Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 18, 2026
06:49
Nonradioactive Assay to Measure Polynucleotide Phosphorylation of Small Nucleotide Substrates
Published on: May 8, 2020
Autoregulation of GLD-2 cytoplasmic poly(A) polymerase
Labib Rouhana1, Marvin Wickens
1Department of Biochemistry, Laboratory of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison 53706, USA.
RNA (New York, N.Y.)
|December 14, 2006
Summary
Vertebrate GLD-2 mRNA undergoes self-polyadenylation and activation during oocyte maturation. This conserved mechanism, involving specific sequence elements and proteins, suggests a positive feedback loop for gene expression.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Cytoplasmic polyadenylation is crucial for mRNA stability, translation, early development, and synaptic plasticity.
- The GLD-2 poly(A) polymerase enzyme catalyzes cytoplasmic polyadenylation in metazoa.
- Vertebrate GLD-2 mRNA exists in two isoforms differing in 3'-UTR length.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the regulation of vertebrate GLD-2 mRNA.
- To elucidate the mechanisms controlling GLD-2 mRNA polyadenylation and translation.
- To explore the conservation and potential function of this regulatory system.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of GLD-2 mRNA 3'-UTRs in frog oocytes.
- Identification of sequence elements involved in repression and activation.
- Investigation of CPEB and PUF protein involvement.
- Observation of GLD-2 mRNA poly(A) tail length changes in response to neuronal stimulation.
Main Results:
- The 3'-UTR of GLD-2 mRNA drives its own polyadenylation and translational activation during frog oocyte maturation.
- Specific sequence elements within the 3'-UTR mediate both repression and activation.
- CPEB and PUF proteins are implicated in repressing GLD-2 mRNA in resting oocytes.
- Regulated polyadenylation of GLD-2 mRNA and its regulatory elements are conserved across species.
- GLD-2 mRNA poly(A) tail length increases in the brain upon neuronal stimulation.
Conclusions:
- A conserved positive feedback circuit exists where GLD-2 mRNA polyadenylation stimulates its own translation.
- This mechanism reinforces the activation of target mRNAs, impacting development and neuronal function.
- The findings suggest a comparable regulatory system operates in the vertebrate brain.
Related Concept Videos
02:24Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps
Gene expression can be regulated at almost every step from gene to protein. Transcription is the step that is most commonly regulated. This involves the binding of proteins to short regulatory sequences on the DNA. This association can either promote or inhibit the transcription of a gene associated with the respective sequence.
Transcription results in the generation of precursor (pre-mRNA) that consists of both exons and introns, which needs further processing before being translated to a...
Transcription results in the generation of precursor (pre-mRNA) that consists of both exons and introns, which needs further processing before being translated to a...
02:24Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps
Gene expression can be regulated at almost every step from gene to protein. Transcription is the step that is most commonly regulated. This involves the binding of proteins to short regulatory sequences on the DNA. This association can either promote or inhibit the transcription of a gene associated with the respective sequence.
Transcription results in the generation of precursor (pre-mRNA) that consists of both exons and introns, which needs further processing before being translated to a...
Transcription results in the generation of precursor (pre-mRNA) that consists of both exons and introns, which needs further processing before being translated to a...
01:23Regulation of Expression at Multiple Steps
The gene expression in cells is regulated at different stages: (i) transcription, (ii) RNA processing, (iii) RNA localization, and (iv) translation. Transcriptional regulation is mediated by regulatory proteins such as transcription factors, activators, or repressors—these control gene expression by initiating or inhibiting the transcription of genes. Once a precursor or pre-mRNA is produced, it undergoes post-transcriptional modification, including 5' capping, splicing, and the addition of a...
02:36RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins
Proteins that regulate transcription can do so either via direct contact with RNA Polymerase or through indirect interactions facilitated by adaptors, mediators, histone-modifying proteins, and nucleosome remodelers. Direct interactions to activate transcription is seen in bacteria as well as in some eukaryotic genes. In these cases, upstream activation sequences are adjacent to the promoters, and the activator proteins interact directly with the transcriptional machinery. For example, in...
02:36RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins
Proteins that regulate transcription can do so either via direct contact with RNA Polymerase or through indirect interactions facilitated by adaptors, mediators, histone-modifying proteins, and nucleosome remodelers. Direct interactions to activate transcription is seen in bacteria as well as in some eukaryotic genes. In these cases, upstream activation sequences are adjacent to the promoters, and the activator proteins interact directly with the transcriptional machinery. For example, in...
02:23Master Transcription Regulators
Master transcription regulators are regulatory proteins that are predominantly responsible for regulating the expression of multiple genes. Often these genes work in concert to drive a complex process. Activation of a master transcription regulator can lead to a cascade of transcriptional activation necessary for that outcome. These regulators can directly bind to the regulatory sequences of the various genes involved, or they can indirectly regulate transcription by binding to regulatory...