Although considered an extremely unlikely event, many genes emerge from previously
noncoding genomic regions. This review covers the entire life cycle of such de novo genes …

Protein synthesis underpins much of cell growth and, consequently, cell multiplication.
Understanding how proliferating cells commit and progress into the cell cycle requires …

Degeneracy in the genetic code, which enables a single protein to be encoded by a
multitude of synonymous gene sequences, has an important role in regulating protein …

Cells respond to their environment by modulating protein levels through mRNA transcription
and post-transcriptional control. Modest observed correlations between global steady-state …

The recent advent of ribosome profiling—sequencing of short ribosome-bound fragments of
mRNA—has offered an unprecedented opportunity to interrogate the sequence features …

Ribosomes elongate at a nonuniform rate during translation. Theoretical models and
experiments disagree on the in vivo determinants of elongation rate and the mechanism by …

The universal tRNA modification t6A is found at position 37 of nearly all tRNAs decoding
ANN codons. The absence of t6A37 leads to severe growth defects in baker's yeast …

Natural selection favors efficient expression of encoded proteins, but the causes,
mechanisms, and fitness consequences of evolved coding changes remain an area of …

Heritable differences in gene expression between individuals are an important source of
phenotypic variation. The question of how closely the effects of genetic variation on protein …

Decay of mRNAs can be triggered by ribosome slowdown at stretches of rare codons or
positively charged amino acids. However, the full diversity of sequences that trigger co …