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Published on: February 1, 2019
Conserved expression of natural antisense transcripts in mammals
Maurice H T Ling1, Yuguang Ban, Hongxiu Wen
1Department of Mathematics and Statistics, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD 57007, USA.
BMC Genomics
|April 13, 2013
Summary
Natural antisense transcripts, originating from protein-coding genes, show conserved expression across species, suggesting they are functional. However, they experience less selective pressure than sense transcripts.
Area of Science:
- Genomics
- Molecular Biology
- Transcriptomics
Background:
- Thousands of natural antisense transcripts (NATs) originate from protein-coding gene loci.
- The functionality of most NATs remains unclear, with debate on whether they represent transcriptional noise.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the functionality and evolutionary conservation of NATs.
- To compare the expression patterns of NATs with protein-coding genes across species.
Main Methods:
- Genome-wide expression analysis of NATs using Affymetrix Exon arrays.
- Modified cDNA synthesis protocol for enhanced NAT detection.
- Comparative analysis across human, mouse, and rat tissues.
Main Results:
- Thousands of NATs were detected, with some exhibiting tissue-specific expression.
- Conserved expression patterns of many NATs across species suggest selective pressure.
- NATs show lower expression conservation compared to protein-coding genes.
- A positive correlation exists between sense and antisense transcript expression.
Conclusions:
- NATs are subject to selective pressure in mammals, though to a lesser extent than sense transcripts.
- The findings support the functional relevance of NATs beyond mere transcriptional noise.
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