... small molecules, proteins, vesicles, pathogens, and organelles. Recent work has shown that TNTs can also transfer mRNAs, viral RNAs and non-coding RNAs. Here, we will review the evidence for TNT-mediated RNA transfer, discuss the technical challenges in this field, and conjecture about the possible...

... in their function: modulating their composition, size, density, and the network-like architecture in relation to the metabolic demands of the cell. Here, we review the recent research on the post-transcriptional regulation of mitochondrial composition focusing on mRNA localization, mRNA translation, protein import...

... have an important influence on which mRNAs are translated. Scope for variation is provided via multiple avenues, including heterogeneity at the level of both ribosomal proteins and ribosomal RNAs and their covalent modifications. Together, these variations provide the potential for hundreds...

...Alicia A. Bicknell; Emiliano P. Ricci Messenger RNA (mRNA) translation and mRNA degradation are important determinants of protein output, and they are interconnected. Previously, it was thought that translation of an mRNA, as a rule, prevents its degradation. mRNA surveillance mechanisms, which...

... stages to present and discuss research in the mRNA translation field, with an emphasis on the presentations on the research of early career scientists. The diverse nature of this field was represented by the broad range of papers presented at the meeting. The complexity of mRNA translation and its...

...Jana Wolf; Lori A. Passmore Poly(A) tails are important regulators of mRNA stability and translational efficiency. Cytoplasmic removal of poly(A) tails by 3′→5′ exonucleases (deadenylation) is the rate-limiting step in mRNA degradation. Two exonuclease complexes contribute the majority...

...Cornelia Kilchert; Lidia Vasiljeva Eukaryotic mRNAs are extensively processed to generate functional transcripts, which are 5′ capped, spliced and 3′ polyadenylated. Accumulation of unprocessed (aberrant) mRNAs can be deleterious for the cell, hence processing fidelity is closely monitored by QC...

...Elena Evguenieva-Hackenberg; Udo Bläsi RNA stability control and degradation are employed by cells to control gene expression and to adjust the level of protein synthesis in response to physiological needs. In all domains of life, mRNA decay can commence in the 5′–3′ as well as in the 3′–5...

... that the addition of non-templated nucleotides to the 3′ end of mRNAs and small non-coding RNAs, 3′ tagging, is the primary means by which malfunctioning RNAs are labelled, promoting their functional repression and degradation. However, the addition of non-templated nucleotides to transcripts can have diverse...

...Francesco Bruni; Pasqua Gramegna; Robert N. Lightowlers; Zofia M.A. Chrzanowska-Lightowlers The central dogma states that DNA is transcribed to generate RNA and that the mRNA components are then translated to generate proteins; a simple statement that completely belies the complexities of gene...

... a pulsed stable-isotope-labelling technique, we show that the rapamycin and mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) kinase inhibitors have differential effects on the synthesis of specific proteins. In particular, the synthesis of proteins encoded by mRNAs that have a 5′-terminal pyrimidine tract is strongly...

.... As expected, synthesis of proteins encoded by mRNAs that contain a 5′-TOP (5′-terminal oligopyrimidine tract) was impaired by rapamycin, but more strongly by mTOR kinase inhibition. Several proteins not known to be encoded by 5′-TOP mRNAs also showed similar behaviour. Synthesis of proteins encoded by ‘non...

...Mark J. Coldwell; Nicola K. Gray; Matthew Brook Once an mRNA is synthesized and processed, the immediate translation and later destruction of the transcript is not as inevitable as the central molecular biology dogma suggests. Interest in the field of post-transcriptional control continues to grow...

... with a fluorescent reporter system and quantitative PCR. Using FunREG, we efficiently measured post-transcriptional regulation mediated either by selected RNA sequences or regulatory factors (microRNAs), and then evaluated the contribution of mRNA decay and translation efficiency in the observed regulation. We...

...Katrin Wiederhold; Lori A. Passmore The poly(A) tail of mRNA has an important influence on the dynamics of gene expression. On one hand, it promotes enhanced mRNA stability to allow production of the protein, even after inactivation of transcription. On the other hand, shortening of the poly...

...Christopher I. Jones; Sarah F. Newbury Control of mRNA translation and degradation has been shown to be key in the development of complex organisms. The core mRNA degradation machinery is highly conserved in eukaryotes and relies on processive degradation enzymes gaining access to the mRNA. Control...

... factors and hypertrophic stimuli. mTORC1 signalling regulates several components of the protein synthetic machinery, including initiation and elongation factors, protein kinases which phosphorylate the ribosome and/or translation factors, and the translation of specific mRNAs. However, there are still...

... eukaryotes, at least 12 factors containing 22 or more proteins are involved, and there are several regulated steps. Recently, the localization of mRNA and factors involved in translation has received increased attention. The present review provides a general background to the subcellular localization of mRNA...

...O.A. Pierrat; V. Mikitova; M.S. Bush; K.S. Browning; J.H. Doonan Initiation of mRNA translation is a key regulatory step in the control of gene expression. Microarray analysis indicates that total mRNA levels do not always reflect protein levels, since mRNA association with polyribosomes...

... specifically, translation initiation on RP mRNAs is inhibited. Translational regulation of RP synthesis is dependent on cis -elements within the 5′-UTRs (5′-untranslated regions) of the RP mRNAs. In particular, a highly conserved 5′-TOP (5′-terminal oligopyrimidine tract) appears to play a key role...

...J. Hesketh There is increasing evidence that 3′-UTRs (3′-untranslated regions) of mRNAs contain regulatory elements that have important roles in post-transcriptional control of gene expression. For example, 3′-UTRs are important in determining mRNA localization and directing selenocysteine...

...M. Bushell; M. Stoneley; P. Sarnow; A.E. Willis The induction of apoptosis leads to a substantial inhibition of protein synthesis. During this process changes to the translation-initiation factors, the ribosome and the cellular level of mRNA have been documented. However, it is by no means clear...