HuD stimulates translation via eIF4A

Abstract

In this issue of Molecular Cell, Fukao et al. (2009) report that HuD upregulates mRNA translation through direct interaction with eIF4A in the 5' cap-binding complex, revealing a posttranscriptional role for HuD in neuronal development and plasticity.

Figure 1. Models for HuD-mediated translation enhancement

(A) General translation enhancement. This model proposes that HuD functions as an autonomous translation activator through its interactions with eIF4A and the poly(A) tail. (B) Transcript-specific translation enhancement. This model proposes that HuD first associates with mRNA targets through binding to AU-rich or U-rich sequences (e.g., ARE) in the 3' UTRs to exert its translation enhancing effect.