Translatomics for Arabidopsis thaliana, Mouse Heart and Aquaporin in grapevine
Recent Publications Harnessing the Power of Translatomics
Every week we provide a digest of a small number of recent interesting papers in the field of translatomics.
In this week’s Sunday papers,
- Rincon Diaz, D. et al. find that gcn2 Arabidopsis mutants maintain wild-type-like protein synthesis rates under methyl jasmonate exposure.
- Warren C.M et al. find a substantial fraction of the endothelial-associated proteins were discordantly regulated relative to their transcripts.
- Guan, L. et al. find an additional level of aquaporin post-transcriptional control that finely tuning vines to changing external conditions.
GCN2 is activated by methyl jasmonate through GCN1 and reactive oxygen species in Arabidopsis thaliana
Scientific Reports, 2026
Rincon Diaz, D., Wynn, M.E., Asiedu, E., Akuoko, T.K. and Lokdarshi, A.
In Arabidopsis thaliana, plants dynamically fine-tune protein synthesis to maintain a delicate balance between growth and environmental stress responses. The researchers demonstrated that the defense hormone methyl jasmonate triggers eIF2α phosphorylation via a process that is fundamentally light-dependent. This activation relies directly on active photosynthesis, with chloroplast-derived reactive oxygen species acting as essential upstream signal transducers. Furthermore, the molecular scaffold protein GCN1 proved indispensable for this response, as gcn1 loss-of-function mutants failed to induce robust eIF2α phosphorylation upon hormone exposure. Disruption of this GCN1-GCN2 signaling pathway directly affected plant development, with both gcn1 and gcn2 mutant seedlings exhibiting heightened sensitivity to methyl jasmonate, characterized by significantly restricted primary root growth.
Surprisingly, translatomic analysis using polysome profiling revealed that overall translation rates in gcn2 mutants remained largely comparable to wild-type levels, even under hormone stress when eIF2α phosphorylation was compromised. This key discovery demonstrates that the GCN2 pathway in plants does not drive a massive, global shutdown of bulk protein synthesis. Instead, GCN2-mediated translational regulation operates through a more nuanced mechanism, fine-tuning the translation of specific transcript subsets and directing downstream metabolic adaptations to properly coordinate growth with defense signaling.
Learn more about EIRNABio’s polysome profiling services here.
Co-translational profiling in the cardiac endothelium in response to LPS-induced inflammation in female mice in vivo: a proof-of-concept approach
Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, 2026
Warren, C.M., Swaminathan, B., Langa, P., Villa, S.R., Thompson, W.C., Chrzanowska, M., Kitajewski, J.K., Solaro, R.J., Wolska, B.M. and Goldspink, P.H.
The researchers present a proof-of-concept multi-omics framework that captures cell-type-specific co-translational dynamics directly within intact mammalian organs. The production of functional proteins relies heavily on tightly coupled processes between mRNA translation and nascent polypeptide maturation on active ribosomes. However, characterizing these co-translational events within discrete cellular populations in vivo has historically posed major technical challenges. To bridge this gap, the authors developed a novel, cell-type-resolved approach using an inducible endothelial-specific RiboTag transgenic mouse model (Cdh5-CreERT2 × RiboTag) to isolate active translation complexes specifically from the cardiac endothelium of female mice subjected to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced systemic inflammation.
By capturing ribosome-bound mRNA complexes and their associated nascent polypeptide chains from cardiac tissue homogenates via immunoprecipitation, the team coupled translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP) with parallel multi-omics sequencing and mass spectrometry. Specifically, integrated RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was combined with multiplexed quantitative MS3 mass spectrometry to establish a high-resolution, paired map of the active translatome and nascent proteome. Bioinformatic alignment confirmed robust enrichment for endothelial-specific marker transcripts – such as Cdh5 (VE-cadherin) and Pecam1 (CD31), alongside a marked depletion of non-endothelial lineage markers belonging to cardiomyocytes, fibroblasts, and smooth muscle cells.
Under acute LPS stress, co-translational profiling captures dynamic shifts in translational efficiency and protein synthesis that traditional transcriptomics fail to detect. The multi-omic analysis uncovered a coordinated activation of immune-inflammatory signaling cascades. Crucially, by measuring active protein synthesis directly rather than inferring it from transcript abundance, this platform demonstrates that paired TRAP and targeted nascent proteomics can delineate how specific vascular cell populations dynamically rewire their translational machinery during acute systemic inflammation in vivo.
Learn more about EIRNABio’s ribosome profiling services here.
Aquaporin translation tunes plant water transport to external conditions in grapevine
Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, 2025
Guan, L., Valenzuela, A.V., Sharma, G., Faralli, M., Moser, M., Navarro-Payá, D., Moser, C., Viero, G., Baraldi, E. and Pilati, S.
In grapevine (Vitis vinifera), effective water management is vital for survival during environmental fluctuations and significantly influences fruit quality and crop yield. This study demonstrates how translational control regulates aquaporin expression during water deficit and subsequent recovery. Using a grafted cultivar model (‘Pinot Noir’ on ‘Kober 5BB’ rootstock), the researchers evaluated the expression dynamics of six key water channel targets, specifically three Plasma Membrane Intrinsic Proteins (PIPs) and three Tonoplast Intrinsic Proteins (TIPs), across leaves and roots.
To dissect post-transcriptional mechanisms, the team applied translatomic tools, utilizing polysome profiling coupled with transcript co-sedimentation analysis to monitor how actively translating ribosomal complexes associate with specific aquaporin mRNAs. Under water deficit conditions, translatomic analysis revealed a general negative impact on aquaporin translation, which was particularly significant for VviTIP1-3. Conversely, within just six hours of rewatering, the plants exhibited a robust surge in translational reactivation across nearly all evaluated aquaporin isoforms.
While prolonged drought led to transcriptomic down-regulation of aquaporins in roots to limit long-term water loss, translational tuning provided a more immediate, post-transcriptional regulatory switch. In leaves, specific genes such as VviPIP2-5 and VviTIP2-1 showed strong modulation during water deficit and recovery, positively correlating with key physiological indicators including stomatal conductance and leaf water potential. By demonstrating that aquaporin translation dynamically responds to water status and rapidly reactivates upon rewatering, this study highlights translatomic regulation as a fundamental mechanism by which grapevines fine-tune cellular water transport and maintain homeostasis during environmental stress.
Learn more about EIRNABio’s polysome profiling services here.
