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Translation

Translation

Lesson: 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

Translation

Translation

Lesson: 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

Alternative RNA Splicing

Alternative RNA Splicing

Alternative RNA splicing is the regulated splicing of exons and introns to produce different mature mRNAs from a single pre-mRNA. Unlike in constitutive splicing where a single gene produces a single type of mRNA, alternative splicing allows an organism to produce multiple proteins from a single gene and plays an important role in protein diversity.
There are five types of alternative RNA splicing that vary in the ways the pre-mRNA segments are removed or retained in the mature mRNA. The first...

From DNA to Protein

From DNA to Protein

The flow of genetic information in cells from DNA to mRNA to protein is described by the central dogma, which states that genes specify the sequence of mRNAs, which in turn specify the sequence of amino acids making up all proteins. The decoding of one molecule to another is performed by specific proteins and RNAs. Because the information stored in DNA is so central to cellular function, it makes intuitive sense that the cell would make mRNA copies of this information for protein synthesis...

Intrinsically Disordered Proteins

Intrinsically Disordered Proteins

Intrinsically disordered proteins are a group of proteins that do not fold into specific three-dimensional structures. Their structural flexibility allows them to complement ordered proteins to perform functions that are inaccessible to rigid structures. They are more common in eukaryotes than prokaryotes and may either be exclusively intrinsically disordered or hybrid proteins, consisting of a mix of ordered and disordered regions. The absence of a rigid structure in these proteins can be...

Intrinsically Disordered Proteins

Intrinsically Disordered Proteins

Intrinsically disordered proteins are a group of proteins that do not fold into specific three-dimensional structures. Their structural flexibility allows them to complement ordered proteins to perform functions that are inaccessible to rigid structures. They are more common in eukaryotes than prokaryotes and may either be exclusively intrinsically disordered or hybrid proteins, consisting of a mix of ordered and disordered regions. The absence of a rigid structure in these proteins can be...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Studying Protein Function and the Role of Altered Protein Expression by Antibody Interference and Three-dimensional Reconstructions

Studying Protein Function and the Role of Altered Protein Expression by Antibody Interference and Three-dimensional Reconstructions

Published on: April 21, 2016

Dual coding in alternative reading frames correlates with intrinsic protein disorder.

Erika Kovacs¹, Peter Tompa, Karoly Liliom

¹Institute of Enzymology, Biological Research Center, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Karolina ut 29, H-1113 Budapest, Hungary.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

|March 10, 2010

Summary

Human genes with dual coding regions often produce intrinsically disordered protein segments. This structural flexibility may facilitate new functions and evolutionary advantages.

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De novo Identification of Actively Translated Open Reading Frames with Ribosome Profiling Data

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Area of Science:

Genomics
Proteomics
Molecular Biology

Background:

Alternative splicing in human genes can lead to dual coding regions.
These regions generate distinct protein products translated in multiple reading frames.
The structural implications of these dual-coding segments remain largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the structural characteristics of protein segments encoded by dual-coding regions.
To understand the functional and evolutionary significance of structural disorder in these regions.

Main Methods:

Identification of 67 human genes with alternative splice variants containing dual-coding regions (≥75 nucleotides).
Analysis of amino acid composition and prediction of protein structural disorder using IUPred and PONDR VSL2 algorithms.
Comparison of disorder levels between ancestral and derived reading frames for +1 and -1 frameshifts.

Main Results:

Dual-coding regions exhibit a high propensity for structural disorder.
Frameshifts, particularly -1, significantly increase disorder in the derived reading frame (average 56.3%).
Disordered regions in derived frames (≥50% disorder in 39/62 cases) suggest function without a defined 3D fold.

Conclusions:

Structural disorder in dual-coding regions enables protein function without requiring a stable 3D structure.
Dual coding may be an evolutionary mechanism for generating novel intrinsically disordered regions with new functions.
This process can lead to novel functions and increased transcript survival via escape from nonsense-mediated decay.