Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Translation initiation: structures, mechanisms and evolution.

Assen Marintchev1, Gerhard Wagner

  • 1Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston 02115, USA.

Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics
|October 1, 2005
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Proteolytic dissection of eIF4G reveals the closed-loop mRNP as an architecture for translation repression.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

AI-Enhanced Adaptive Virtual Screening Platform Enabling Exploration of 69 Billion Molecules Discovers Structurally Validated FSP1 Inhibitors.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Corrections to "Discovery of the Cytocapsular Membrane as Hallmark of Malignant Tumors".

Biochemistry·2026
Same author

Scalable deep learning reconstruction for accelerated multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of proteins.

Science advances·2025
Same author

Molecular basis for the interactions of eIF2β with eIF5, eIF2B, and 5MP1 and their regulation by CK2.

RNA (New York, N.Y.)·2025
Same author

Exploring the interaction dynamics of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2.

Biochemical Society transactions·2025
Same journal

Lasing emission spectroscopy for bioanalytics and biomedicine.

Quarterly reviews of biophysics·2026
Same journal

Elementary processes and mechanisms of nanopore formation induced by antimicrobial peptides and other membrane-active peptides.

Quarterly reviews of biophysics·2026
Same journal

Biomineralization: Perspectives on control of crystal polymorphism, order-disorder and solvation states.

Quarterly reviews of biophysics·2026
Same journal

The pivotal roles of cellular biophysics and mechanobiology in the development of Human Organs-on-Chips.

Quarterly reviews of biophysics·2026
Same journal

Biophysics meets fungal biology: Characterising the fungal cell envelope and its interactions with drug-like molecules.

Quarterly reviews of biophysics·2026
Same journal

Energy landscapes in molecular biology: History, principles, and perspectives.

Quarterly reviews of biophysics·2026
See all related articles

This review explores the conserved mechanisms of translation initiation, the complex process of protein synthesis, across all life forms. It highlights how structural and functional data reveal evolutionary parallels in this essential cellular function.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Protein synthesis, or translation, is a fundamental cellular process involving ribosomes, tRNAs, and protein factors.
  • Ribosomes, composed of ribosomal RNA and proteins, are the machinery for translation.
  • Translation initiation is a critical, complex, and evolutionarily divergent step in protein synthesis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review structural and functional data on translation initiation across different kingdoms of life.
  • To draw parallels between translation initiation in eubacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes.
  • To emphasize the evolutionary conservation of translation initiation.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing structural, biochemical, and genetic data.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Comparative analysis of translation initiation factors and processes.
  • Focus on conserved elements and evolutionary divergence.

    • Main Results:

    • Translation initiation, despite its complexity, exhibits significant conservation throughout evolution.
    • Structural and functional data reveal common origins and conserved features of the translation apparatus.
    • Parallels in initiation factors and mechanisms exist between eubacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes.

    Conclusions:

    • Translation initiation is a highly conserved process, underscoring a common evolutionary origin for the translation apparatus.
    • Understanding conserved and divergent aspects of initiation provides insights into fundamental biology.
    • Further research into kinetic and thermodynamic aspects will enhance our comprehension of translation initiation.