MRNA Recruiting eIF4 Factors Involved in Protein Synthesis and Its Regulation.

Abstract

The recruitment of mRNA onto the ribosome affects not only global translation but also the spatial and temporal fine-tuning of eukaryotic translation initiation. The eukaryotic initiation factor 4 (eIF4) factors, namely, eIF4G, eIF4E, eIF4A, and eIF4B, facilitate the recruitment of mRNA onto the preassembled 43S pre-initiation complex (PIC), thus leading to the formation of the 48S PIC. Several biochemical and genetic studies have established the roles of eIF4 factors; however, the available structural information is limited. While structures of some of the individual components and subcomplexes are available, the structural details of activated mRNA bound to eIF4 factors (eIF4-mRNA) are missing. Structural characterization of the eIF4-mRNA in association with the 43S PIC in different organisms is crucial for a detailed understanding of mRNA recruitment and for exploiting the structural differences for possible drug design.