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Related Concept Videos

Translational Regulation01:29

Translational Regulation

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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,...
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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...
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Initiating translation is complex because it involves multiple molecules. Initiator tRNA, ribosomal subunits, and eukaryotic initiation factors (eIFs) are all required to assemble on the initiation codon of mRNA. This process consists of several steps that are mediated by different eIFs.
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Ribosome profiling or ribo-sequencing is a deep sequencing technique that produces a snapshot of active translation in a cell. It selectively sequences the mRNAs protected by ribosomes to get an insight into a cell’s translation landscape at any given point in time.
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Bacterial RNA Polymerase00:43

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Unlike eukaryotes, bacteria use a single RNA Polymerase (RNAP) to transcribe all genes. The different subunits of bacterial RNAPhave distinct functions. The multisubunit structure of the bacterial RNAP helps the enzyme to maintain catalytic function, facilitate assembly, interact with DNA and RNA, and self-regulate its activity.
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Polysome Fractionation and Analysis of Mammalian Translatomes on a Genome-wide Scale
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Differential translation of mRNA isoforms transcribed with distinct sigma factors.

Dylan M McCormick1, Jean-Benoît Lalanne1,2, Tammy C T Lan3

  • 1Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.

RNA (New York, N.Y.)
|April 30, 2021
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Summary

General stress sigma factor activation in Bacillus subtilis paradoxically boosts translation for specific genes by unfolding RNA structures. This dual induction mechanism highlights RNA folding

Keywords:
B. subtilisRNA structuredual inductionsigma factortranslation efficiency

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Area of Science:

  • Bacterial gene regulation
  • Molecular biology
  • Transcriptional and translational control

Background:

  • Sigma factors are essential bacterial transcription factors that confer promoter specificity to RNA polymerase.
  • Housekeeping sigma factor σA and general stress sigma factor σB regulate distinct gene sets in *Bacillus subtilis*.
  • RNA secondary structures can repress translation, impacting protein synthesis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the paradoxical effect of general stress sigma factor σB activation on translation of its regulon genes in *Bacillus subtilis*.
  • To elucidate the role of RNA secondary structures in translational repression under σA transcription.
  • To determine how σB-dependent transcription overcomes translational repression.

Main Methods:

  • *In vivo* analysis using DMS-MaPseq to map RNA secondary structures.
  • Comparative analysis of gene expression under σA and σB transcription.
  • Quantification of translation efficiency for different RNA isoforms.

Main Results:

  • Activation of σB leads to dramatic translational induction for a subset of its regulon genes.
  • Genes transcribed by σA are translationally repressed due to extended RNA secondary structures.
  • σB-dependent transcription disrupts these structures, activating translation and resulting in dual induction.
  • Translation efficiency differences between σB- and σA-dependent RNA isoforms can reach up to 100-fold.

Conclusions:

  • Long-range RNA folding plays a critical role in modulating bacterial translation.
  • Transcription factors can regulate protein synthesis by influencing RNA structure beyond transcript levels.
  • The σB-mediated dual induction mechanism provides a novel layer of gene expression control in bacteria.