Translation initiation regulation on polycistronic eukaryotic mRNAs

控制细胞如何从编码这些蛋白质的信使RNA(MRNAs)合成蛋白质的过程被称为蛋白质翻译，这是正常细胞功能所必需的。特定mRNAs翻译的数量或质量的差异会影响细胞复制的发育和控制等不同的事件。调节翻译启动的替代机制也可能导致从单一种类的mRNA翻译出不止一种蛋白质，这对于理解细胞蛋白质组的复杂性(即你的细胞可以产生多少不同的蛋白质)具有重大意义。改变翻译启动控制的突变也与几种疾病状态有关。因此，理解翻译启动的调控机制具有广泛的意义。虽然已经描述了许多调节翻译启动的机制，但我们对这些过程的理解还远远不完整。我的研究小组正在通过分析一组不同寻常的病毒mRNAs来探索这一领域，这些病毒mRNAs从单一的mRNAs中编码三种不同的蛋白质。这些研究有望定义调控细胞蛋白质合成的新机制。

Controlling how cells synthesize proteins from the messenger RNAs (mRNAs) that encode these proteins, a process referred to as protein translation, is essential to normal cell function. Quantitative or qualitative differences in the translation of specific mRNAs influence such diverse events as development and control of cell replication. Alternate mechanisms that regulate the initiation of translation can also result in more than one protein being translated from a single species of mRNA, which has major implications on understanding the complexity of cellular proteomes (i.e. how many different proteins your cells can produce). Mutations that alter the control of translation initiation are also associated with several disease states. Understanding the mechanisms that regulate translation initiation, therefore, has broad implications. Although numerous mechanisms for regulating translation initiation have been described, our understanding of these processes remains far from complete. My research group is exploring this area by analyzing an unusual group of viral mRNAs that encode three different proteins from a single mRNA. These studies hold the promise of defining novel mechanisms that regulate cellular protein synthesis.