Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

RNA Editing

RNA Editing

RNA editing is a post-transcriptional modification where a precursor mRNA (pre-mRNA) nucleotide sequence is changed by base insertion, deletion, or modification. The extent of RNA editing varies from a few hundred bases, in mitochondrial DNA of trypanosomes, to a just single base, in nuclear genes of mammals. Even a single base change in the pre-mRNA can convert a codon for one amino acid into the codon for another amino acid or a stop codon. This type of re-coding can significantly affect the...

Pre-mRNA Processing: Modification of pre-mRNA Ends

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...

Alternative RNA Splicing

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...

Leaky Scanning

Leaky Scanning

During most eukaryotic translation processes, the small 40S ribosome subunit scans an mRNA from its 5' end until it encounters the first start AUG codon. The large 60S ribosomal subunit then joins the smaller one to initiate protein synthesis. The location of the translation initiation is largely determined by the nucleotides near the start codon as there may be multiple translation initiation sites present on the mRNA. Marilyn Kozak discovered that the sequence RCCAUGG (where R stands for...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Large-scale tethered screen of RNA-binding proteins reveals novel regulators of poly(A) site selection.

Molecular cell·2026

Same author

Dual-Mode Gated Thermal Switch with Branched Interface for Self-Adaptive Thermoregulation.

ACS applied materials & interfaces·2026

Same author

Programmable Dielectrophoretic Assembly of Carbon Nanotube Arrays for Multidirectional Strain Sensor.

Small methods·2026

Same author

The competition between splicing and 3' processing shapes the human transcriptome.

Genes & development·2026

Same author

LENG8 mediates RNA nuclear retention and degradation in eukaryotes.

Molecular cell·2026

Same author

Transposable element-gene chimera cartography, origination and role in enhancing transcriptome plasticity.

Nature structural & molecular biology·2026

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 17, 2026

Identification of Alternative Splicing and Polyadenylation in RNA-seq Data

Identification of Alternative Splicing and Polyadenylation in RNA-seq Data

Published on: June 24, 2021

Alternative polyadenylation: new insights from global analyses.

Yongsheng Shi¹

¹Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA. yongshes@uci.edu

RNA (New York, N.Y.)

|October 26, 2012

Summary

Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is a key regulator of gene expression in eukaryotes, impacting proteomic diversity. Dysregulation of APA is linked to human diseases, and new tools are advancing global APA studies.

More Related Videos

Measurement of Poly A Tail Length from Drosophila Larva Brain and Cell Line

Measurement of Poly A Tail Length from Drosophila Larva Brain and Cell Line

Published on: January 12, 2024

3' End Sequencing Library Preparation with A-seq2

3' End Sequencing Library Preparation with A-seq2

Published on: October 10, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 17, 2026

Identification of Alternative Splicing and Polyadenylation in RNA-seq Data

Identification of Alternative Splicing and Polyadenylation in RNA-seq Data

Published on: June 24, 2021

Measurement of Poly A Tail Length from Drosophila Larva Brain and Cell Line

Measurement of Poly A Tail Length from Drosophila Larva Brain and Cell Line

Published on: January 12, 2024

3' End Sequencing Library Preparation with A-seq2

3' End Sequencing Library Preparation with A-seq2

Published on: October 10, 2017

Area of Science:

Molecular Biology
Genetics
Biochemistry

Background:

Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is a widespread post-transcriptional modification in eukaryotes.
APA generates proteomic and functional diversity and regulates gene expression.
Deregulation of APA is implicated in various human diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

To review recent progress in global alternative polyadenylation (APA) studies.
To highlight insights gained from high-throughput analyses and conventional methods.

Main Methods:

High-throughput analyses
Conventional molecular biology techniques

Main Results:

Widespread mRNA APA and its dynamic regulation have been revealed.
APA plays crucial roles in gene expression and proteomic diversity.
Global APA deregulation is observed in human diseases.

Conclusions:

Recent advances in experimental tools have significantly propelled global APA research.
Understanding APA is critical for insights into gene regulation and human diseases.