Reduced changes in protein compared to mRNA levels across non-proliferating tissues

Area of Science:

• Molecular Biology
• Genomics
• Proteomics

Background:

• Quantitative relationships between RNA and protein are fundamental but not fully understood.
• Previous studies showed protein-to-mRNA ratios buffer against changes in transcript abundance across taxa.
• Evidence for this buffering in specific tissues was limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the buffering phenomenon between transcription and translation in various tissue types.
• To analyze the relationship between mRNA and protein levels in the mouse auditory system and other tissue datasets.
• To determine if protein levels are more conserved than mRNA levels across different biological contexts.

Main Methods:

• Joint analysis of transcriptome and proteome data.
• Utilized four datasets: mouse inner ear, mouse organs, primate lymphoblastoid samples, and human cancer cell lines.
• Comparative analysis of mRNA and protein level conservation.

Main Results:

• Protein levels were more conserved than mRNA levels across all analyzed datasets.
• Translational changes counteracted transcriptional changes in most tissues, except for cancer cell lines.
• Observed enrichment of certain functions at the mRNA level but not protein level in the inner ear.

Conclusions:

• Partial buffering between transcription and translation allows for rapid protein synthesis in response to stimuli.
• This buffering mechanism helps maintain protein homeostasis.
• Incorporating buffering effects can enhance the accuracy of predicting protein levels from mRNA abundance.