Genetic variation shapes protein networks mainly through non-transcriptional mechanisms
2011

Genetic Variation and Protein Networks

Sample size: 95 publication Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Foss EJ, Radulovic D, Shaffer SA, Goodlett DR, Kruglyak L

Hypothesis

Can variations in protein levels across genetically distinct yeast strains be explained by corresponding levels of variation in their underlying transcripts?

Conclusion

The study found that variations in transcript levels cannot account for most of the observed variations in protein levels, indicating that post-transcriptional mechanisms play a significant role.

Supporting Evidence

  • Proteins involved in two biological processes are tightly co-regulated, but do not necessarily correlate with transcript levels.
  • Only 27% of the genes showed a good correlation between transcript and protein levels.
  • Post-transcriptional mechanisms are significant determinants of proteome variation.

Takeaway

This study shows that just because there are different amounts of a gene's transcript doesn't mean there will be different amounts of the protein it makes; other factors are more important.

Methodology

The researchers measured protein and transcript levels in 95 genetically distinct yeast strains using advanced statistical techniques and mass spectrometry.

Participant Demographics

Genetically distinct yeast strains

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pbio.1001144

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