High impact information on eif4e1b

• Sequence comparisons suggest that the two genes probably evolved from a duplication event that occurred during vertebrate evolution. eIF4E-1A is expressed ubiquitously in zebrafish, whereas expression of eIF4E-1B is restricted to early embryonic development and to gonads and muscle of the tissues investigated [1].
• Eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) is an essential component of the translational machinery that binds m(7)GTP and mediates the recruitment of capped mRNAs by the small ribosomal subunit [1].
• In zebrafish eIF4E (zeIF4E) mRNA levels are elevated in specific tissues and at specific times during embryogenesis [2].
• The zeIF4E gene spans about 14 kb and like its human counterpart is comprised of seven exons [2].
• Thus, specific transcriptional activation from the distal start-site may provide a unique mechanism for transcriptional regulation of the levels, as well as the function of zeIF4E mRNAs [2].

Biological context of eif4e1b

• Molecular analyses and in situ hybridization reveal a potential role for eIF4E in regulating protein synthesis during vertebrate oogenesis, gastrulation, and erythropoiesis [3].
• As a cell-cycle regulator, mesoderm inducer and proto-oncogene, the amount and activity of the translational factor eIF4E must be under strict control, but the range of its expression and its concentration as a function of position and time in the developing embryo are unknown [3].
• The dynamic and asymmetric expression of eIF4E during zebrafish embryogenesis reveals that this ostensibly general translation factor may act as a tissue-specific translational enhancer [3].

References