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Real-time Analysis of Transcription Factor Binding, Transcription, Translation, and Turnover to Display Global Events During Cellular Activation
Published on: March 7, 2018
Systematic analysis of posttranscriptional gene expression
Adam R Morris1, Neelanjan Mukherjee1, Jack D Keene1
1University Program in Genetics and Genomics, Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
Understanding the ribonome, the dynamic network of RNA and proteins, reveals coordinated gene regulation. This reveals how RNA-binding proteins and ncRNAs control messenger RNA groups, impacting cellular functions and disease.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Systems Biology
- Genetics
Background:
- The eukaryotic transcriptome results from complex transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation.
- The ribonome, a dynamic network of ribonucleoproteins, involves interactions between RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), noncoding regulatory RNAs (ncRNAs), and messenger RNAs (mRNAs).
- Messenger RNAs can be organized into modular groups, termed posttranscriptional RNA operons or regulons (PTROs), which coordinate functionally related proteins.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine methods for elucidating PTROs and their regulatory mechanisms.
- To investigate the dynamic systems governing PTROs and their collective response to cellular changes.
- To highlight the importance of ribonome studies for understanding cellular processes and disease.
Main Methods:
- Review of systems biology studies on gene expression.
- Analysis of RNA-binding protein and ncRNA interactions within the ribonome.
- Examination of mRNA stability and translation coordination within PTROs.
Main Results:
- PTROs coordinate mRNAs encoding functionally related proteins through RBPs and ncRNAs.
- mRNA components within PTROs bind collectively in dynamic 'states' to respond to cellular perturbations.
- Cellular mRNA abundance alone may not fully reflect the functional status of a biological system.
Conclusions:
- Understanding the ribonome offers greater insight into growth, differentiation, and disease than solely examining mRNA abundance.
- The coordinated regulation within PTROs is a key aspect of eukaryotic gene expression.
- Dynamic interactions within the ribonome are crucial for cellular response and function.
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