EEF1A1 gene

The EEF1A1 gene (EEF1A1 stands for: Eukaryotic Translation Elongation Factor 1 Alpha 1) is a protein-coding gene located on chromosome 6q13. This gene has been found to have multiple copies on many chromosomes, some, though not all, of which represent different pseudogenes. An important paralog of this gene is EEF1A2.

The EEF1A1 gene encodes an isoform of the alpha subunit of the elongation factor 1 complex, which is responsible for the enzymatic transfer of aminoacyl-tRNAs to the ribosome. This isoform (alpha 1) is expressed in the brain, placenta, lungs, liver, kidneys and pancreas, while the other isoform (eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1 alpha 2) is found in the brain, heart and skeletal muscles. The isoform (alpha 1) is identified as an autoantigen in 66 % of patients with Felty syndrome (Ditzel HJ et al. 2000). EEF1A2 is overexpressed in various types of cancer, including gastric carcinoma, indicating possible important functions in tumor development and progression. EEF1A2 is also a significant and independent indicator for predicting poor prognosis of gastric cancer (Yang S et al. 2015).

Eukaryotic elongation factor 1 alpha 1 is a translational elongation factor that catalyzes the GTP-dependent binding of aminoacyl-tRNA (aa-tRNA) to the A-site of ribosomes during the elongation phase of protein synthesis (Ferguson A et al. 2015; Oltion K et al. 2023). Base pairing between the mRNA codon and the aa-tRNA anticodon promotes GTP hydrolysis, which releases the aa-tRNA of EEF1A1 and enables its incorporation into the ribosome (Ferguson A et al. 2015; Oltion K et al. 2023). The growing protein chain is subsequently transferred from the P-site peptidyl-tRNA to the A-site aa-tRNA and extended by one amino acid through ribosome-catalyzed peptide bond formation. Also plays a role in the positive regulation of IFNG transcription in T helper 1 cells as part of an IFNG promoter binding complex with TXK and PARP1 (Maruyama T et al. 2007).

Microbial infections: Required for viral protein translation and viral replication during human coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 infection.

1. Ditzel HJ et al. (2000) Cloning and expression of a novel human antibody-antigen pair associated with Felty's syndrome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 97:9234-9239.
2. Ferguson A et al. (2015) Functional Dynamics within the Human Ribosome Regulate the Rate of Active Protein Synthesis. Mol Cell 60:475-486.
3. Maruyama T et al. (2007) Txk, a member of the non-receptor tyrosine kinase of the Tec family, forms a complex with poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 and elongation factor 1alpha and regulates interferon-gamma gene transcription in Th1 cells. Clin Exp Immunol 147:164-175.
4. Oltion K et al. (2023) An E3 ligase network engages GCN1 to promote the degradation of translation factors on stalled ribosomes. Cell 186:346-362.e17.
5. Pinke DE et al. (2008) The prognostic significance of elongation factor eEF1A2 in ovarian cancer. Gynecol Oncol 108:561-568
6. Yang S et al. (2015) Overexpression of eukaryotic elongation factor 1 alpha-2 is associated with poorer prognosis in patients with gastric cancer. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 1411265-1275.