Translation elongation factor 2 depletion by siRNA in mouse liver leads to mTOR-independent translational upregulation of ribosomal protein genes.

Due to breakthroughs in RNAi and genome editing methods in the past decade, it is now easier than ever to study fine details of protein synthesis in animal models. However, most of our understanding of translation comes from unicellular organisms and cultured mammalian cells. In this study, we demonstrate the feasibility of perturbing protein synthesis in a mouse liver by targeting translation elongation factor 2 (eEF2) with RNAi.

A novel uORF-based regulatory mechanism controls translation of the human MDM2 and eIF2D mRNAs during stress.

Short upstream open reading frames (uORFs) are the most prevalent cis-acting regulatory elements in the mammalian transcriptome which can orchestrate mRNA translation. Apart from being "passive roadblocks" that decrease expression of the main coding regions, particular uORFs can serve as specific sensors for changing conditions, thus regulating translation in response to cell stress. Here we report a novel uORF-based regulatory mechanism that is employed under conditions of hyperosmotic stress by at least two human mRNAs, coding for translation reinitiation/recycling factor eIF2D and E3 ubiquitin ligase MDM2.

Negative-sense virion RNA of segment 8 (NS) of influenza a virus is able to translate in vitro a new viral protein.

It was shown that full-length virion RNA of segment 8 of influenza virus A/Aichi/2/68 (H3N2) can initiate the synthesis of two major polypeptides with molecular weights of 23 and 13 kD and a minor polypeptide with a molecular weight of 19 kDa, which specifically reacted with the antibodies to the 30-membered peptide of the central part of the NSP protein of influenza A virus. Thus, the genomic-polarity RNA of segment 8 of influenza virus A has a translational template function. These data provide further confirmation of the concept of the bipolar (ambisens) strategy of functioning of the influenza A virus genome.

Late Diagnosis of POMC Deficiency and In Vitro Evidence of Residual Translation From Allele With c.-11C>A Mutation.

Context: Loss-of-function mutations in the POMC gene are associated with a syndrome with the characteristics of adrenal insufficiency, obesity, and red hair. We describe here a case of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) deficiency in which adrenal insufficiency was not treated until the fourth year of life. One of the disease-causative POMC mutations was characterized in vitro using a unique approach.

Four translation initiation pathways employed by the leaderless mRNA in eukaryotes.

mRNAs lacking 5' untranslated regions (leaderless mRNAs) are molecular relics of an ancient translation initiation pathway. Nevertheless, they still represent a significant portion of transcriptome in some taxons, including a number of eukaryotic species. In bacteria and archaea, the leaderless mRNAs can bind non-dissociated 70 S ribosomes and initiate translation without protein initiation factors involved.