title: Biological roles of translin and translin-associated factor-X: RNA metabolism comes to the fore.
abstract: Translin, and its binding partner protein TRAX (translin-associated factor-X) are a paralogous pair of conserved proteins, which have been implicated in a broad spectrum of biological activities, including cell growth regulation, mRNA processing, spermatogenesis, neuronal development/function, genome stability regulation and carcinogenesis, although their precise role in some of these processes remains unclear. Furthermore, translin (with or without TRAX) has nucleic-acid-binding activity and it is apparent that controlling nucleic acid metabolism and distribution are central to the biological role(s) of this protein and its partner TRAX. More recently, translin and TRAX have together been identified as enhancer components of an RNAi (RNA interference) pathway in at least one organism and this might provide critical insight into the biological roles of this enigmatic partnership. In the present review we discuss the biological and the biochemical properties of these proteins that indicate that they play a central and important role in eukaryotic cell biology.
authors.affiliation: North West Cancer Research Fund Institute, College of Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Memorial Building, Deiniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Alessa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jaendling
authors.forename: Ramsay J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: McFarlane
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004330:Drosophila / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D030342:Genetic Diseases, Inborn / Q000209:etiology; D042822:Genomic Instability; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D012313:RNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D034622:RNA Interference; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; C095563:TSN protein, human; C498305:TSNAX protein, human; C542957:Trax protein, Drosophila; C498303:Tsn protein, mouse; C498306:Tsnax protein, mouse; C509504:trsn protein, Drosophila; D012313:RNA