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Updated: May 10, 2026

Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model System to Study Protein Homeostasis in a Multicellular Organism
Published on: December 18, 2013
Costly mistakes: translational infidelity and protein homeostasis
Evan T Powers1, William E Balch
1Department of Chemistry, The Scripps Research Institute, 10550 North Torrey Pines Rd., La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. epowers@scripps.edu
Abstract:
Protein misfolding is increasingly being recognized as a key process in organismal health and disease. Drummond and Wilke (2008) show that misfolding caused by mistakes during the translation of RNA into proteins (mistranslation) also results in a strong selection pressure to optimize translational fidelity, especially for proteins that are highly expressed.
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Translation
Translation is the process of synthesizing proteins from the genetic information carried by messenger RNA (mRNA). Following transcription, it constitutes the final step in the expression of genes. This process is carried out by ribosomes, complexes of protein and specialized RNA molecules. Ribosomes, transfer RNA (tRNA), and other proteins produce a chain of amino acids—the polypeptide—as the end product of translation.
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Translation
Translation is the process of synthesizing proteins from the genetic information carried by messenger RNA (mRNA). Following transcription, it constitutes the final step in the expression of genes. This process is carried out by ribosomes, complexes of protein and specialized RNA molecules. Ribosomes, transfer RNA (tRNA), and other proteins produce a chain of amino acids—the polypeptide—as the end product of translation.
Translation Produces the Building Blocks of Life
Improving Translational Accuracy
Proteins: From Genes to Degradation
Transcription is the synthesis of RNA molecules by RNA...

