Abstract
We investigated genome-wide changes in mRNA translation in Oryza sativa cells exposed to heat stress. Polysome/microarray analyses showed that the O. sativa mRNA translation state is regulated differentially among different mRNA species; the majority of transcripts show varying degrees of translational repression, while a subset of transcripts escape such repression and remain actively translated. To further characterization of translational control, we searched for group of genes encoding protein with similar biological function (functional categories) that show a differential response from all other genes. Some functional categories were recalcitrant or hypersensitive to translational repression under heat stress. Moreover, we directly compared the changes in translation state imposed by heat stress in O. sativa and Arabidopsis thaliana at the level of functional categories. Some functional categories were overlapped and recalcitrant or hypersensitive upon heat stress in two plants, suggesting the physiological importance of translational control in response to heat stress.
