Project description:Ribosome profiling data reports on the distribution of translating ribosomes, at steady-state, with codon-level resolution. We present a robust method to extract codon translation rates and protein synthesis rates from these data, and identify causal features associated with elongation and translation efficiency in physiological conditions in yeast. We show that neither elongation rate nor translational efficiency is improved by experimental manipulation of the abundance or body sequence of the rare AGG tRNA. Deletion of three of the four copies of the heavily used ACA tRNA shows a modest efficiency decrease that could be explained by other rate-reducing signals at gene start. This suggests that correlation between codon bias and efficiency arises as selection for codons to utilize translation machinery efficiently in highly translated genes. We also show a correlation between efficiency and RNA structure calculated both computationally and from recent structure probing data, as well as the Kozak initiation motif, which may comprise a mechanism to regulate initiation. We test whether tRNA abundance affects elongation or translation efficiency by changing the tRNA levels through deletion or over expression and measuring the ribosomal dwell time at each codon using a robust statistical method that accounts for flow conservation.
Project description:Ribosome profiling data reports on the distribution of translating ribosomes, at steady-state, with codon-level resolution. We present a robust method to extract codon translation rates and protein synthesis rates from these data, and identify causal features associated with elongation and translation efficiency in physiological conditions in yeast. We show that neither elongation rate nor translational efficiency is improved by experimental manipulation of the abundance or body sequence of the rare AGG tRNA. Deletion of three of the four copies of the heavily used ACA tRNA shows a modest efficiency decrease that could be explained by other rate-reducing signals at gene start. This suggests that correlation between codon bias and efficiency arises as selection for codons to utilize translation machinery efficiently in highly translated genes. We also show a correlation between efficiency and RNA structure calculated both computationally and from recent structure probing data, as well as the Kozak initiation motif, which may comprise a mechanism to regulate initiation.
Project description:Codon usage bias is a universal feature of eukaryotic and prokaryotic genomes and has been proposed to regulate translation efficiency, accuracy and protein folding based on the assumption that codon usage affects translation dynamics. The role of codon usage in regulating translation, however, is not clear and has been challenged by recent ribosome profiling studies. Here we used a Neurospora cell-free translation system to directly monitor the velocity of mRNA translation. We demonstrated that the use of preferred codons enhances the rate of translation elongation, whereas non-optimal codons slow translation. In addition, codon usage regulates ribosome traffic on the mRNA. These conclusions were supported by ribosome profiling results in vitro and in vivo with substrate mRNAs manipulated to increase signal over background noise. We further show that codon usage plays an important role in regulating protein function by affecting co-translational protein folding. Together, these results resolve a long-standing fundamental question and demonstrate the importance of codon usage on protein folding.
Project description:The codon usage of mRNAs controls the speed of translation elongation, which is primarily determined by the abundance of cognate tRNAs. By profiling mRNA expression around the cell cycle we found that mRNAs that are relatively upregulate in the G2/M phase are enriched in rare codons. To understand the impact of this codon bias on translation, we have cultured NIH 3T3 cells with different concentrations of fetal calf serum (FCS), 1, 2, 5, and 10%, respectively, to induce distinct proliferation rates and thus distinct proportions of cells in the culture in the G2/M phase. We then estimated the levels of all proteins and mRNAs, and the change in translation efficiency (proteins per mRNA) in highly (10% FCS) relatively to less highly proliferating cells (lower FCS concentrations).
Project description:Translation of mRNA into a polypeptide is terminated when the release factor eRF1 recognizes a UAA, UAG, or UGA stop codon in the ribosomal A site and stimulates nascent peptide release. However, stop codon readthrough can occur when a near-cognate tRNA outcompetes eRF1 in decoding the stop codon, resulting in the continuation of the elongation phase of protein synthesis. At the end of a conventional mRNA coding region readthrough allows translation into the mRNA 3’-UTR. Previous studies with reporter systems have shown that the efficiency of termination or readthrough is modulated by cis-acting elements other than stop codon identity, including two nucleotides 5’ of the stop codon, six nucleotides 3’ of the stop codon in the ribosomal mRNA channel, and stem-loop structures in the mRNA 3’-UTR. It is unknown whether these elements are important at a genome-wide level and whether other mRNA features proximal to the stop codon significantly affect termination and readthrough efficiencies in vivo. Accordingly, we carried out ribosome profiling analyses of yeast cells expressing wild-type or temperature-sensitive eRF1 and developed bioinformatics strategies to calculate readthrough efficiency, and to identify mRNA and peptide features which influence that efficiency. We found that the stop codon (nt +1 to +3), the nucleotide after it (nt +4), the codon in the P site (nt -3 to -1), and 3’-UTR length are the most influential features in the control of readthrough efficiency, while nts +5 to +9 and mRNA secondary structure in the 3’-UTR had milder effects. Additionally, we found low readthrough genes to have shorter 3’-UTRs compared to high readthrough genes in cells with thermally inactivated eRF1, while this trend was reversed in wild-type cells. Together, our results demonstrated the general roles of known regulatory elements in genome-wide regulation and identified several new mRNA or peptide features important for translation termination and readthrough.
