P-body

GO:0000932 · Ribonucleoprotein · Other · Proposed

A focus in the cytoplasm where mRNAs may become inactivated by decapping or some other mechanism. Protein and RNA localized to these foci are involved in mRNA degradation, nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), translational repression, and RNA-mediated gene silencing. [GO:0000932]

Synonyms: P body; cytoplasmic mRNA processing body

UniProt location names: UniProt Consortium, CC BY 4.0. Reference label and route sources.

Components

Component	Type	Part of / acts on	Grounding	Genes	Essential	Role
nontranslating mRNA cargo	Rna	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)		ESSENTIAL	Translationally repressed mRNAs concentrated in P-bodies and required for visible P-body assembly. `DOI:10.1261/rna.7258505` Teixeira et al. 2005 reported that yeast processing bodies require RNA for assembly and contain nontranslating mRNAs. `DOI:10.1126/science.1115791` Brengues, Teixeira and Parker 2005 showed exchange of mRNAs between polysomes and cytoplasmic processing bodies.
mRNA decapping and 5-to-3 decay protein cohort	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	DCP1, DCP2, DHH1, XRN1, PAT1	UNKNOWN	mRNA-decapping, decay and decapping-activation proteins concentrated in yeast P-bodies. `DOI:10.1126/science.1082320` Sheth and Parker 2003 provided evidence that mRNA decapping and 5-to-3 decay occur in discrete cytoplasmic yeast foci called processing bodies. `DOI:10.1016/j.molcel.2007.02.011` Parker and Sheth 2007 reviewed P-body proteins involved in mRNA translation control and degradation.
Edc3/Lsm4 P-body assembly scaffolds	Protein	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	EDC3, LSM4	CONDITIONAL	Redundant assembly-promoting proteins that drive formation of microscopically visible Saccharomyces P-bodies under glucose deprivation. `DOI:10.1083/jcb.200704147` Decker, Teixeira and Parker 2007 showed that Edc3p and the Q/N-rich domain of Lsm4p function in processing-body assembly in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Taxonomic distribution

NCBITaxon:2759 Eukaryota — VARIABLE: P-bodies are eukaryotic cytoplasmic mRNA-protein foci, but visible foci vary with lineage, cell state and translational repression or mRNA-decay conditions. [DOI:10.1016/j.molcel.2007.02.011]

Canonical examples

NCBITaxon:4932 Saccharomyces cerevisiae — Budding-yeast model in which decapping and 5-to-3 mRNA decay were localized to cytoplasmic processing bodies. [DOI:10.1126/science.1082320]

Functions

mRNA catabolic process GO:0006402 — P-bodies concentrate factors and nontranslating mRNAs involved in mRNA decapping and decay.
- DOI:10.1126/science.1082320 Sheth and Parker 2003 connected yeast processing bodies to cytoplasmic mRNA decapping and 5-to-3 decay.
- DOI:10.1016/j.molcel.2007.02.011 Parker and Sheth 2007 reviewed how P-bodies participate in mRNA translation control and degradation.

Mechanism graphs

Yeast mRNPs and Edc3/Lsm4 scaffolds assemble P-bodies (ASSEMBLY)

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, nontranslating mRNPs enter cytoplasmic P-bodies, while Edc3 and the Q/N-rich Lsm4 tail promote aggregation into microscopically visible foci.

Subject	Predicate	Object	Evidence
nontranslating mRNA cargo	promotes	P-body assembly	`DOI:10.1261/rna.7258505` Teixeira et al. 2005 showed RNA dependence of yeast P-body assembly and detected nontranslating mRNAs in P-bodies. `DOI:10.1126/science.1115791` Brengues, Teixeira and Parker 2005 tracked movement of mRNAs between polysomes and cytoplasmic processing bodies.
Edc3/Lsm4 P-body assembly scaffolds	promotes	P-body assembly	`DOI:10.1083/jcb.200704147` Decker, Teixeira and Parker 2007 connected Edc3p and the Lsm4p Q/N-rich domain to P-body assembly in S. cerevisiae.
nontranslating mRNA cargo	is concentrated in	P-body	`DOI:10.1261/rna.7258505` Teixeira et al. 2005 reported that yeast processing bodies contain nontranslating mRNAs.
Edc3/Lsm4 P-body assembly scaffolds	supports assembly of	P-body	`DOI:10.1083/jcb.200704147` Decker, Teixeira and Parker 2007 tied Edc3p and the Lsm4p Q/N-rich domain to formation of microscopically visible P-bodies.
P-body assembly	produces	P-body	`GO:0033962` GO:0033962 defines P-body assembly as the aggregation, arrangement and bonding of proteins and RNA molecules to form a cytoplasmic mRNA processing body.

Discussions

CURATION_TODO (OPEN): Resolve exact source-neutral groundings and boundaries for P-body RNA cargo, decapping proteins, LSM1-7/Pat1, Edc3, Dhh1 and other yeast P-body components. This first record keeps the experimentally supported Saccharomyces P-body proteins in broad, label-only cohorts. Splitting them into exact mRNA-decapping, LSM1-7/Pat1 and helicase family components needs a separate InterPro, Pfam and Complex Portal grounding pass.

Evidence

GO:0000932 Gene Ontology cellular-component term for P-body.
GO:0033962 Gene Ontology biological-process term for P-body assembly.
GO:0006402 Gene Ontology biological-process term for mRNA catabolic process.
DOI:10.1126/science.1082320 Sheth and Parker 2003, Decapping and decay of messenger RNA occur in cytoplasmic processing bodies, Science.
DOI:10.1261/rna.7258505 Teixeira et al. 2005, Processing bodies require RNA for assembly and contain nontranslating mRNAs, RNA.
DOI:10.1126/science.1115791 Brengues, Teixeira and Parker 2005, Movement of eukaryotic mRNAs between polysomes and cytoplasmic processing bodies, Science.
DOI:10.1083/jcb.200704147 Decker, Teixeira and Parker 2007, Edc3p and a glutamine/asparagine-rich domain of Lsm4p function in processing body assembly in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Journal of Cell Biology.
DOI:10.1016/j.molcel.2007.02.011 Parker and Sheth 2007, P bodies and the control of mRNA translation and degradation, Molecular Cell.

Curation history

2026-09-11T19:52:58Z codex · CREATED_RECORD — Scaffolded by scripts/new_record.py
2026-09-11T19:53:48Z codex · EXPANDED_RECORD — Added GO P-body synonymy, label-only mRNA cargo and yeast P-body protein cohorts, Eukaryota distribution, a Saccharomyces example, mRNA catabolic function, GO/DOI evidence, a yeast P-body assembly graph and a component-grounding TODO.
2026-09-11T20:00:17Z codex · ADDRESS_REVIEW — Resolved #545 by narrowing the Saccharomyces example to the Sheth-and-Parker localization claim; resolved #546 by connecting the mRNA-cargo and Edc3/Lsm4 graph nodes directly to the P-body structure.

Source: data/structures/ribonucleoprotein/p_body.yaml