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Step back for seminal translation

Translation elongation entails a one-codon movement of the mRNA–tRNA complex along the mRNA and is catalyzed by the forward translocase EF-G. The structurally related back-translocase EF4 catalyzes movement in the opposite direction when the ribosome stalls, but its physiological role in mammals had been unknown. Genetic ablation of EF4 in mice is now found to cause testis-specific mitochondrial deficiency and impaired spermatogenesis.

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Figure 1: Distinct cross-talk between the mitochondrial and cytoplasmic translation machinery in somatic and sperm cells.

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Correspondence to Shu-Bing Qian.

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Qian, SB. Step back for seminal translation. Nat Struct Mol Biol 23, 362–363 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb.3217

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