ArabidopsisFLICKR, DANIEL OCAMPO
Ribosomes may not be indiscriminate translation factories, but may actively select the mRNAs with which they interact. Loss of ribosomal protein Rpl38 in mice alters the expression of a specific subset of patterning mRNAs—resulting in tissue-patterning defects—but leaves global translation unchanged. The finding represents a potential new type of post-transcriptional gene regulation.
N. Kondrashov et al., “Ribosome-mediated specificity in hox mRNA translation and vertebrate tissue patterning,” Cell, 145:383-97, 2011. Free F1000 Evaluation
2. Maternal genes drive early plant development
Although genes from both parents contribute to embryonic development in plants, the maternal transcripts dominate at first, with paternal genes switching on later, settling a long-standing debate on the contribution of male and female alleles in plant development.
D. Autran et al., "Maternal ...
