Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore
Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Biochem Soc Trans. 2018 Aug 20;46(4):855-869. doi: 10.1042/BST20160426. Epub 2018 Jul 9.
The control of translation is increasingly recognized as a major factor in determining protein levels in the cell. The ribosome - the cellular machine that mediates protein synthesis - is typically seen as a key, but invariant, player in this process. This is because translational control is thought to be mediated by other auxiliary factors while ribosome recruitment is seen as the end-point of regulation. However, recent developments have made it clear that heterogeneous ribosome types can exist in different tissues, and more importantly, that these ribosomes can preferentially translate different subsets of mRNAs. In so doing, heterogeneous ribosomes could be key regulatory players in differentiation and development. Here, we examine current evidence for the existence of different ribosome types and how they might arise. In particular, we will take a close look at the mechanisms through which these ribosomes might mediate selective mRNA translation. We also summarize recently developed techniques/approaches that will aid in our understanding of the functions of such specialized ribosomes.
翻译的控制作用正日益被认为是决定细胞内蛋白质水平的一个主要因素。核糖体——介导蛋白质合成的细胞机器——通常被视为该过程中的一个关键但不变的参与者。这是因为人们认为翻译控制是由其他辅助因子介导的，而核糖体募集则被视为调节的终点。然而，最近的研究进展表明，不同的核糖体类型可以存在于不同的组织中，更重要的是，这些核糖体可以优先翻译不同的 mRNA 子集。这样，异质核糖体可能是分化和发育中的关键调节因子。在这里，我们研究了不同核糖体类型存在的现有证据，以及它们可能是如何产生的。特别是，我们将仔细研究这些核糖体可能介导选择性 mRNA 翻译的机制。我们还总结了最近开发的技术/方法，这些方法将有助于我们理解这些特殊核糖体的功能。
