Modeling alternative translation initiation sites in plants reveals evolutionarily conserved cis-regulatory codes in eukaryotes
Just as runway lights guide airplanes to the correct runway, short sequences guide ribosomes to identify the correct translation initiation sites. A recent study has revealed that ribosomes can recognize novel CU-rich motifs along mRNAs, which enable them to initiate translation at both AUG and nonAUG initiation sites. These CU-rich motifs have been found in dicots, monocots, humans, and viruses, suggesting their evolutionary importance for initiation activity across different species.
封面的主要概念是用 “飛機降落” 來比喻細胞裡的 “轉譯作用”，因為負責轉譯的核糖體 (ribosome) 要辨認轉譯起點、進而與 mRNA 結合的過程，就像是飛機看到指示燈，然後降落在正確的跑道上一樣。
遠方的山頭畫得是玉米、番茄、人類與病毒，代表了作者研究的物種。原本兩方各據山頭互不相干，不過山下蜿蜒向前的兩條道路，最後合而為一，表示這些差異頗大的物種之間，其實也有 “共通” 的序列。
畫面的時間定在日落的魔幻時刻，讓整體視覺色彩更加豐富吸睛，同時也能凸顯跑道上的指示燈。
Wu et al., Genome Res. February 2024 34: 272-285