Cell biology. TAPping into mRNA export
1Department of Biochemistry, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454, USA. mmoore@brandeis.edu
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|December 1, 2001
Abstract:
There seem to be numerous pathways for exporting mRNAs from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. But working out which set of export adaptors and receptors transport individual mRNAs has been very difficult. In a Perspective, Moore and Rosbash discuss a new strategy using cell-penetrating peptide inhibitors for unraveling the routes of mRNA export in living cells (Gallouzi and Steitz).
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Before mRNAs are exported to the cytoplasm, it is crucial to check each mRNA for structural and functional integrity. Eukaryotic cells use several different mechanisms, collectively known as mRNA surveillance, to look for irregularities in mRNAs. Irregular or aberrant mRNA are rapidly degraded by various enzymes. If a defective mRNA escapes the surveillance, it would be translated into a protein which would either be non-functional or not function properly. One of the primary irregularities in...
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