The interdependence of transcript and protein abundance: new data--new complexities

Abstract

The relative contribution of transcriptional and translational regulation in gene expression control has been intensely debated and remains a challenging question. Recent reports have suggested that protein abundance in mammalian cells is primarily controlled at the transcript‐level. In their recent work, Cheng et al (2016) determined the proteomic and transcriptomic changes in cells responding to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Their analyses indicate that the ER stress response is significantly controlled at both the transcript and protein levels.

Figure 1. The relative contribution of mRNA‐level (transcriptional control) and protein‐level (protein synthesis and degradation control) regulations is context dependent

Based on the data from Jovanovic et al (2015), Cheng et al (2016) and previous studies on steady‐state measurements (Schwanhausser et al, 2011; Vogel & Marcotte, 2012), the relative contribution of translational processes controlling protein abundance seems to increase with the increasing severity of stress and to depend on the kind of perturbation applied. LPS, lipopolysaccharide; DTT, dithiothreitol.