Worner et al. show that GCN2 monitors mRNA translation termination. When translation termination is compromised, GCN2 is activated to prevent ribosome collisions and translation readthrough.

Selenocysteine, incorporated into polypeptides at recoded termination codons, plays an essential role in redox biology. Using GPX1 and GPX4, selenoenzymes that mitigate oxidative stress, as reporters,...

Directional, non-vesicular lipid transport is responsible for fast, species-selective lipid sorting into organelle membranes.

Directional, non-vesicular lipid transport is responsible for fast, species-selective lipid sorting into organelle membranes.

Subcellular RNA organization can affect critical cellular functions. However, our understanding of RNA microenvironments, particularly biomolecular condensates, remains limited, largely due to a lack ...

More than 2,700 human mRNA 3′UTRs have hundreds of highly conserved (HC) nucleotides, but their biological roles are unclear. Here, we show that mRNAs with HC 3′UTRs mostly encode proteins with long intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs), including MYC, UTX, and JMJD3. These proteins are only fully active when translated from mRNA templates that include their 3′UTRs, raising the possibility of functional interactions between 3′UTRs and IDRs. Rather than affecting protein abundance or localization, we find that HC 3′UTRs control transcriptional or histone demethylase activity through co-translationally determined protein oligomerization states that are kinetically stable. 3′UTR-dependent changes in protein folding require mRNA-IDR interactions, suggesting that mRNAs act as IDR chaperones. These mRNAs are multivalent, a biophysical RNA feature that enables their translation in network-like condensates, which provide favorable folding environments for proteins with long IDRs. These data indicate that the coding sequence is insufficient for the biogenesis of biologically active conformations of IDR-containing proteins and that RNA can catalyze protein folding. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Pershing Square Foundation, https://ror.org/04tce9s05 G. Harold & Leila Y. Mathers Foundation National Institutes of Health, DP1GM123454, R35GM144046 Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, https://ror.org/02yrq0923, P30 CA008748

The translation initiation step is rate limiting for the efficiency of gene expression in all organisms. However, the mechanism of ribosome recruitment to mRNA start sites strikingly differs between e...

Antibiotics that inhibit ribosomes lead to collisions on mRNAs when upstream ribosomes catch up with stalled ones. Campbell et al. show that the HrpA protein in E. coli senses ribosome collisions and ...

Ribosomes cooperate through transient collisions to ensure efficient translation.

Single-cell decisions made in complex environments underlie many bacterial phenomena. Image-based transcriptomics approaches offer an avenue to study such behaviors, yet these approaches have been hin...

Kar et al. demonstrate that Balbiani body (Bb) formation is achieved via developmental condensation in zebrafish oogenesis, driven by Buc phase separation and evolving from a dynamic liquid-like state into a solid-like stable compartment. Multistep regulation by microtubules controls condensation, ensuring proper Bb formation and oocyte polarity.

Generative genomics models can design increasingly complex biological systems. However, effectively controlling these models to generate novel sequences with desired functions remains a major…

mRNA delivery offers new opportunities for disease treatment by directing cells to produce therapeutic proteins. However, designing highly stable mRNAs with programmable cell type-specificity remains ...