# Atomic-Resolution Analysis of eIF3-Mediated Translation Control

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY · 2020 · $361,683

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Protein biosynthesis directly couples genotype to phenotype in the cell, and its regulation is central to cellular
physiology. Our understanding of the molecular mechanism of protein synthesis has undergone a revolution in
the last decade, built on rapid advances in structural biology and systems biology. However, important
questions relating to dynamic events in translation remain unanswered, as the transient nature of these events
makes them difficult to isolate. In this application, we propose to decipher the molecular mechanisms of how
eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 (eIF3) in humans regulates translation initiation. We recently discovered
that human eIF3 serves multiple roles in translation. Human eIF3 generally helps assemble translation
preinitiation complexes at the start codon, but also directly controls the translation of specific mRNAs. We
found that eIF3 can either activate or repress the translation of an mRNA, depending on how eIF3 binds to the
mRNA's 5' untranslated region (5' UTR). Furthermore, we discovered that eIF3 harbors a subunit–EIF3D–that
binds the 5'-m7G cap on certain mRNAs in an RNA structure-dependent manner. These discoveries indicate
that eIF3 may integrate multiple signals to control the translational output of individual mRNAs, much like the
Mediator complex in transcription.
The aims in this application build on these groundbreaking results to address fundamental questions of how
eIF3 functions. We propose to determine the structural basis for eIF3-mediated control of specialized
translation, using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and in vitro biochemistry. We will also probe how
mRNAs regulated by eIF3 are structured in living cells, and dissect the functional importance of these
structures to eIF3 regulation and the translational capacity of these mRNAs. Finally, we will use systems
biological approaches to explore how eIF3 contributes to the regulation of translation mediated by N-6-
methyladenosine (m6A) modifications in mRNAs. By combining advances in cryo-EM to our expertise in human
cell engineering, we are in a unique position to unravel the molecular contributions of eIF3 to translation
initiation in humans. Taken together, the three aims of this application build on the fundamental insights into
eIF3 structure and function obtained in the prior funding period, and address key mechanisms in translational
control that could be widespread in human biology. In the long run, our insights into the molecular mechanisms
used in human cells to direct eIF3-mediated activation and repression of specific mRNAs could pave the way
for the development of new small-molecule and cell-based therapeutics.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9849780
- **Project number:** 5R01GM065050-18
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY
- **Principal Investigator:** JAMIE H CATE
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $361,683
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2001-08-01 → 2022-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9849780

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9849780, Atomic-Resolution Analysis of eIF3-Mediated Translation Control (5R01GM065050-18). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9849780. Licensed CC0.

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