NCBI Summary:
The protein encoded by this gene is a nucleocytoplasmic shuttle protein for the translation initiation factor eIF4E. This shuttle protein interacts with the importin alpha-beta complex to mediate nuclear import of eIF4E. It is predominantly cytoplasmic;its own nuclear import is regulated by a nuclear localization signal and nuclear export signals.
General function
Protein biosynthesis, Translation factor
Comment
Cellular localization
Cytoplasmic
Comment
Ovarian function
Comment
Clast4, the murine homologue of human eIF4E-Transporter, is highly expressed in developing oocytes and post-translationally modified at meiotic maturation Villaescusa JC, et al .
In metazoans, translational regulation of a set of maternal mRNAs directs oocyte maturation and early embryogenesis. These transcripts are often kept dormant until their products are spatially and temporally required in development. The interaction between general translation factors (i.e. eIF4E) and their specific interactors influences translation initiation. A search of the protein database for a mouse homologue of the Drosophila Cup protein, a translational repressor during female germ-line development, identified the product of the Clast4 gene. In this report, we show that Clast4 mRNA and protein are highly expressed within the cytoplasm of growing oocytes. The Clast4 protein is stable during this developmental window and post-translationally modified by phosphorylation upon oocyte meiotic maturation. Additionally, we show that Clast4 and eIF4E directly interact by means of a canonical and functional eIF4E-binding motif. Our results suggest that Clast4, similar to Drosophila Cup, may act at the translational level during murine female germ-line development.
Expression regulated by
Comment
Ovarian localization
Oocyte
Comment
Follicle stages
Antral, Preovulatory
Comment
Phenotypes
Mutations
Links
OMIM
(Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man: an excellent source of general gene description and genetic information.)
OMIM \ Animal Model KEGG Pathways