Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 4, 2026

Optical Tweezers to Study RNA-Protein Interactions in Translation Regulation
Published on: February 12, 2022
The DEAD-box RNA-binding protein DDX6 regulates parental RNA decay for cellular reprogramming to pluripotency
Daisuke Kami1, Tomoya Kitani2, Akihiro Nakamura3
1Department of Regenerative Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Abstract:
Cellular transitions and differentiation processes require mRNAs supporting the new phenotype but also the clearance of existing mRNAs for the parental phenotype. Cellular reprogramming from fibroblasts to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) occurs at the early stage of mesenchymal epithelial transition (MET) and involves drastic morphological changes. We examined the molecular mechanism for MET, focusing on RNA metabolism. DDX6, an RNA helicase, was indispensable for iPSC formation, in addition to RO60 and RNY1, a non-coding RNA, which form complexes involved in intracellular nucleotide sensing. RO60/RNY1/DDX6 complexes formed prior to processing body formation, which is central to RNA metabolism. The abrogation of DDX6 expression inhibited iPSC generation, which was mediated by RNA decay targeting parental mRNAs supporting mesenchymal phenotypes, along with microRNAs, such as miR-302b-3p. These results show that parental mRNA clearance is a prerequisite for cellular reprogramming and that DDX6 plays a central role in this process.
Related Concept Videos
RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins
Eukaryotic RNA Polymerases
All three eukaryotic RNAPs require specific transcription factors, of which the...
RNA Interference
This process occurs naturally in cells, often through the activity of genomically-encoded microRNAs. Researchers can take advantage of this mechanism by introducing synthetic RNAs to deactivate specific genes for research or therapeutic purposes. For example, RNAi could be used...
RNA Stability
Alternative RNA Splicing
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...
RNA Splicing

