of the ribosomal 48S preinitiation complex (PIC) on every mRNA in the “translatome” (i.e., the collection of all mRNAs that are being actively translated) in an in vitro reconstituted system.
This study is among the first to use a reconstituted translation system to study competition among mRNAs for the initiation machinery.
The authors provide evidence that the helicase Ded1 is required for efficient initiation of highly structured mRNAs whereas another helicase, eIF4A, is required for initiation on all mRNAs.
The study team also validated observations from their in vitro reconstituted system by replicating their findings by studying Ded1 mutants in an in vivo yeast system.

Reference

Zhou F, Bocetti JM, Hou M, Qin D, Hinnebusch AG, and Lorsch JR.
Transcriptome-wide analysis of the function of Ded1 in translation preinitiation complex assembly in a reconstituted in vitro system eLife DOI: 10.7554/eLife.93255 (2024)

Learn more about the Cell Regulation and Development Affinity Group: https://www.nichd.nih.gov/about/org/dir/affinity-groups/CRD.