Translational control at the synapse is thought to be a key determinant of neuronal plasticity. How is such control implemented? We report that small untranslated BC1 RNA is a specific effector of translational control both in vitro and in vivo. BC1 RNA, expressed in neurons and germ cells, inhibits a rate-limiting step in the assembly of translation initiation complexes. A translational repres...

Atovaquone, a substituted hydroxynaphthoquinone, is a potent antimalarial drug that acts by inhibiting the parasite's mitochondrial cytochrome bc1 complex (cyt bc1). Mutations in cyt bc1 confer atovaquone resistance. Here we describe the X-ray structure of mitochondrial cyt bc1 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae with atovaquone bound in the catalytic Qo site, at 3.0-Å resolution. A polarized H-bond ...

The respiratory chain cytochrome bc1 complex (cyt bc1) is a major target of numerous antibiotics and fungicides. All cyt bc1 inhibitors act on either the ubiquinol oxidation (QP) or ubiquinone reduction (QN) site. The primary cause of resistance to bc1 inhibitors is target site mutations, creating a need for novel agents that act on alternative sites within the cyt bc1 to overcome resistance. P...

ID elements are short interspersed repetitive DNA elements (SINEs) which have amplified in rodent genomes via retroposition, a process involving an RNA intermediate. BC1, an abundant ID-related transcript, is transcribed from a conserved, single-copy gene in rodents. The gene encoding BC1 RNA represents one of the earliest and possibly the first ID-containing sequence. Comparison of consensus s...

Atovaquone is a substituted 2-hydroxynaphthoquinone that is used therapeutically to treat Plasmodium falciparum malaria, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, and Toxoplasma gondii toxoplasmosis. It is thought to act on these organisms by inhibiting the cytochrome bc1 complex. We have examined the interaction of atovaquone with the bc1 complex isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a surrogate, nonp...

The fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), the functional absence of which causes fragile X syndrome, is an RNA-binding protein that has been implicated in the regulation of local protein synthesis at the synapse. The mechanism of FMRP's interaction with its target mRNAs, however, has remained controversial. In one model, it has been proposed that BC1 RNA, a small non-protein-coding RNA t...

In neurons, local protein synthesis in synaptodendritic microdomains has been implicated in the growth and plasticity of synapses. Prerequisites for local translation are the targeted transport of RNAs to distal sites of synthesis in dendrites and translational control mechanisms to limit synthesis to times of demand. Here we identify dendritic BC1 RNA as a specific repressor of translation. Ex...

Dopamine D(2) receptor (D(2)DR)-mediated transmission in the striatum is remarkably flexible, and changes in its efficacy have been heavily implicated in a variety of physiological and pathological conditions. Although receptor-associated proteins are clearly involved in specific forms of synaptic plasticity, the molecular mechanisms regulating the sensitivity of D(2) receptors in this brain ar...

BC1 RNA is a small brain specific non-protein coding RNA. It is transported from the cell body into dendrites where it is involved in the fine-tuning translational control. Due to its compactness and established secondary structure, BC1 RNA is an ideal model for investigating the motifs necessary for dendritic localization. Previously, microinjection of in vitro transcribed BC1 RNA mutants into...

Interspecific hybridization between commercial and wild canes followed by backcrossing may transfer favorable alleles responsible for drought tolerance in sugarcane. Our study aimed to assess the distribution of BC1 individuals on leaf anatomy classify them regarding heterosis values. Five populations were established using a Saccharum spp. hybrid as donor female F1 interspecific hybrids recurr...