AUTHOR=Tahmasebi Soroush , Amiri Mehdi , Sonenberg Nahum TITLE=Translational Control in Stem Cells JOURNAL=Frontiers in Genetics VOLUME=9 YEAR=2019 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/genetics/articles/10.3389/fgene.2018.00709 DOI=10.3389/fgene.2018.00709 ISSN=1664-8021 ABSTRACT=

Simultaneous measurements of mRNA and protein abundance and turnover in mammalian cells, have revealed that a significant portion of the cellular proteome is controlled by mRNA translation. Recent studies have demonstrated that both embryonic and somatic stem cells are dependent on low translation rates to maintain an undifferentiated state. Conversely, differentiation requires increased protein synthesis and failure to do so prevents differentiation. Notably, the low translation in stem cell populations is independent of the cell cycle, indicating that stem cells use unique strategies to decouple these fundamental cellular processes. In this chapter, we discuss different mechanisms used by stem cells to control translation, as well as the developmental consequences of translational deregulation.