Cell
Volume 132, Issue 3, 8 February 2008, Pages 434-448
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Article
A Combinatorial Code for CPE-Mediated Translational Control

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Summary

Cytoplasmic polyadenylation plays a key role in the translational control of mRNAs driving biological processes such as gametogenesis, cell-cycle progression, and synaptic plasticity. What determines the distinct time of polyadenylation and extent of translational control of a given mRNA, however, is poorly understood. The polyadenylation-regulated translation is controlled by the cytoplasmic polyadenylation element (CPE) and its binding protein, CPEB, which can assemble both translational repression or activation complexes. Using a combination of mutagenesis and experimental validation of genome-wide computational predictions, we show that the number and relative position of two elements, the CPE and the Pumilio-binding element, with respect to the polyadenylation signal define a combinatorial code that determines whether an mRNA will be translationally repressed by CPEB, as well as the extent and time of cytoplasmic polyadenylation-dependent translational activation.

RNA
CELLCYCLE
PROTEINS

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Present address: Instituto de Neurociencias, Edificio M, Campus de Bellaterra, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.