Pum2 and TDP-43 refine area-specific cytoarchitecture post-mitotically and modulate translation of , and mRNAs in developing mouse neocortex.

In the neocortex, functionally distinct areas process specific types of information. Area identity is established by morphogens and transcriptional master regulators, but downstream mechanisms driving area-specific neuronal specification remain unclear. Here, we reveal a role for RNA-binding proteins in defining area-specific cytoarchitecture.

DENR-MCT-1 promotes translation re-initiation downstream of uORFs to control tissue growth.

During cap-dependent eukaryotic translation initiation, ribosomes scan messenger RNA from the 5' end to the first AUG start codon with favourable sequence context. For many mRNAs this AUG belongs to a short upstream open reading frame (uORF), and translation of the main downstream ORF requires re-initiation, an incompletely understood process. Re-initiation is thought to involve the same factors as standard initiation.