Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 22, 2025

Xenopus laevis as a Model to Identify Translation Impairment
Published on: September 27, 2015
Lithium chloride sensitivity connects the activity of PEX11 and RIM20 to the translation of PGM2 and other mRNAs with
Sasi Kumar Jagadeesan1, Mustafa Al-Gafari1, Maryam Hajikarimlou1
1Department of Biology and Ottawa Institute of Systems Biology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada.
Abstract:
Lithium chloride (LiCl) is a widely used and extensively researched drug for the treatment of bipolar disorder (BD). As a result, LiCl has been the subject of research studying its toxicity, mode of action, and downstream cellular responses. LiCl has been shown to influence cell signaling and signaling transduction pathways through protein kinase C and glycogen synthase kinase-3 in mammalian cells. LiCl's significant downstream effects on the translational pathway necessitate further investigation. In yeast, LiCl is found to lower the activity and alter the expression of PGM2, a gene encoding a sugar-metabolism enzyme phosphoglucomutase. When phosphoglucomutase activity is reduced in the presence of galactose, intermediates of galactose metabolism aggregate, causing cell sensitivity to LiCl. In this study, we identified that deleting the genes PEX11 and RIM20 increases yeast LiCl sensitivity. We further show that PEX11 and RIM20 regulate the expression of PGM2 mRNA at the translation level. The observed alteration of translation seems to target the structured 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR) of the PGM2 mRNA.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Ribosome Profiling
Applications of ribosome profiling
Ribosome profiling has many applications, including in vivo monitoring of translation inside a particular organ or tissue type and quantifying new protein synthesis levels.
The technique...
Riboswitches
The aptamer has high specificity for a particular metabolite which allows riboswitches to specifically regulate...
Ribosomal RNA Synthesis
Ribosome biogenesis begins with the synthesis of 5S and 45S pre-rRNAs by distinct RNA polymerases. The primary transcripts are extensively processed and modified before they are bound and folded by ribosomal proteins and assembly factors,...
piRNA - Piwi-interacting RNAs
Leaky Scanning
Stringent Response in E. coli

