Evolution of biological novelty through specialization of mRNA translation

How do organisms control which proteins they make to drive distinct cellular functions? Every aspect of biology is defined by which proteins each cell expresses. Furthermore, to manifest diverse phenotypes, cells must regulate protein synthesis at both global and gene-specific levels. To address this fundamental question, we leverage diverse cells, viruses, and animals to identify unanticipated principles of mRNA translational control that confer species-specific evolutionary novelty.