Translation is divided into initiation, elongation, termination and ribosome recycling. Earlier work implicated several eukaryotic initiation factors (eIFs) in ribosomal recycling in vitro. Here, we uncover roles for HCR1 and eIF3 in translation termination in vivo. A substantial proportion of eIF3, HCR1 and eukaryotic release factor 3 (eRF3) but not eIF5 (a well-defined "initiation-specific" b...

Previous studies have shown that intravenous infusion of insulin and/or amino acids reproduces the feeding-induced stimulation of muscle protein synthesis in neonates and that insulin and amino acids act independently to produce this effect. The goal of the present study was to delineate the regulatory roles of insulin and amino acids on muscle protein synthesis in neonates by examining transla...

The gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) is one of few primate species that is able to enter daily torpor or prolonged hibernation in response to environmental stresses. With an emerging significance to human health research, lemurs present an optimal model for exploring molecular adaptations that regulate primate hypometabolism. A fundamental challenge is how to effectively regulate energy ex...

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether burn injury decreases myocardial protein synthesis and potential contributing mechanisms for this impairment. To address this aim, thermal injury was produced by a 40% total body surface area full-thickness scald burn in anesthetized rats, and the animals were studied 24 h late. Burn decreased the in vivo-determined rate of myocardial pr...

Translation initiation is a complex process in which initiator tRNA, 40S, and 60S ribosomal subunits are assembled by eukaryotic initiation factors (eIFs) into an 80S ribosome at the initiation codon of mRNA. The cap-binding complex eIF4F and the factors eIF4A and eIF4B are required for binding of 43S complexes (comprising a 40S subunit, eIF2/GTP/Met-tRNAi and eIF3) to the 5' end of capped mRNA...

Insulin rapidly activates protein synthesis by activating components of the translational machinery including eIFs (eukaryotic initiation factors) and eEFs (eukaryotic elongation factors). In the long term, insulin also increases the cellular content of ribosomes to augment the capacity for protein synthesis. The rapid activation of protein synthesis by insulin is mediated primarily through pho...

In eukaryotes, various alternative translation initiation mechanisms have been unveiled for the of specific mRNAs. Some do not conform to conventional scanning-initiation model. Translation histone H4 mRNA combines both canonical (cap-dependent) and viral strategies (no-scanning, internal recruitment factors). Specific structures tether machinery directly onto codon allow massive production dur...

Auxin is a principal growth hormone in plants. A study by Schepetilnikov et al (2013) now reports that TOR is activated by auxin and regulates expression of auxinresponsive genes by facilitating translation reinitiation of mRNAs with uORFs at their 50 UTRs. In this way, TOR acts at the crossroad of the plasma membrane and nuclear auxin signalling pathways to link auxin with general nutrient sig...

During heme deficiency in reticulocyte lysates, a translational inhibitor (heme-regulated inhibitor, HRI) that blocks polypeptide chain initiation is activated. HRI is a protein kinase that specifically phosphorylates the 38,000-dalton subunit of the Met-tRNAfMet binding factor, eIF-2. Phosphorylation of eIF-2 by HRI prevents its interaction with at least two additional factors, resulting in a ...