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Updated: Aug 22, 2026

Polysome Fractionation and Analysis of Mammalian Translatomes on a Genome-wide Scale
Published on: May 17, 2014
Translational regulation of gene expression by omega-3 fatty acids
Huseyin Aktas1, Jose A Halperin
1Laboratory for Translational Research and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Abstract:
The incidence of some cancers shows dramatic variations around the world that cannot be explained by ethnic or racial differences. Observational studies point to a negative correlation between consumption of fish and incidence of breast and prostate cancer. In vitro and animal model studies indicate that (omega-3) PUFAs present at high concentrations in marine animals inhibit proliferation of cancer cells and growth of tumors. However, how these fatty acids inhibit cell proliferation and tumor growth is a matter of considerable debate. In this review we summarize our recent work indicating that Ca(++) depletion mediated phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of eIF2 and subsequent inhibition of translation initiation account for the anti-cancer activity of (omega-3) PUFAs.
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