Project description:Firczuk2013 - Eukaryotic mRNA translation machinery
This is a model of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
mRNA translation which includes the initiation, elongation and termination phases. The model is for 20 condon mRNAs. The building of a multi-factor complex in initiation and also the different processes in elongation and termination are modelled in detail. The model takes into account that ribosomes cover more than one codon of mRNA so that the movement of ribosomes are effectively blocked by other ribosomes several codons downstream. It is assumed that 15 codons are occupied by each ribosome. This blocking effect is considered in reaction R18 in initiation and also reaction R26, the reaction where translocation of ribosomes takes place in elongation. The kinetic functions of these two reactions are based on MacDonald et al. 1968 and Heinrich & Rapaport 1980. All other kinetic functions follow mass-action kinetics. The concentrations of transfer RNA species (Met-tRNA, aa-tRNA and tRNA in the model) are kept constant, while the other species' concentrations can change in the course of the simulation. The model describes the translation of a short mRNA with 20 codons. Therefore, all reactions in the elongation cycle (R22, R23, R25, R26, R28 and R29) and the corresponding species are replicated accordingly to model the species with ribosomes bound at different positions. In summary, the model contains 165 different species and 141 reactions.
The value of the 56 rate constant parameters were estimated by fitting the model against a series of experimental data consisting of modulation of the various translation factors (Figures 2, 3 and S3). Overall the parameter estimation was carried out over 212 different data points (steady states).
This model is described in the article:
An in vivo control map for the eukaryotic mRNA translation machinery
Helena Firczuk, Shichina Kannambath, Jürgen Pahle, Amy Claydon, Robert Beynon, John Duncan, Hans Westerhoff, Pedro Mendes and John EG McCarthy
Molecular Systems Biology. 9:635
Abstract:
Rate control analysis defines the in vivo control map governing yeast protein synthesis and generates an extensively parameterized digital model of the translation pathway. Among other non-intuitive outcomes, translation demonstrates a high degree of functional modularity and comprises a non-stoichiometric combination of proteins manifesting functional convergence on a shared maximal translation rate. In exponentially growing cells, polypeptide elongation (eEF1A, eEF2, and eEF3) exerts the strongest control. The two other strong control points are recruitment of mRNA and tRNAi to the 40S ribosomal subunit (eIF4F and eIF2) and termination (eRF1; Dbp5). In contrast, factors that are found to promote mRNA scanning efficiency on a longer than-average 5′untranslated region (eIF1, eIF1A, Ded1, eIF2B, eIF3, and eIF5) exceed the levels required for maximal control. This is expected to allow the cell to minimize scanning transition times, particularly for longer 5′UTRs. The analysis reveals these and other collective adaptations of control shared across the factors, as well as features that reflect functional modularity and system robustness. Remarkably, gene duplication is implicated in the fine control of cellular protein synthesis.
This model is hosted on BioModels Database
and identified by: BIOMD0000000457
.
To cite BioModels Database, please use: BioModels Database: An enhanced, curated and annotated resource
for published quantitative kinetic models
.
To the extent possible under law, all copyright and related or
neighbouring rights to this encoded model have been dedicated to the public
domain worldwide. Please refer to CC0 Public Domain
Dedication
for more information.
