mRNA-ribosome dynamics control cell growth
Cell growth underlies nearly all eukaryotic physiology, yet its quantitative principles remain unclear. Using single-molecule ribosome tracking, spike-in RNA sequencing, and quantitative proteomics across 15 nutrient-limited conditions in budding yeast, we define how growth is controlled in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Ribosome concentration scales linearly with growth rate, while peptide elongation speed remains constant at ~9 amino acids s?¹, implying elongation is not a regulatory lever as in bacteria. Instead, total mRNA concentration increases proportionally with ribosomes to accelerate growth. A simple kinetic model of mRNA–ribosome binding accurately predicts the fraction of active ribosomes, growth rate, and responses to transcriptional or size perturbations. Consistent with this model, transient inhibition of mRNA degradation boosts growth by elevating mRNA concentration. These results reveal that eukaryotic cells accelerate proliferation primarily by proportionally scaling mRNA and ribosome abundance, establishing a quantitative framework for understanding eukaryotic biosynthesis.