Translational profiling: The genome-wide measure of the nascent proteome

Translation in eukaryotic cells is both physically and temporally separated from transcription. This provides cells with extended options to alter their proteome: (1) directly, by synchronizing translation with an altering transcriptional profile; (2) by imposing a changed translational control over transcripts already present in the transcriptome; or (3) by a combination of (1) and (2). In this paper, recent findings in the controlled translation of the transcriptome using microarray analyses are reviewed. A guide to the current technologies and data analysis is also provided, and future directions in the study of translational control as the interface between the transcriptome and the proteome are outlined. This survey is focused on the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but the topics covered have universal relevance to the control of translation in eukaryotic cells.