Chapter 12 - Ribosomal profiling—Diversity and applications

Abstract

Ribosome profiling is a powerful technique to investigate the genome-wide occupancy of ribosomes on mRNA at subcodon resolution. It allows us to study the translation process with unprecedented precision and measure the differential gene expression and rate of protein synthesis in vivo. One can also generate accurate information on the starts and stops of open reading frames on mRNAs and measure the levels of total versus individual transcripts. Ribosome profiling has also enabled us to monitor micro-variations in the translation process and identify the association of specific translation factors during translation. The quality data generated through ribosome profiling have been useful for developing quantitative models of translation and improving our understanding of translational control of protein-coding genes. Apparently, ribosome profiling has bridged the existing technological gap between our abilities to simultaneously quantify the transcriptome and the proteome through a genome-wide ribosome approach. Currently, ribosome profiling is a widely used molecular tool for studying gene expression in diverse biological systems from virus and bacteria to higher eukaryotes including human cells.