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Related Concept Videos

pre-mRNA Processing02:01

pre-mRNA Processing

In eukaryotic cells, transcripts made by RNA polymerase are modified and processed before exiting the nucleus. Unprocessed RNA is called precursor mRNA or pre-mRNA to distinguish it from mature mRNA.
Once about 20-40 ribonucleotides have been joined together by RNA polymerase, a group of enzymes adds a “cap” to the 5’ end of the growing transcript. In this process, a 5’ phosphate is replaced by modified guanosine that has a methyl group attached to it (7-Methyl guanosine). This 5’ cap helps the...
Pre-mRNA Processing02:01

Pre-mRNA Processing

In eukaryotic cells, transcripts made by RNA polymerase are modified and processed before exiting the nucleus. Unprocessed RNA is called precursor mRNA or pre-mRNA to distinguish it from mature mRNA.
Once about 20-40 ribonucleotides have been joined together by RNA polymerase, a group of enzymes adds a “cap” to the 5’ end of the growing transcript. In this process, a 5’ phosphate is replaced by modified guanosine that has a methyl group attached to it (7-Methyl guanosine). This 5’ cap helps the...
Pre-mRNA Processing: Modification of pre-mRNA Ends01:35

Pre-mRNA Processing: Modification of pre-mRNA Ends

In eukaryotic cells, transcripts made by RNA polymerase are modified and processed before exiting the nucleus. Unprocessed RNA is called precursor mRNA or pre-mRNA to distinguish it from mature mRNA.
Once about 20-40 ribonucleotides have been joined together by RNA polymerase, a group of enzymes adds a cap to the 5' end of the growing transcript. In this process, a 5' phosphate is replaced by modified guanosine that has a methyl group attached (7-methyl guanosine). This 5' cap helps the cell...
Transfer RNA Synthesis02:36

Transfer RNA Synthesis

One of the unique features of tRNA is the presence of modified bases. In some tRNAs, modified bases account for nearly 20% of the total bases in the molecule. Altogether, these unusual bases protect the tRNA from enzymatic degradation by RNases.
Each of these chemical modifications is carried by a specific enzyme, post-transcription. All of these enzymes have unique base and site-specificity. Methylation, the most common chemical modification, is carried by at least nine different enzymes, with...
Bacterial RNA Polymerase00:43

Bacterial RNA Polymerase

Unlike eukaryotes, bacteria use a single RNA Polymerase (RNAP) to transcribe all genes. The different subunits of bacterial RNAPhave distinct functions. The multisubunit structure of the bacterial RNAP helps the enzyme to maintain catalytic function, facilitate assembly, interact with DNA and RNA, and self-regulate its activity.
In most genes, the transcription site is a single base present upstream of the coding sequence. Though RNAP is a catalytically efficient enzyme, it does not recognize...
mRNA Stability and Gene Expression02:51

mRNA Stability and Gene Expression

The structure and stability of mRNA molecules regulates gene expression, as mRNAs are a key step in the pathway from gene to protein. In eukaryotes, the half-life of mRNA varies from a few minutes up to several days. mRNA stability is essential in growth and development. The absence of the proteins regulating its stability, such as tristetraprolin in mice, can cause systemic issues, including bone marrow overgrowth, inflammation, and autoimmunity.
Cis-acting Elements involved in mRNA stability

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 24, 2026

Analysis of RNA Processing Reactions Using Cell Free Systems: 3' End Cleavage of Pre-mRNA Substrates in vitro
09:16

Analysis of RNA Processing Reactions Using Cell Free Systems: 3' End Cleavage of Pre-mRNA Substrates in vitro

Published on: May 3, 2014

mRNA 3' end processing factors: a phylogenetic comparison.

Sarah K Darmon1, Carol S Lutz

  • 1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07103, USA.

Comparative and Functional Genomics
|March 9, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The polyadenylate (poly(A)) tail on eukaryotic messenger RNAs (mRNAs) is added post-transcriptionally. This study reveals that the protein factors driving mRNA polyadenylation are highly conserved across diverse species, indicating an ancient biological process.

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Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Eukaryotic messenger RNAs (mRNAs) typically feature a 3' polyadenylate (poly(A)) tail, crucial for stability and translation.
  • This poly(A) tail is not genomically encoded but is appended through a complex post-transcriptional modification process called polyadenylation.
  • Polyadenylation involves a series of enzymatic steps executed by a sophisticated protein machinery.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To conduct a comprehensive comparative analysis of the protein factors involved in mRNA polyadenylation.
  • To investigate the evolutionary conservation of the polyadenylation machinery across a wide range of species.
  • To infer the evolutionary origins and significance of mRNA polyadenylation.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative genomics and proteomics were employed to identify and analyze polyadenylation factors.
  • Bioinformatic tools were utilized to assess the conservation of these protein factors across diverse eukaryotic lineages.
  • Phylogenetic analysis was performed to trace the evolutionary history of the polyadenylation machinery.

Main Results:

  • The study identified key protein factors essential for the two-step polyadenylation process.
  • A high degree of conservation was observed for these protein factors across evolutionarily distant species.
  • Evidence suggests that the core components of the mRNA polyadenylation machinery have been maintained throughout eukaryotic evolution.

Conclusions:

  • The remarkable conservation of the polyadenylation machinery underscores its fundamental importance in gene expression.
  • These findings strongly support the hypothesis that mRNA polyadenylation is an ancient and conserved biological process.
  • The conserved nature of polyadenylation highlights its critical role in eukaryotic biology since early evolutionary stages.