mRNPs meet stress granules

Abstract

Stress granules are cytoplasmic structures that form in response to a variety of cellular stresses. They contain mRNAs and many proteins including numerous types of RNA-binding proteins, and have been studied in connection to major cellular events such as protein synthesis as well as disease. Despite the well-known fact that stress granules encapsulate mRNPs (mRNA–protein complexes), much of the research has naturally focused on the protein components of stress granules. The specific details of mRNP entry into and exit from stress granules and the functional reasons for these dynamics are not fully understood. Here, we review studies that have concentrated on the aspects of mRNP accumulation in stress granules and produced quantitative data concerning mRNP/stress granule interactions.