Essential role of translation factor eIF5a in cytokine production and cell cycle regulation in primary CD8 T lymphocytes

Translational control adjusts protein production rapidly and facilitates local cellular responses to environmental conditions. Translation can be regulated through sequestration of mRNAs by regulatory proteins or RNAs, but also by the availability of ribosomes and translation factors which enable initiation and elongation of nascent polypeptides. Traditionally initiation of mRNA translation has been considered to be a major translational control point, however, control of peptide elongation can also play a role. Here we show that post-translational modification of the elongation factor, eIF5a, controls translation of subsets of proteins in naive T-cells upon activation. Sequencing of nascent polypeptides indicated that functional eIF5a was required for the production of proteins which regulate T-cell proliferation and effector function. Control of translation in multiple immune cell lineages is required to co-ordinate immune responses and these data illustrate that translational elongation can contribute to post-transcriptional regulons important for the control of inflammation.