title: Human protein synthesis initiation factor eIF-4 gamma is encoded by a single gene (EIF4G) that maps to chromosome 3q27-qter.
abstract: Messenger RNA binding to the ribosome, the rate-limiting step in eukaryotic protein synthesis, is catalyzed by the eIF-4 group of initiation factors. These factors collectively bind to the m7GTP-containing cap of mRNA and unwind mRNA secondary structure at the expense of ATP. One member of the group, eIF-4 gamma, is the target for proteolytic cleavage during picornavirus infection, an event that is thought to be responsible for the inhibition of host cellular mRNA translation. Human eIF-4 gamma migrates as a cluster of polypeptides in the range of 200-220 kDa during SDS-PAGE, raising the possibility that it is a family of proteins encoded by separate genes. In this study, we present genomic Southern blotting results which indicate that there is only a single gene, here designated EIF4G. Furthermore, we have employed a PCR approach to map EIF4G to chromosome 3q27-qter.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Louisiana State University Medical Center, Shreveport 71130, USA.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Rhoads
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002893:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 3; D006224:Cricetinae; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005796:Genes; D006801:Humans; D006822:Hybrid Cells; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010448:Peptide Initiation Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D010448:Peptide Initiation Factors; C077382:eIF-4gamma