Abstract
Stem cell research has focused on genomic studies. However, recent evidence has indicated the involvement of epigenetic regulation in determining the fate of stem cells. Ribosomes play a crucial role in epigenetic regulation, and thus, we focused on the role of ribosomes in stem cells. Majority of living organisms possess ribosomes that are involved in the translation of mRNA into proteins and promote cellular proliferation and differentiation. Ribosomes are stable molecular machines that play a role with changes in the levels of RNA during translation. Recent research suggests that specific ribosomes actively regulate gene expression in multiple cell types, such as stem cells. Stem cells have the potential for self-renewal and differentiation into multiple lineages and, thus, require high efficiency of translation. Ribosomes induce cellular transdifferentiation and reprogramming, and disrupted ribosome synthesis affects translation efficiency, thereby hindering stem cell function leading to cell death and differentiation. Stem cell function is regulated by ribosome-mediated control of stem cell-specific gene expression. In this review, we have presented a detailed discourse on the characteristics of ribosomes in stem cells. Understanding ribosome biology in stem cells will provide insights into the regulation of stem cell function and cellular reprogramming.
Highlights
Ribosomes are subcellular cytoplasmic biomolecules composed of ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) and dozens of proteins
RNA polymerase II transcribes the mRNAs for ribosome proteins (RPs) and assembly factors (AFs). (2) Processing: 47S prerRNA is processed to 18S, 28S, and 5.8S rRNAs. (3) Modification: there are two primary kinds of modifications on rRNA that are mediated by small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs): 2′-O-methylation (2′-O-Me) and pseudouridines (Ψ). (4) Assembly: RPs and AFs are translated in the cytoplasm and shuttled to the nueclus for ribosome assembly
In the nuclei of human embryonic stem cells, Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) directly interacts with C/D box snoRNAs and results in the 2′-O-Me modification of rRNA, thereby causing ribosome heterogeneity by affecting rRNA folding and ribosomal assembly [100, 101]
Summary
Ribosomes are subcellular cytoplasmic biomolecules composed of rRNA and dozens of proteins. RNA polymerase II transcribes the mRNAs for ribosome proteins (RPs) and assembly factors (AFs). Specific AFs such as FBL and BYSL are overexpressed in stem cells and maintain pluripotency by promoting ribosome biogenesis [42,43,44].
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