New research elucidates a master regulator of protein production

Proteins are among the most important molecular building blocks of life. They themselves are built from amino acids linked together based on the information in our genetic material. In this process, the genetic code is translated into a sequence of amino acids. However, this translation is only the first step. Often, special enzymes modify the new (nascent) proteins as they leave their cellular production site—the ribosome. Only after this can the proteins fulfill their diverse biological functions.