Mechanism of peptide chain initiation in animal cells: a reevaluation

Despite numerous reports from several laboratories, the precise mechanism of peptide chain initiation in animal cells and the roles of different factors involved in this process are not clear. The most widely accepted mechanism for peptide chain initiation is that proposed several years ago by Staehelin, Anderson, Hersey and coworkers. However, results reported from several laboratories differ significantly from the results on which the above mechanism is based. In this article, we have analyzed these different reports and their significance on the proposed mechanism of peptide chain initiation. Also, we have proposed an alternative mechanism based on the results reported from our laboratory.