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Updated: Jul 4, 2026

In vivo Application of the REMOTE-control System for the Manipulation of Endogenous Gene Expression
Published on: March 29, 2019
Rapidly regulated genes are intron poor
Daniel C Jeffares1, Christopher J Penkett, Jürg Bähler
1Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK. dcj@sanger.ac.uk
Abstract:
We show that genes with rapidly changing expression levels in response to stress contain significantly lower intron densities in yeasts, thale cress and mice. Therefore, we propose that introns can delay regulatory responses and are selected against in genes whose transcripts require rapid adjustment for survival of environmental challenges. These findings could provide an explanation for the apparent extensive intron loss during the evolution of some eukaryotic lineages.
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