Untranslated regions of mRNA and their role in regulation of gene expression in protozoan parasites

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 189-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shilpa J Rao ◽  
Sangeeta Chatterjee ◽  
Jayanta K Pal
1998 ◽  
Vol 80 (4) ◽  
pp. 307-321
Author(s):  
John E. Hesketh ◽  
M. Helena Vasconcelos ◽  
Giovanna Bermano

Nutrition has marked influences on gene expression and an understanding of the interaction between nutrients and gene expression is important in order to provide a basis for determining the nutritional requirements on an individual basis. The effects of nutrition can be exerted at many stages between transcription of the genetic sequence and production of a functional protein. This review focuses on the role of post-transcriptional control, particularly mRNA stability, translation and localization, in the interactions of nutrients with gene expression. The effects of both macronutrients and micronutrients on regulation of gene expression by post-transcriptional mechanisms are presented and the post-transcriptional regulation of specific genes of nutritional relevance (glucose transporters, transferrin, selenoenzymes, metallothionein, lipoproteins) is described in detail. The function of the regulatory signals in the untranslated regions of the mRNA is highlighted in relation to control of mRNA stability, translation and localization and the importance of these mRNA regions to regulation by nutrients is illustrated by reference to specific examples. The localization of mRNA by signals in the untranslated regions and its function in the spatial organization of protein synthesis is described; the potential of such mechanisms to play a key part in nutrient channelling and metabolic compartmentation is discussed. It is concluded that nutrients can influence gene expression through control of the regulatory signals in these untranslated regions and that the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression by these mechanisms may influence nutritional requirements. It is emphasized that in studies of nutritional control of gene expression it is important not to focus only on regulation through gene promoters but also to consider the possibility of post-transcriptional control.


2009 ◽  
Vol 106 (17) ◽  
pp. 7028-7033 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhe Ji ◽  
Ju Youn Lee ◽  
Zhenhua Pan ◽  
Bingjun Jiang ◽  
Bin Tian

The 3′ untranslated regions (3′ UTRs) of mRNAs containcis-acting elements for posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression. Here, we report that mouse genes tend to express mRNAs with longer 3′ UTRs as embryonic development progresses. This global regulation is controlled by alternative polyadenylation and coordinates with initiation of organogenesis and aspects of embryonic development, including morphogenesis, differentiation, and proliferation. Using myogenesis of C2C12 myoblast cells as a model, we recapitulated this process in vitro and found that 3′ UTR lengthening is likely caused by weakening of mRNA polyadenylation activity. Because alternative 3′ UTR sequences are typically longer and have higher AU content than constitutive ones, our results suggest that lengthening of 3′ UTR can significantly augment posttranscriptional control of gene expression during embryonic development, such as microRNA-mediated regulation.


2009 ◽  
Vol 2009 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Baou ◽  
Andrew Jewell ◽  
John J. Murphy

Posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression of mRNAs containing adenine-uridine rich elements (AREs) in their untranslated regions is mediated by a number of different proteins that interact with these elements to either stabilise or destabilise them. The present review concerns the TPA-inducible sequence 11 (TIS11) protein family, a small family of proteins, that appears to interact with ARE-containing mRNAs and promote their degradation. This family of proteins has been extensively studied in the past decade. Studies have focussed on determining their biochemical functions, identifying their target mRNAs, and determining their roles in cell functions and diseases.


2008 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 708-711 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Smith

Post-transcriptional regulation, via 5′-UTRs (5′-untranslated regions), plays an important role in the control of eukaryotic gene expression. Recent analyses of the mammalian transcriptome suggest that most of the genes express multiple alternative 5′-UTRs and inappropriate expression of these regions has been shown to contribute to the development of carcinogenesis. The present review will focus on the complex post-transcriptional regulation of ERβ (oestrogen receptor β) expression. In particular, results from our laboratory suggest that the expression of alternative 5′-UTRs plays a key role in determining the level of ERβ protein expression. We have also shown that these alternative ERβ 5′-UTRs have a tissue-specific distribution and are differentially expressed between various normal and tumour tissues. Our results also suggest that alternative 5′-UTRs can influence downstream splicing events, thereby perhaps affecting ERβ function. These results suggest that alternative 5′-UTRs may have an overall influence on ER activity and this may have important implications for our understanding of cancer biology and treatment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 477 (16) ◽  
pp. 3091-3104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciana E. Giono ◽  
Alberto R. Kornblihtt

Gene expression is an intricately regulated process that is at the basis of cell differentiation, the maintenance of cell identity and the cellular responses to environmental changes. Alternative splicing, the process by which multiple functionally distinct transcripts are generated from a single gene, is one of the main mechanisms that contribute to expand the coding capacity of genomes and help explain the level of complexity achieved by higher organisms. Eukaryotic transcription is subject to multiple layers of regulation both intrinsic — such as promoter structure — and dynamic, allowing the cell to respond to internal and external signals. Similarly, alternative splicing choices are affected by all of these aspects, mainly through the regulation of transcription elongation, making it a regulatory knob on a par with the regulation of gene expression levels. This review aims to recapitulate some of the history and stepping-stones that led to the paradigms held today about transcription and splicing regulation, with major focus on transcription elongation and its effect on alternative splicing.


Author(s):  
Tara A Shrout

Titin is the largest known protein in the human body, and forms the backbone of all striated muscle sarcomeres. The elastic nature of titin is an important component of muscle compliance and functionality. A significant amount of energy is expended to synthesize titin, thus we postulate that titin gene expression is under strict regulatory control in order to conserve cellular resources. In general, gene expression is mediated in part by post-transcriptional control elements located within the 5’ and 3’ untranslated regions (UTRs) of mature mRNA. The 3’UTR in particular contains structural features that affect binding capacity to other RNA components, such as MicroRNA, which control mRNA localization, translation, and degradation. The degree and significance of the regulatory effects mediated by two determined variants of titin’s 3’ UTR were evaluated in Neonatal Rat Ventricular Myocyte and Human Embryonic Kidney cell lines. Recombinant plasmids to transfect these cells lines were engineered by insertion of the variant titin 3’UTR 431- and 1047-base pairs sequences into luciferase reporter vectors. Expression due to an unaltered reporter vector served as the control. Quantitative changes in luciferase activity due to the recombinants proportionally represented the effect titin’s respective 3’UTR conferred on downstream post-transcriptional expression relative to the control. The effect due to titin’s shorter 3’UTR sequence was inconclusive; however, results illustrated that titin’s longer 3’UTR sequence caused a 35 percent decrease in protein expression. Secondary structural analysis of the two sequences revealed differential folding patterns that affect the stability and degree of MicroRNA-binding within titin’s variant 3’UTR sequences.


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