Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 8, 2025
10:01
Production of Xenopus tropicalis Egg Extracts to Identify Microtubule-associated RNAs
Published on: June 27, 2013
14.1K
RAB13 mRNA compartmentalisation spatially orients tissue morphogenesis
Guilherme Costa1,2, Joshua J Bradbury1, Nawseen Tarannum1
1Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
The EMBO Journal
|September 18, 2020
Summary
mRNA polarization acts as a molecular compass, guiding cell movement and tissue development. This study identifies a specific RNA element crucial for directing RAB13 mRNA to filopodia, ensuring precise protein function and tissue morphogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Molecular Genetics
Background:
- Polarized mRNA targeting to cellular protrusions is key in cell migration.
- The precise functions of endogenous targeted mRNAs in vivo tissue dynamics are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of mRNA polarization as a molecular compass in cell migration and tissue development.
- To identify the mechanisms and functional significance of mRNA targeting to filopodia.
Main Methods:
- Single-molecule analysis
- Gene editing techniques
- Zebrafish live-cell imaging
- RNA sequencing (RNAseq)
Main Results:
- A core 192-nucleotide (nt) localization element was identified for precise mRNA targeting to filopodia.
- Targeting of RAB13 mRNA to filopodia spatially coupled its localization, translation, and protein activity.
- Excision of the localization element or disruption of RAB13 mRNA targeting depolarized cell dynamics and caused blood vessel mispatterning in zebrafish.
Conclusions:
- mRNA polarization, not just expression, dictates the site of RAB13 protein function, preventing ectopic activity.
- This mechanism ensures precise subcellular compartmentalization and orients tissue morphogenesis during development.
Related Concept Videos
02:22Regulated mRNA Transport
6.7K
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...
6.7K
02:22Regulated mRNA Transport
3.2K
3.2K
01:45Regulation of Nuclear Protein Sorting
3.0K
Nuclear protein sorting regulates nucleus composition and gene expression, crucial for determining the fate of a eukaryotic cell. Hence, the entry and exit of molecules across the nuclear envelope is a tightly controlled process. Nuclear protein sorting can be inhibited by one of the following ways: 1) masking cargo signal sequences, 2) modifying the nuclear receptor's affinity for cargo, 3) controlling the nuclear pore size, 4) retaining the cargo during its transit to the cytosol or the...
3.0K
01:34Directing Proteins to the Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum
15.8K
The organelle-specific signaling sequences direct proteins synthesized in the cytosol to their final destination like ER, mitochondria, peroxisomes, etc. Some of the proteins directed to ER are then trafficked via vesicles to other organelles within the cell or the extracellular environment through the Golgi complex. For example, the rough ER synthesizes soluble proteins for transportation to the lysosomes or secretion out of the cell. It can also synthesize transmembrane proteins that can...
15.8K
02:41Chromatin Structure Regulates pre-mRNA Processing
7.9K
In eukaryotic cells, nascent mRNA transcripts need to undergo many post-transcriptional modifications to reach the cell cytoplasm and translate into functional proteins. For a long time, transcription and pre-mRNA processing were considered two independent events that occur sequentially in the cell. However, it has now been well established that transcription and pre-mRNA processing are two simultaneous processes that are precisely regulated inside the cell.
The chromatin structure, especially...
The chromatin structure, especially...
7.9K
01:29Insertion of Multi-pass Transmembrane Proteins in the RER
16.5K
The rough ER membrane synthesizes, assembles, and embeds transmembrane proteins in diverse topologies. These proteins function as transporters or channels and can remain in the ER membrane or are sent to the Golgi complex, lysosome, and cell membrane.
The multipass transmembrane proteins are the type IV integral membrane proteins with multiple topogenic sequences determining their spatial arrangement in the ER membrane. Nearly all multipass proteins lack a cleavable signal sequence and use...
The multipass transmembrane proteins are the type IV integral membrane proteins with multiple topogenic sequences determining their spatial arrangement in the ER membrane. Nearly all multipass proteins lack a cleavable signal sequence and use...
16.5K