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Related Concept Videos

Alternative RNA Splicing02:18

Alternative RNA Splicing

Alternative RNA splicing is the regulated splicing of exons and introns to produce different mature mRNAs from a single pre-mRNA. Unlike in constitutive splicing where a single gene produces a single type of mRNA, alternative splicing allows an organism to produce multiple proteins from a single gene and plays an important role in protein diversity.
There are five types of alternative RNA splicing that vary in the ways the pre-mRNA segments are removed or retained in the mature mRNA. The first...
Alternative RNA Splicing02:18

Alternative RNA Splicing

Alternative RNA splicing is the regulated splicing of exons and introns to produce different mature mRNAs from a single pre-mRNA. Unlike in constitutive splicing where a single gene produces a single type of mRNA, alternative splicing allows an organism to produce multiple proteins from a single gene and plays an important role in protein diversity.
There are five types of alternative RNA splicing that vary in the ways the pre-mRNA segments are removed or retained in the mature mRNA. The first...
RNA Splicing01:32

RNA Splicing

Splicing is the process by which eukaryotic RNA is edited before its translation into protein. The RNA strand transcribed from eukaryotic DNA is called the primary transcript. The primary transcripts that become mRNAs are called precursor messenger RNAs (pre-mRNAs). Eukaryotic pre-mRNA contains alternating sequences of exons and introns. Exons are nucleotide sequences that code for proteins, whereas introns are the non-coding regions. In RNA splicing, introns are removed and exons are bonded...
RNA Splicing01:32

RNA Splicing

Splicing is the process by which eukaryotic RNA is edited before its translation into protein. The RNA strand transcribed from eukaryotic DNA is called the primary transcript. The primary transcripts that become mRNAs are called precursor messenger RNAs (pre-mRNAs). Eukaryotic pre-mRNA contains alternating sequences of exons and introns. Exons are nucleotide sequences that code for proteins, whereas introns are the non-coding regions. In RNA splicing, introns are removed and exons are bonded...
What is Gene Expression?01:36

What is Gene Expression?

A gene is a stretch of DNA that serves as the blueprint for functional RNAs and proteins. Since DNA is comprised  of nucleotides and proteins are comprised of amino acids, a mediator is required to convert the information encoded in DNA into proteins. This mediator is the messenger RNA (mRNA). mRNA copies the blueprint from DNA by a process called transcription. In eukaryotes, transcription occurs in the nucleus by complementary base-pairing with the DNA template. The mRNA is then processed and...
Reporter Genes02:11

Reporter Genes

Reporter genes are a type of protein-coding gene that are often tagged to a gene of interest. Once inside a target cell, reporter genes usually produce visually identifiable characteristics like fluorescence and luminescence when expressed along with the gene of interest. Thus, reporter genes “report” the presence or absence of genes of interest in an organism, determine the gene expression pattern, or track the physical location of a DNA segment or protein in the cell.
Commonly used reporter...

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Application of RNAi and Heat-shock-induced Transcription Factor Expression to Reprogram Germ Cells to Neurons in C. elegans
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Conditional gene expression and RNAi using MEC-8-dependent splicing in C. elegans.

Andrea Calixto1, Charles Ma, Martin Chalfie

  • 1Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA.

Nature Methods
|April 6, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers discovered a novel method for conditional gene regulation using RNA splicing. This technique, based on the MEC-8 protein and mec-2 intron 9, enables temperature-dependent gene expression in Caenorhabditis elegans.

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Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • The RNA processing factor MEC-8 is crucial for touch receptor neuron function in *Caenorhabditis elegans*, with *mec-8* mutants exhibiting touch insensitivity.
  • This insensitivity is linked to impaired splicing of the *mec-2* gene, which encodes a component of the mechanosensory transduction complex.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the mechanism by which MEC-8 regulates *mec-2* splicing and its impact on gene expression.
  • To explore the potential of using intron cassette processing for conditional gene regulation.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of *mec-8* mutants and their effect on *mec-2* pre-mRNA splicing.
  • Functional characterization of *mec-2* intron 9 in conferring MEC-8-dependent and temperature-sensitive regulation.
  • Generation of a *Caenorhabditis elegans* strain exhibiting temperature-dependent RNA interference.

Main Results:

  • MEC-8 is essential for the removal of *mec-2* intron 9, leading to the formation of the functional *mec-2a* mRNA.
  • Loss of MEC-8-dependent splicing results in transcript termination, causing touch insensitivity.
  • Inclusion of *mec-2* intron 9 is sufficient to confer MEC-8-dependent and temperature-sensitive expression on other genes.
  • A *Caenorhabditis elegans* strain with temperature-dependent RNA interference was successfully generated.

Conclusions:

  • The MEC-8/mec-2 splicing system provides a versatile mechanism for conditional gene regulation.
  • This intron-based regulatory system can be exploited to achieve temperature-dependent gene expression across various genes.
  • The findings open avenues for developing novel genetic tools for conditional gene manipulation in *Caenorhabditis elegans* and potentially other organisms.