Translational regulation shapes the molecular landscape of complex disease phenotypes
Authors
- S. Schafer
- E. Adami
- M. Heinig
- K.E. Costa Rodrigues
- F. Kreuchwig
- J. Silhavy
- S. van Heesch
- D. Simaite
- N. Rajewsky
- E. Cuppen
- M. Pravenec
- M. Vingron
- S.A. Cook
- N. Hubner
Journal
- Nature Communications
Citation
- Nat Commun 6: 7200
Abstract
The extent of translational control of gene expression in mammalian tissues remains largely unknown. Here we perform genome-wide RNA sequencing and ribosome profiling in heart and liver tissues to investigate strain-specific translational regulation in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR/Ola). For the most part, transcriptional variation is equally apparent at the translational level and there is limited evidence of translational buffering. Remarkably, we observe hundreds of strain-specific differences in translation, almost doubling the number of differentially expressed genes. The integration of genetic, transcriptional and translational data sets reveals distinct signatures in 3'UTR variation, RNA-binding protein motifs and miRNA expression associated with translational regulation of gene expression. We show that a large number of genes associated with heart and liver traits in human genome-wide association studies are primarily translationally regulated. Capturing interindividual differences in the translated genome will lead to new insights into the genes and regulatory pathways underlying disease phenotypes.