Living cells change their patterns of gene expression to respond to microenvironment and the translatome analysis provides substantial and somewhat surprising new information of their regulatory schemes or mechanisms. Diarylheptanoids (AO-0001, AO-0002 and AO-0003) isolated from Alpinia officinarum have been shown to exhibit cytotoxic activity, inhibitory activity of proinflammatory mediators and antiviral activity. However, the precise targets of genes and mechanisms of these diarylheptanoids are undefined. Polysome associated mRNAs were prepared form diarylheptanoids treated BJAB cell and the microarray analysis was performed. Transcripts of 37 genes were commonly down regulated and 286 genes were commonly up regulated by these three diarylheptanoids. Among these transcripts, hnRNPC, hnRNPK, NONO and polypyrimidine tract binding protein 1 have been identified as the IRES-trans-acting factors. Among the cellular IRES-containing mRNAs, AO-0001 up regulated transcript of insulin receptor and AO-0002 down regulated HIAP2 transcript. These studies have provided new insights into the mode of action of diarylheptanoids from A. officinarum.
