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mRNA Stability and Gene Expression

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

Regulated mRNA Transport

Regulated mRNA Transport

In eukaryotes, transcription and translation are compartmentalized; an mRNA is first synthesized in the nucleus and then selectively transported to the cytoplasm for protein synthesis. Before transport, a pre-mRNA undergoes several steps of post-transcriptional modifications including splicing, 5' capping, and the addition of a poly-adenine tail. Various proteins bind to the pre-mRNA during these modifications. The mRNA transport takes place with the help of multiple proteins playing...

Regulated mRNA Transport

Regulated mRNA Transport

Nuclear Export of mRNA

Nuclear Export of mRNA

Before mRNAs are exported to the cytoplasm, it is crucial to check each mRNA for structural and functional integrity. Eukaryotic cells use several different mechanisms, collectively known as mRNA surveillance, to look for irregularities in mRNAs. Irregular or aberrant mRNA are rapidly degraded by various enzymes. If a defective mRNA escapes the surveillance, it would be translated into a protein which would either be non-functional or not function properly. One of the primary irregularities in...

Nuclear Export of mRNA

Nuclear Export of mRNA

pre-mRNA Processing

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 27, 2026

Analysis of mRNA Nuclear Export Kinetics in Mammalian Cells by Microinjection

Analysis of mRNA Nuclear Export Kinetics in Mammalian Cells by Microinjection

Published on: December 4, 2010

Visualizing mRNA in live mammalian cells.

Zejun Wang¹, Wenhan Liu², Chunhai Fan²

¹Department of Chemistry, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China; Division of Physical Biology, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800, China.

Methods (San Diego, Calif.)

|March 18, 2019

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Live cell imaging of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) is crucial for understanding gene expression. This review details methods for mRNA visualization, focusing on the aptamer initiated fluorescence complementation (AiFC) technique for real-time imaging.

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Last Updated: Jan 27, 2026

Analysis of mRNA Nuclear Export Kinetics in Mammalian Cells by Microinjection

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Published on: December 4, 2010

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Measuring the Kinetics of mRNA Transcription in Single Living Cells

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Published on: December 17, 2012

Area of Science:

Molecular Biology
Cell Biology
Biochemistry

Background:

Messenger RNAs (mRNAs) are vital for gene expression and regulation.
Direct visualization of intracellular mRNAs is essential for studying their distribution and dynamics.
Current live-cell mRNA imaging methods face challenges due to short mRNA half-life and limited imaging probes.

Purpose of the Study:

To review current methods for live-cell mRNA imaging.
To highlight the development and application of aptamer initiated fluorescence complementation (AiFC) for real-time mRNA imaging.
To provide a protocol for observing β-actin mRNA in mammalian cells.

Main Methods:

Overview of exogenous hybridization probes and genetically encoded strategies for mRNA imaging.
Focus on the aptamer initiated fluorescence complementation (AiFC) method.
Detailed protocol for live-cell imaging of β-actin mRNA in HeLa cells.

Main Results:

The review summarizes existing live-cell mRNA imaging techniques.
The aptamer initiated fluorescence complementation (AiFC) method offers a promising approach for real-time mammalian mRNA visualization.
A practical protocol for observing specific mRNA dynamics in living cells is presented.

Conclusions:

Effective live-cell imaging of mRNAs requires high spatial and temporal resolution.
The AiFC method represents a significant advancement in real-time mRNA tracking.
This work facilitates further research into mRNA function and dynamics in mammalian systems.