Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 18, 2026

Toeprinting Analysis of Translation Initiation Complex Formation on Mammalian mRNAs
Published on: May 10, 2018
Translational control by secondary-structure formation in mRNA in a eukaryotic system
Daisuke Kawaguchi1, Saaya Shimizu1, Naoko Abe2
1Chemistry Department, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan.
Abstract:
Eukaryotic mRNA has a cap structure at the 5' end and a poly(A) tail at the 3' end. The cap and poly(A) tail form a complex with multiple translation factors, and mRNA forms a circularized structure called a closed-loop model. This circularized structure reportedly not only stabilizes mRNA but also promotes ribosome recycling during translation, which improves translation efficiency. We designed an artificial mRNA that forms a circularized structure without a cap structure and poly(A) tail and found that its translational efficiency was improved compared with that of a sequence without the circularized structure in a eukaryotic translation system.
Related Concept Videos
Translational Regulation
Initiation of Translation
First, the initiator tRNA must be selected from the pool of elongator tRNAs by eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2). The initiator tRNA (Met-tRNAi) has conserved sequence elements including modified bases at...
Initiation of Translation
Improving Translational Accuracy
Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps
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...
Regulation of Expression at Multiple Steps

