Pelota mRNA surveillance and ribosome rescue factor (PELO)

Pelota mRNA surveillance and ribosome rescue factor (PELO) is an evolutionarily conserved protein essential for cellular mRNA quality control and ribosome rescue. It functions in No-Go Decay and Non-Stop Decay pathways, collaborating with factors such as Hbs1 and ABCE1 to recognize and dissociate stalled ribosomes, thus preventing translational arrest, facilitating degradation of aberrant mRNAs, and maintaining proteostasis and fidelity of protein synthesis. In humans and other metazoans, PELO helps regulate cell proliferation, stem cell renewal, and longevity by suppressing stress from stalled translation and proteotoxicity. It also modulates oncogenic receptor tyrosine kinase signaling (e.g., HER2, EGFR), acting as a negative regulator of metastasis, and participates in the assembly of inflammasomes for innate immunity. Loss or dysregulation of PELO impairs ribosome recycling, disrupts stem cell maintenance, accelerates cellular aging, increases vulnerability to neurodegeneration, and affects transposon silencing in the germline. There are presently no drugs in clinical use that target PELO directly.

Other names

Protein pelota homologCGI-17hPelotaProtein Dom34 homologPRO1770Pelota homolog

Not applicable; PELO is not a drug target. Its endogenous mechanism includes: Facilitating dissociation of stalled ribosomes and associated defective mRNAs; Maintaining translational fidelity and protein homeostasis; Attenuating oncogenic signaling via interaction with receptor tyrosine kinases.