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Updated: Aug 2, 2026
09:44
High-throughput Screening for Chemical Modulators of Post-transcriptionally Regulated Genes
Published on: March 3, 2015
Engineered riboregulators enable post-transcriptional control of gene expression
Farren J Isaacs1, Daniel J Dwyer, Chunming Ding
1Center for BioDynamics and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, 44 Cummington Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
Nature Biotechnology
|June 23, 2004
Summary
Researchers engineered a novel RNA system in Escherichia coli to control gene expression. This system uses a cis-repressive sequence to silence genes and a trans-acting small RNA to activate them, offering new tools for synthetic biology.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Synthetic Biology
- Microbiology
Background:
- RNA molecules play crucial roles in cellular enzymatic, structural, and regulatory functions.
- Understanding post-transcriptional gene regulation is key to controlling cellular processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel RNA-based system for both gene silencing and activation in Escherichia coli.
- To engineer a post-transcriptional regulatory system using cis- and trans-acting RNA elements.
Main Methods:
- Insertion of a complementary cis sequence upstream of the ribosome binding site in a target gene.
- Design of a trans-acting small noncoding RNA to interact with the cis-repressed mRNA.
- Analysis of gene expression changes upon introduction of the regulatory elements.
Main Results:
- A cis-repressive sequence formed a stem-loop structure in the mRNA's 5'-untranslated region, inhibiting ribosome binding and silencing gene expression.
- A trans-acting small RNA specifically targeted the cis-repressed RNA, altering the stem-loop structure and activating gene expression.
- Demonstrated a functional RNA-based system for inducible gene silencing and activation.
Conclusions:
- Engineered riboregulators provide a versatile platform for controlling gene expression at the post-transcriptional level.
- This system offers insights into endogenous RNA-based regulatory mechanisms.
- Scalable components for biological networks can be developed using these RNA-based regulatory elements.
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01:23Regulation of Expression at Multiple Steps
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