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

Exon Recombination

Exon Recombination

The evolution of new genes is critical for speciation. Exon recombination, also known as exon shuffling or domain shuffling, is an important means of new gene formation. It is observed across vertebrates, invertebrates, and in some plants such as potatoes and sunflowers. During exon recombination, exons from the same or different genes recombine and produce new exon-intron combinations, which might evolve into new genes.
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon...

Gap Junctions

Gap Junctions

The cytoplasm of adjacent animal cells can exchange small molecules, ions, and secondary messengers via the communication channels which form the gap junctions. These junctions comprise a few hundred to thousands of molecular channels, each made of two halves, called the connexon hemichannel. A connexon is a hexamer of six transmembrane connexin proteins, which assemble radially, thus forming a pore or channel in the center. One connexon hemichannel docks with a corresponding connexon on the...

Gap Junctions

Gap Junctions

Multicellular organisms employ a variety of ways for cells to communicate with each other. Gap junctions are specialized proteins that form pores between neighboring cells in animals, connecting the cytoplasm between the two, and allowing for the exchange of molecules and ions. They are found in a wide range of invertebrate and vertebrate species, mediate numerous functions including cell differentiation and development, and are associated with numerous human diseases, including cardiac and...

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...

Alternative RNA Splicing

Alternative RNA Splicing

RNA Splicing

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...

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

SMG1:SMG8:SMG9-complex integrity supports efficient execution of nonsense-mediated mRNA decay.

Nucleic acids research·2026

Same author

Composite SMG5-SMG6 PIN domain formation is essential for NMD.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Rapid UPF1 depletion illuminates the temporal dynamics of the NMD-regulated human transcriptome.

Molecular cell·2025

Same author

Bridging health registry data acquisition and real-time data analytics.

Frontiers in medicine·2025

Same author

Modulation of UPF1 catalytic activity upon interaction of SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid protein with factors involved in nonsense mediated-mRNA decay.

Nucleic acids research·2024

Same author

NMDtxDB: data-driven identification and annotation of human NMD target transcripts.

RNA (New York, N.Y.)·2024

Same journal

The future of marsupial gene editing: What's in the (tool) pouch?

Trends in genetics : TIG·2026

Same journal

Genetic suppressors as new therapeutic targets for Mendelian diseases.

Trends in genetics : TIG·2026

Same journal

Beyond housekeeping: snRNA diversity, regulation, and human disease.

Trends in genetics : TIG·2026

Same journal

Rethinking mitochondrial metabolism: Intraindividual variability meets population constraints.

Trends in genetics : TIG·2026

Same journal

A role for epigenetics in rapid adaptation.

Trends in genetics : TIG·2026

Same journal

The myth of asexual fungi.

Trends in genetics : TIG·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 14, 2026

Recording Gap Junction Current from Xenopus Oocytes

Recording Gap Junction Current from Xenopus Oocytes

Published on: January 21, 2022

Exon Junction Complexes: Supervising the Gene Expression Assembly Line.

Volker Boehm¹, Niels H Gehring¹

¹Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, 50674 Cologne, Germany.

Trends in Genetics : TIG

|September 27, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The exon junction complex (EJC) regulates gene expression after transcription. Mutations in EJC proteins cause severe human disorders, highlighting its critical role in post-transcriptional gene regulation.

Keywords:

RNA-binding protein mRNA processing mRNA transport mRNA turnover mRNP nonsense-mediated mRNA decay

More Related Videos

An Iodide-Yellow Fluorescent Protein-Gap Junction-Intercellular Communication Assay

An Iodide-Yellow Fluorescent Protein-Gap Junction-Intercellular Communication Assay

Published on: February 1, 2019

ACT1-CUP1 Assays Determine the Substrate-Specific Sensitivities of Spliceosomal Mutants in Budding Yeast

ACT1-CUP1 Assays Determine the Substrate-Specific Sensitivities of Spliceosomal Mutants in Budding Yeast

Published on: June 30, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Mar 14, 2026

Recording Gap Junction Current from Xenopus Oocytes

Recording Gap Junction Current from Xenopus Oocytes

Published on: January 21, 2022

An Iodide-Yellow Fluorescent Protein-Gap Junction-Intercellular Communication Assay

An Iodide-Yellow Fluorescent Protein-Gap Junction-Intercellular Communication Assay

Published on: February 1, 2019

ACT1-CUP1 Assays Determine the Substrate-Specific Sensitivities of Spliceosomal Mutants in Budding Yeast

ACT1-CUP1 Assays Determine the Substrate-Specific Sensitivities of Spliceosomal Mutants in Budding Yeast

Published on: June 30, 2022

Area of Science:

Molecular Biology
Genetics
RNA Biology

Background:

The exon junction complex (EJC) is deposited on mRNAs during splicing.
It consists of four core components binding to canonical and noncanonical sites.
EJC-associated proteins are recruited for various gene expression steps.

Purpose of the Study:

To review recent insights into EJC functions.
To emphasize the physiological importance of the EJC.
To highlight the EJC's role in post-transcriptional gene regulation.

Main Methods:

Literature review of recent findings on EJC function.
Analysis of studies on EJC-associated protein recruitment.
Examination of human disorders linked to EJC mutations.

Main Results:

New insights reveal EJC's role in stimulating pre-mRNA splicing, mRNA export, translation, and degradation.
Mutations in core EJC components lead to severe human disorders.
The EJC is crucial for various stages of gene expression.

Conclusions:

The EJC is a key regulator of post-transcriptional gene expression in metazoans.
Its functions extend across splicing, mRNA processing, and translation.
EJC dysfunction has significant implications for human health.