Translation articles from across Nature Portfolio

The mini alanyl-tRNA synthetase of the Tupanvirus, lacking the editing and C-Ala domains, can functionally substitute for its yeast counterpart in vivo and has developed a new tRNA-binding mode in absence of C-Ala.

Genetic circuits that control transgene expression in response to pre-defined transcriptional cues would enable the development of smart therapeutics. Here the authors engineer programmable RNA sensors, DART VADARs, in which ADARs autocatalytically convert target hybridization into a translational output, thus amplifying editing by endogenous ADAR via positive feedback and conferring high dynamic range and a small genetic footprint.

Regulation of 60S biogenesis remains poorly understood. Using cryo-EM, the authors show that failure of Spb1 to methylate the A-loop nucleotide G2922  prematurely activates the GTPase Nog2, suggesting that Spb1 and Nog2 form a kinetic checkpoint during ribosome maturation.

Developments in cryo-EM sample preparation and data collection are pivotal for structure determination. Fromm et al. present a 1.55 Å structure of the translating bacterial ribosome that provides new insights on its function and may allow for more precise structure-based drug design.

Ribosome collisions serve as proxy for aberrant translation to initiate rescue and quality control pathways. Here, authors elucidate the molecular mechanism of collided ribosome clearance by the ribosome quality control trigger complex.