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Dynamics of translation can determine the spatial organization of membrane-bound proteins and their mRNA

Elgin Korkmazhan1, Hamid Teimouri2,3, Neil Peterman2,3

  • 1Harvard College, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|December 6, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Bacterial messenger RNAs (mRNAs) encoding inner-membrane proteins can cluster near the cell membrane. Translation speed and mRNA features influence this spatial organization, impacting protein distribution.

Area of Science:

  • Bacterial cell biology
  • Molecular and systems biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Macromolecules are typically homogeneously distributed in bacterial cells.
  • Messenger RNAs (mRNAs) encoding inner-membrane proteins can localize to the inner membrane.
  • Cotranslational insertion of nascent peptides into the membrane co-localizes translating ribosomes and mRNA.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how mRNA properties influence the spatial distribution dynamics of mRNAs encoding inner-membrane proteins.
  • To characterize the effects of translation kinetics and mRNA features on mRNA localization near the bacterial inner membrane.

Main Methods:

  • Development and application of a simple stochastic model of translation.
  • Analysis of mRNA dynamics and spatial distribution statistics.
  • Characterization of the influence of translation initiation rate, secretory apparatus availability, and coding region composition.

Main Results:

  • Translation initiation rate, secretory apparatus availability, and coding region composition collectively determine mRNA abundance near the membrane.
  • These factors also influence the residence time of mRNAs at the inner membrane.
  • The spatiotemporal dynamics of mRNAs are linked to the formation and size distribution of protein clusters on the membrane.

Conclusions:

  • The spatial organization of mRNAs encoding inner-membrane proteins is governed by translation kinetics and mRNA characteristics.
  • These mRNA dynamics contribute to the formation and size regulation of protein clusters at the bacterial inner membrane.
  • Posttranscriptional regulation offers a mechanism to modulate this spatial organization.
Keywords:
membrane proteinsprotein clustersspatial organizationtranslation

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