Skip to main content
Fig. 5 | BMC Genomics

Fig. 5

From: Trans-splicing of mRNAs links gene transcription to translational control regulated by mTOR

Fig. 5

Translational control of TOP mRNAs. Schematic shows our working model for the translational control of TOP mRNAs in animal genomes where a TOP motif is encoded at gene loci (left) and in animals where a TOP-like sequence is added post-transcriptionally via trans-splicing (right). The nutrient-dependent translation of classical TOP mRNAs (predominantly ribosomal proteins) in mammalian cells is controlled via mTOR signalling and requires a 5′ Terminal Oligopyrimidine Tract (TOP motif). In O. dioica and C. elegans, the TOP motif is not encoded in the 5′ UTRs of many such genes, but instead, these mRNAs are trans-spliced with a spliced leader (SL) that has a pyrimidine-enriched 5′ end and a 5′ trimethylguanosine (TMG) cap. We showed that the translation of these trans-spliced TOP mRNAs was mediated by mTOR in O. dioica suggesting the potential for remarkable evolutionary innovation, and flexibility, in the regulation of growth in these animals

Back to article page