Project description:Messenger RNA acts as an informational molecule between DNA and translating ribosomes. Emerging evidence places mRNA in central cellular processes beyond its major function as informational entity. Although individual examples show that specific structural features of mRNA regulate translation and transcript stability, their role and function throughout the bacterial transcriptome remains unknown. Combining three sequencing approaches to provide a high resolution view of global mRNA secondary structure, translation efficiency and mRNA abundance, we unraveled structural features in E. coli mRNA with implications in translation and mRNA degradation. A poorly structured site upstream of the coding sequence serves as an additional unspecific binding site of the ribosomes and the degree of its secondary structure propensity negatively correlates with gene expression. Secondary structures within coding sequences are highly dynamic and influence translation only within a very small subset of positions. A secondary structure upstream of the stop codon is enriched in genes terminated by UAA codon with likely implications in translation termination. The global analysis further substantiates a common recognition signature of RNase E to initiate endonucleolytic cleavage. This work determines for the first time the E. coli RNA structurome, highlighting the contribution of mRNA secondary structure as a direct effector of a variety of processes, including translation and mRNA degradation.
Project description:Usage of synonymous codons represents a characteristic pattern of preference in each organism. It has been inferred that such bias of codon usage has evolved as a result of adaptation for efficient synthesis of proteins. Here we examined synonymous codon usage in genes of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and compared codon usage bias with expression levels of the gene. In this organism, synonymous codon usage bias was correlated with expression levels of the gene; the bias was most obvious in two-codon amino acids. A similar pattern of the codon usage bias was also observed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Arabidopsis thaliana, and Caenorhabditis elegans, but was not obvious in Oryza sativa, Drosophila melanogaster, Takifugu rubripes and Homo sapiens. As codons of the highly expressed genes have greater influence on translational efficiency than codons of genes expressed at lower levels, it is likely that codon usage in the S. pombe genome has been optimized by translational selection through evolution. Relative amounts of mRNA for each ORF were measured by DNA microarray using genomic DNA as a reference, and the copy number of mRNA was calculated using an estimate of the total mRNA number in the cell as 100,000 copies.
Project description:Protein translation depends on mRNA-specific initiation, elongation, and termination rates. While the regulation of ribosome elongation is well studied in bacteria and yeast, less is known in higher eukaryotes. Here, we combined ribosome and tRNA profiling to investigate the relations between ribosome elongation rates, (aminoacyl-) tRNA levels and codon usage in mammals. We modeled codon-specific ribosome dwell times and translation fluxes from ribosome profiling, considering pair-interactions between ribosome sites. In mouse liver, the model revealed site and codon specific dwell times, as well as codon pair-interactions clustering by amino acids. While translation fluxes varied significantly across diurnal time and feeding regimen, codon dwell times were highly stable, and conserved in human. Fasting had no effect on codon dwell times in mouse liver. Profiling of total and aminoacylated tRNAs revealed highly heterogeneous levels with specific isoacceptor patterns and a correlation with codon usage. tRNAs for isoleucine, asparagine, aspartate and arginine were lowly loaded and conserved in fasted mice. Finally, codons with low levels of charged tRNAs and high codon usage relative to tRNA abundance exhibited long dwell times. Together, these analyses pave the way towards understanding the complex relation between tRNA loading, codon usage and ribosome dwell times in mammals.
Project description:Protein translation depends on mRNA-specific initiation, elongation, and termination rates. While the regulation of ribosome elongation is well studied in bacteria and yeast, less is known in higher eukaryotes. Here, we combined ribosome and tRNA profiling to investigate the relations between ribosome elongation rates, (aminoacyl-) tRNA levels and codon usage in mammals. We modeled codon-specific ribosome dwell times and translation fluxes from ribosome profiling, considering pair-interactions between ribosome sites. In mouse liver, the model revealed site and codon specific dwell times, as well as codon pair-interactions clustering by amino acids. While translation fluxes varied significantly across diurnal time and feeding regimen, codon dwell times were highly stable, and conserved in human. Fasting had no effect on codon dwell times in mouse liver. Profiling of total and aminoacylated tRNAs revealed highly heterogeneous levels with specific isoacceptor patterns and a correlation with codon usage. tRNAs for isoleucine, asparagine, aspartate and arginine were lowly loaded and conserved in fasted mice. Finally, codons with low levels of charged tRNAs and high codon usage relative to tRNA abundance exhibited long dwell times. Together, these analyses pave the way towards understanding the complex relation between tRNA loading, codon usage and ribosome dwell times in mammals.