Macdonald, P.M. (2001).
Diversity in translational regulation.
Current Opinion in Cell Biology 13, 326-331.
Abstract
Translational control of individual mRNAs relies on cis-regulatory elements, often found in the 3' UTR. The best characterized of these regulate cytoplasmic polyadenylation, and much of this process can now be defined in terms of molecular interactions, protein modifications, and their consequences. Both biochemical and genetic approaches have advanced the understanding of the many instances of translational regulation that are crucial for body patterning in Drosophila: in vitro translation systems that recapitulate the regulatory events have been developed and used to study mechanisms, and genetic interactions have been instrumental in establishing a link between a regulatory factor and a component of the translational apparatus. Although most examples of control are thought to affect the initiation of translation, two classes of regulatory factors, one protein and one RNA, now appear to inhibit protein synthesis during elongation. Diversity seems to be a central feature of translational control, both in the mechanisms themselves and in the situations where this form of regulation is used.