International Journal of Molecular Sciences Review Effects of Oxidative Stress on Protein Translation: Implications for Cardiovascular Diseases Arnab Ghosh * and Natalia Shcherbik * Department for Cell Biology and Neuroscience, School of Osteopathic Medicine, Rowan University, 2 Medical Center Drive, Stratford, NJ 08084, USA * Correspondence:
[email protected] (A.G.);
[email protected] (N.S.); Tel.: +1-856-566-6907 (A.G.); +1-856-566-6914 (N.S.) Received: 24 March 2020; Accepted: 9 April 2020; Published: 11 April 2020 Abstract: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a group of disorders that affect the heart and blood vessels. Due to their multifactorial nature and wide variation, CVDs are the leading cause of death worldwide. Understanding the molecular alterations leading to the development of heart and vessel pathologies is crucial for successfully treating and preventing CVDs. One of the causative factors of CVD etiology and progression is acute oxidative stress, a toxic condition characterized by elevated intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Left unabated, ROS can damage virtually any cellular component and affect essential biological processes, including protein synthesis. Defective or insufficient protein translation results in production of faulty protein products and disturbances of protein homeostasis, thus promoting pathologies. The relationships between translational dysregulation, ROS, and cardiovascular disorders will be examined in this review. Keywords: protein translation; ribosome; RNA; IRES; uORF; miRNA; cardiovascular diseases; reactive oxygen species; oxidative stress; antioxidants 1. Introduction The process of protein synthesis, or protein translation, constitutes the last and final step of the central dogma of molecular biology: assembly of polypeptides based on the information encoded by mRNAs. This complex process employs multiple essential players, including ribosomes, mRNAs, tRNAs, and numerous translational factors, enzymes, and regulatory proteins.