Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2026
08:47
Monitoring eIF4F Assembly by Measuring eIF4E-eIF4G Interaction in Live Cells
Published on: May 1, 2020
Translational control of eIF5A in various diseases
1Institut für Technische Chemie und Pharmazeutische Chemie, University of Applied Sciences, Cologne, Betzdorfer Str.2, 50679, Cologne, Germany. annette.kaiser@fh-koeln.de
Amino Acids
|August 6, 2011
Summary
Eukaryotic initiation factor 5A (eIF5A), essential for cell proliferation, plays a role in diseases like cancer and HIV. Inhibiting its hypusination offers a potential therapeutic strategy.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Translational control is vital in disease development, involving selective mRNA translation and altered translation factor activity.
- Eukaryotic initiation factor 5A (eIF5A) is unique for its hypusine modification, crucial for its role in translation, elongation, and cell proliferation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the multifaceted roles of eIF5A in various diseases.
- To highlight the therapeutic potential of targeting eIF5A's hypusination pathway.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and data synthesis on eIF5A function and disease association.
- Analysis of eIF5A's involvement in cell proliferation, stress conditions, and nuclear mRNA binding.
Main Results:
- eIF5A's activity is context-dependent, promoting proliferation in cancers but involved in stress responses in diabetes.
- eIF5A acts as an mRNA-shuttle in the nucleus in HIV-1 infections and diabetes, potentially affecting mRNA stability and sequestration.
Conclusions:
- eIF5A is implicated in the pathogenicity of diverse diseases, including cancer, diabetes, malaria, and HIV-1.
- Targeting eIF5A's hypusination presents a promising therapeutic avenue for these conditions.
Related Concept Videos
01:31Translation
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 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
01:31Translation
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 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
02:28Leaky Scanning
During most eukaryotic translation processes, the small 40S ribosome subunit scans an mRNA from its 5' end until it encounters the first start AUG codon. The large 60S ribosomal subunit then joins the smaller one to initiate protein synthesis. The location of the translation initiation is largely determined by the nucleotides near the start codon as there may be multiple translation initiation sites present on the mRNA. Marilyn Kozak discovered that the sequence RCCAUGG (where R stands for...
01:23Regulation of Expression at Multiple Steps
The gene expression in cells is regulated at different stages: (i) transcription, (ii) RNA processing, (iii) RNA localization, and (iv) translation. Transcriptional regulation is mediated by regulatory proteins such as transcription factors, activators, or repressors—these control gene expression by initiating or inhibiting the transcription of genes. Once a precursor or pre-mRNA is produced, it undergoes post-transcriptional modification, including 5' capping, splicing, and the addition of a...
02:24Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps
Gene expression can be regulated at almost every step from gene to protein. Transcription is the step that is most commonly regulated. This involves the binding of proteins to short regulatory sequences on the DNA. This association can either promote or inhibit the transcription of a gene associated with the respective sequence.
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...
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...
01:29Translational Regulation
Translational regulation in prokaryotes ensures efficient protein synthesis by controlling ribosome access to mRNA. This regulation is mediated by secondary RNA structures, including translational riboswitches, RNA thermometers, and small RNAs (sRNAs), which respond to intracellular and environmental signals to modulate gene expression.Translational RiboswitchesRiboswitches in the leader region of mRNAs can regulate translation by altering the accessibility of the Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence,...