Specialised ribosomes are groups of ribosomes that specifically translate a set of mRNAs and represent a new regulatory mechanism in gene expression. This concept is relatively new, and the examples currently described are in single organisms and have limited mechanistic detail. Using cutting-edge scientific techniques, we aim to understand the detailed molecular mechanisms of specialisation and determine common features across eukaryotes.
We have selected examples of specialisation from our preliminary results and the literature, and will unearth additional novel candidates of ribosome specialisation through evolutionary analyses. All our results, and those from the literature, will be collated here.
Overall, this programme of research will allow us to unravel precisely how ribosome heterogeneity results in specialisation, and to define a ‘ribosome code’ applicable to all eukaryotes. In addition to advancing our knowledge of gene expression, our findings have the potential to impact our understanding of several human diseases. For example, ribosomopathies – including Diamond-Blackfan anaemia – are caused by mutations in ribosomal proteins, and it has been suggested that specialised ‘oncoribosomes’ might be involved in protein synthesis dysregulation in cancers. Additionally, understanding mechanisms of ribosome specialisation will enable the modulation ribosome translation in future medical, agricultural and biotechnological applications.
RiboCode will:
- Provide an unprecedented understanding of how specialised ribosomes regulate translation at the molecular level through changes in their composition.
- Reveal the critical sites of ribosome specialisation across eukaryotes.
- Generate a ‘ribosome code’ to explain the observed common mechanistic features of how specialised ribosomes regulate translation across eukaryotes.
- Employ the ‘ribosome code’ to predict additional routes of specialisation to provide the potential for future engineering of gene expression.