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Yeast Cell-Free Translation Systems

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Cell-Free Translation Systems

Abstract

Translation in eukaryotes is well conserved among higher eukaryotes, such as mammals, and in lower eukaryotes, such as the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Since yeast cells are easy to handle and amenable to very powerful genetic and biochemical analysis, the yeast system represents an attractive model system for studies on the mechanism and regulation of eukaryotic translation. The first cell-free systems capable of initiating translation on exogenous mRNA were prepared from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the late 1970’s. These extracts show cap- and poly(A)-dependent translation, whereby the cap structure and the poly(A) tail on the mRNA lead to synergistic stimulation. Yeast extracts can be made dependent on exogenous translation factors by inactivation of the endogenous factor activity through various means, including downregulation of factor synthesis, expression of conditional lethal factor or knock-out mutants and inhibition of factor activity by antibodies. Such systems have been used to extend and deepen our knowledge of the mechanism of translation initiation, protein targeting and translation termination.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Berne, Bühlstrasse 28, 3012, Berne, Switzerland

    Hans Trachsel

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  1. Michael Altmann
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  2. Hans Trachsel
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Protein Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142292, Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia

    Alexander S. Spirin

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© 2002 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelbreg

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Altmann, M., Trachsel, H. (2002). Yeast Cell-Free Translation Systems. In: Spirin, A.S. (eds) Cell-Free Translation Systems. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59379-6_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-59379-6_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-63956-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-59379-6

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