Eif1a, eukaryotic translation initiation factor 1A, is a highly conserved gene encoding a translation initiation factor in eukaryotes. It plays multiple crucial roles in translation initiation, including the assembly of ribosomal pre-initiation complexes, mRNA binding, scanning, and ribosomal subunit joining. It interacts with several other translation initiation factors, such as eIF5B, eIF5, and Ago2, and is involved in pathways like miRNA biogenesis and RNA interference [2,3,4,5].

In human pituitary adenoma (PA) research, knockdown of Eif1a via lentivirus-mediated construction of knockdown cell models revealed that its depletion seriously limits cell proliferation, weakens cell migration capacity, and enhances tumor cell apoptosis. Mechanistically, this may involve activation of the MAPK signaling pathway and inactivation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway [1].

In conclusion, Eif1a is essential for translation-related biological processes. Its study through gene-knockdown models has revealed its role in promoting tumor cell proliferation and migration in pituitary adenoma, providing insights into the disease mechanism and potential therapeutic targets.

References:

1. Geng, Rongxin, Zhu, Xiaonan, Tao, Xiang, Liu, Junhui, Xu, Haitao. 2021. EIF1A depletion restrains human pituitary adenoma progression. In Translational oncology, 15, 101299. doi:10.1016/j.tranon.2021.101299. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34864402/

2. Yi, Tingfang, Arthanari, Haribabu, Akabayov, Barak, Huang, Stephen A, Wagner, Gerhard. 2015. eIF1A augments Ago2-mediated Dicer-independent miRNA biogenesis and RNA interference. In Nature communications, 6, 7194. doi:10.1038/ncomms8194. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26018492/

3. Nag, Nabanita, Lin, Kai Ying, Edmonds, Katherine A, Marintcheva, Boriana, Marintchev, Assen. 2016. eIF1A/eIF5B interaction network and its functions in translation initiation complex assembly and remodeling. In Nucleic acids research, 44, 7441-56. doi:10.1093/nar/gkw552. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27325746/

4. Gamble, Nathan, Paul, Eleanor Elise, Anand, Bibin, Marintchev, Assen. 2022. Regulation of the interactions between human eIF5 and eIF1A by the CK2 kinase. In Current research in structural biology, 4, 308-319. doi:10.1016/j.crstbi.2022.09.003. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36164648/

5. Lin, Kai Ying, Nag, Nabanita, Pestova, Tatyana V, Marintchev, Assen. 2018. Human eIF5 and eIF1A Compete for Binding to eIF5B. In Biochemistry, 57, 5910-5920. doi:10.1021/acs.biochem.8b00839. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30211544/