Biologists reveal the truth of "protein translation"!

Scientists have developed a new fluorescent labeling technology, which is the first to determine the time and place of protein synthesis This technology allows researchers to directly observe the process of mRNA molecules translating into proteins in living cells, which helps to reveal the specific mechanism of human diseases caused by abnormal protein synthesis The study was published in the March 20 issue of science "We haven't been able to pinpoint exactly when and where mRNA translates into proteins in the past," said Professor Robert H singer, one of the leaders of the study "This information is crucial for studying the molecular basis of disease, such as how the disorder of protein synthesis in brain cells leads to memory deficits in neurodegenerative diseases." Instructions for protein synthesis are encoded in genes in the nucleus From these instructions to real proteins, we need to go through two steps: transcription and translation MRNA "reads" the DNA sequence of the gene during transcription These mRNA then move from the nucleus to the confluence of cytoplasm and ribosome, and act as a template for the second step of protein synthesis translation To observe the translation process, Dr singer and his colleagues used a key event at the beginning of the first round of Translation: ribosomes replacing RNA binding proteins on mRNA The researchers labeled the mRNA molecules with two fluorescent proteins, green and red In the nucleus of mRNA production, the mRNA with two kinds of fluorescent proteins is yellow After entering the cytoplasm, the color of mRNA depends on their fate When mRNA binds to ribosome, ribosome replaces the green fluorescent protein of mRNA The result is that the mRNA that binds the ribosome and prepares to translate the protein appears red, while all untranslated mRNA appears yellow The researchers named this technology as trick (translating RNA imaging by coat protein knock off) To test the utility of this technique, the researchers detected the time and location of oskar mRNA expression in the oocytes of Drosophila Drosophila is a common model to study human diseases, and Oskar is very important for the normal development of Drosophila embryo The researchers labeled oskar mRNA with red and green fluorescent proteins and inserted them into the nucleus of Drosophila oocytes "We see that oskar mRNA does not begin to translate until it reaches the pole of the oocyte," Dr singer said "We have speculated before, and now we have conclusive evidence Researchers can use trick technology to analyze a series of regulatory events needed for mRNA translation during Drosophila development " The researchers also found that mRNA did not begin to translate immediately after leaving the nucleus, but only a few minutes after entering the cytoplasm "We never knew there was such a time," Dr singer said "This is another new knowledge that trip brings."