RGG motif proteins: modulators of mRNA functional states.

A recent report demonstrates that a subset of RGG-motif proteins can bind translation initiation factor eIF4G and repress mRNA translation. This adds to the growing number of roles RGG-motif proteins play in modulating transcription, splicing, mRNA export and now translation. Herein, we review the nature and breadth of functions of RGG-motif proteins. In addition, the interaction of some RGG-motif proteins and other translation repressors with eIF4G highlights the role of eIF4G as a general modulator of mRNA function and not solely as a translation initiation factor.