To start, or not to start, that is the recurring question faced by eukaryotic ribosomes as they scan mRNA for translation start sites. A study now shows that two opposing initiation factors, which bind the ribosome in a mutually exclusive manner, assist in this decision-making process.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$32.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Andreev, D. E. et al. Genome Biol. 23, 111 (2022).
Dever, T. E., Ivanov, I. P. & Hinnebusch, A. G. Genes Dev. 37, 474–489 (2023).
Brito Querido, J., Diaz-Lopez, I. & Ramakrishnan, V. Nat. Rev. Mol. Cell Biol. 25, 168–186 (2024).
Llaácer, J. L. et al. eLife 7, e39273 (2018).
Grosely, R. et al. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41594-025-01629-y (2025).
Chen, J. et al. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 111, 664–669 (2014).
Lapointe, C. P. et al. Nature 607, 185–190 (2022).
Petrychenko, V. et al. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 32, 62–72 (2025).
Llacer, J. L. et al. Mol. Cell 59, 399–412 (2015).
Das, S., Ghosh, R. & Maitra, U. J. Biol. Chem. 276, 6720–6726 (2001).
Ly, J. et al. Nature 635, 490–498 (2024).
Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge support from the National Science and Technology Council (grant numbers 112-2311-B-002-008-MY3 and 113-2311-B-002-006 to J.-D.W.) and thank Wallace Academic Editing for English-language editing.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chen, YL., Wen, JD. Two dynamically competing factors determine the translation start site. Nat Struct Mol Biol (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41594-025-01664-9
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41594-025-01664-9
