Signaling pathways regulating protein synthesis during ageing

Ageing in many organisms, including humans, is accompanied by marked alterations in both general and specific protein synthesis. Protein synthesis is normally under tight control by a broad array of regulatory factors, which facilitate appropriate rates of mRNA translation. Are the wide changes in protein synthesis simply a corollary of the ageing process or do they have a causative role in senescent decline? The jury is still out on this important question. Nevertheless, recent studies reveal an intimate interface between mechanisms that govern the translation of mRNA and molecular pathways implicated in ageing. In our manuscript we consider these links, which potentially underlie age-associated changes in protein synthesis.