Review
Amino acids as regulators of gene expression
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* Corresponding author: Leonard S Jefferson jjefferson@psu.edu
Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
Nutrition & Metabolism 2004, 1:3 doi:10.1186/1743-7075-1-3
Published: 17 August 2004Abstract
The role of amino acids as substrates for protein synthesis is well documented. However, a function for amino acids in modulating the signal transduction pathways that regulate mRNA translation has only recently been described. Interesting, some of the signaling pathways regulated by amino acids overlap with those classically associated with the cellular response to hormones such as insulin and insulin-like growth factors. The focus of this review is on the signaling pathways regulated by amino acids, with a particular emphasis on the branched-chain amino acid leucine, and the steps in mRNA translation controlled by the signaling pathways.