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In ribosomopathies, perturbed expression of ribosome components leads to tissue-specific phenotypes, such as limb and craniofacial defects as well as bone marrow failure. What accounts for such tissue-selective manifestations and what role translation plays is poorly understood. Combining comprehensive mouse genetics and in vivo ribosome profiling, we observe limb patterning phenotypes in ribosomal protein (RP) haploinsufficient embryos and uncover corresponding selective translational changes of transcripts controlling limb development. Surprisingly, either loss of p53, which is activated by RP haploinsufficiency, or augmented protein synthesis rescues these phenotypes. These findings are reconciled by the unexpected identification of p53 as a master regulator of protein synthesis, which specifically induces 4E-BP1 expression. 4E-BP1, a key regulator of gene expression at the translation level, facilitates selective changes in the translatome and thereby explains, at least in part, how RP haploinsufficiency may elicit specificity to gene regulation. These results provide an integrative model to explain how a tissue-specific phenotype may emerge from a mutation in a ribosome component. ONE SENTENCE SUMMARYA p53-4E-BP1 axis imparts translational remodeling associated with selective developmental phenotypes in an in vivo ribosomopathy model. 2

An outstanding mystery in biology is why some species, such as the axolotl, can scarlessly heal and regenerate tissues while most mammals cannot. Here, we demonstrate that rapid activation of protein synthesis is a unique, and previously uncharacterized, feature of the injury response critical for limb regeneration in the axolotl (A. mexicanum). By applying polysome sequencing, we identify hundreds of transcripts, including antioxidants and ribosome components, which do not change in their overall mRNA abundance but are selectively activated at the level of translation from pre-existing mRNAs in response to injury. In contrast, we show that protein synthesis is not activated in response to digit amputation in the non-regenerative mouse. We further identify the mTORC1 pathway as a key upstream signal that mediates this regenerative translation response in the axolotl. Inhibition of this pathway is sufficient to suppress translation and axolotl regeneration. Surprisingly, although mTOR is highly evolutionarily conserved, we discover unappreciated expansions in mTOR protein sequence among urodele amphibians. By engineering an axolotl mTOR in human cells, we demonstrate that this change creates a hypersensitive kinase that may allow axolotls to maintain this pathway in a highly labile state primed for rapid activation. This may underlie metabolic differences and nutrient sensing between regenerative and non-regenerative species that are key to regeneration. Together, these findings highlight the unanticipated impact of the translatome on orchestrating the early steps of wound healing in highly regenerative species and provide a missing link in our understanding of vertebrate regenerative potential.