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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

An Optogenetic Method to Control and Analyze Gene Expression Patterns in Cell-to-cell Interactions
Published on: March 22, 2018
Translational control in vertebrate development
1Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester 01655, USA.
Abstract:
Translational control plays a large role in vertebrate oocyte maturation and contributes to the induction of the germ layers. Translational regulation is also observed in the regulation of cell proliferation and differentiation. The features of an mRNA that mediate translational control are found both in the 5' and in the 3' untranslated regions (UTRs). In the 5' UTR, secondary structure, the binding of proteins, and the presence of upstream open reading frames can interfere with the association of initiation factors with the cap, or with scanning of the initiation complex. The 3' UTR can mediate translational activation by directing cytoplasmic polyadenylation and can confer translational repression by interference with the assembly of initiation complexes. Besides mRNA-specific translational control elements, the nonspecific RNA-binding proteins contribute to the modulation of translation in development. This review discusses examples of translational control and their relevance for developmental regulation.
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Transcription
Transcription is the process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA sequence by RNA polymerase. It is the first step in producing a protein from a gene sequence. Additionally, many other proteins and regulatory sequences are involved in the proper synthesis of messenger RNA (mRNA). Regulation of transcription is responsible for the differentiation of all the different types of cells and often for the proper cellular response to environmental signals.
Transcription Can Produce Different Kinds...
Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps
Transcription results in the generation of precursor (pre-mRNA) that consists of both exons and introns, which needs further processing before being translated to a...
Leaky Scanning
Transcription
Transcription Can Produce Different Kinds of RNA Molecules
In eukaryotes,...
Regulation of Expression at Multiple Steps
Translational Regulation

