Inhibition of Ribosome Recruitment Induces Stress Granule Formation Independently of Eukaryotic Initiation Factor 2α Phosphorylation

Interfering with eIF4A activity induces the formation of stress granules independently of eIF2alpha phosphorylation.

• Stress granules are cellular structures that emerge during stress, containing stalled translation complexes.
• eIF2alpha phosphorylation is known to be necessary for stress granule formation.
• Inhibition of eIF4A, an RNA helicase, leads to stress granule formation without requiring eIF2alpha phosphorylation.
• eIF2alpha can still be phosphorylated under stress even when eIF4A activity is inhibited.
• Stress granules also assemble following the inhibition of cap-dependent translation after poliovirus infection.
• Stress granule formation may occur through both eIF2alpha phosphorylation-dependent and -independent mechanisms targeting translation initiation.

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