Figure 1.

Messenger ribonucleoprotein compex dynamics during stress. Under normal conditions (left panel), several mRNAs exist in the cytoplasm and are normally translated. Some of these mRNAs can be degraded depending on the several translation rounds, and translation is repressed for some of them. Upon stress (right panel), most mRNAs leave the polysomes and are directed to either the degradation machinery or specific mRNP complexes (RNA granules), where they remain silent until normal conditions are restored. Few mRNAs are translated under conditions of stress. mRNP: Messenger ribonucleoprotein compex.