The use of alternative polyadenylation sites produces mRNA isoforms with different 3' untranslated regions. A recent report in Science (Sandberg et al., 2008) suggests that alternative polyadenylation is connected to microRNA-mediated regulation of gene expression as part of a global program for cellular proliferation.

Ethylene regulates many aspects of plant growth and development. In the presence of ethylene, the C terminus of EIN2 (EIN2C) translocates into the nucleus and activates transcription. Li et al. and Merchante et al. show that EIN2C also regulates translation through an interaction with the 3' UTRs of transcripts.

Mammalian signal peptides can be used to aid in the secretion of mammalian proteins that are normally not secreted. By inactivating signals normally present in the 3' UTRs of mRNAs encoding proteins that are normally not secreted from mammalian cells, the proportion of such mRNA molecules directed to free and cytoskeletal bound polysomes can be reduced. Inventors: Hesketh; John Edward (Newcastl...

Nanos is an RNA-binding protein that is involved in the development and maintenance of germ cells. In combination with Pumilio, Nanos binds to the 3' untranslated region of a messenger RNA and represses its translation. Nanos has two conserved Cys-Cys-His-Cys zinc-finger motifs that are indispensable for its function. In this study, we have determined the crystal structure of the zinc-finger do...

Previously, we described a novel pH-responsive RNA element in Escherichia coli that resides in the 5' untranslated region of the alx gene and controls its translation in a pH-dependent manner. Under normal growth conditions, this RNA region forms a translationally inactive structure, but when transcribed under alkaline conditions, it forms an active structure producing the Alx protein. We ident...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are considered as key regulators of literally all cellular pathways. Therefore, miRNA biosynthesis and their individual cellular functions must be tightly regulated as well. MiRNAs are transcribed as primary transcripts, which are processed to mature miRNAs in two consecutive maturation steps. Finally, the mature miRNA is incorporated into a miRNA-protein complex, where it di...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are 20to 22-nucleotide RNAs that regulate the transcription and translation of genes. In our previous studies, we reported that a miRNA has the potential to affect the transcription of genes located near it. The number of miRNAs recorded in databases continues to increase. However, the effects of the miRNAs, including newly found miRNAs, on the transcription of genes located ...

Adenosine deaminases that act on RNA (ADARs) deaminate adenosines to inosines in double-stranded RNAs including miRNA precursors. A to I editing is widespread and required for normal life. By comparing deep sequencing data of brain miRNAs from wild-type and ADAR2 deficient mouse strains, we detect editing sites and altered miRNA processing at high sensitivity. We detect 48 novel editing events ...

The Drosophila Bithorax Complex encodes three well-characterized homeodomain proteins that direct segment identity, as well as several noncoding RNAs of unknown function. Here, we analyze the iab-4 locus, which produces the microRNAs iab-4-5p and iab-4-3p. iab-4 is analogous to miR-196 in vertebrate Hox clusters. Previous studies demonstrate that miR-196 interacts with the Hoxb8 3' untranslated...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are essential components of gene regulation, but identification of miRNA targets remains a major challenge. Most target prediction and discovery relies on perfect complementarity of the miRNA seed to the 3' untranslated region (UTR). However, it is unclear to what extent miRNAs target sites without seed matches. Here, we performed a transcriptome-wide identification of the en...