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

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

What is Gene Expression?

What is Gene Expression?

A gene is a stretch of DNA that serves as the blueprint for functional RNAs and proteins. Since DNA is comprised of nucleotides and proteins are comprised of amino acids, a mediator is required to convert the information encoded in DNA into proteins. This mediator is the messenger RNA (mRNA). mRNA copies the blueprint from DNA by a process called transcription. In eukaryotes, transcription occurs in the nucleus by complementary base-pairing with the DNA template. The mRNA is then processed and...

General Transcription Factors

General Transcription Factors

Tissue-specific transcription factors contribute to diverse cellular functions in mammals. For example, the gene for beta globin, a major component of hemoglobin, is present in all cells of the body. However, it is only expressed in red blood cells because the transcription factors that can bind to the promoter sequences of the beta globin gene are only expressed in these cells. Tissue-specific transcription factors also ensure that mutations in these factors may impair only the function of...

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

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Salivary oxytocin research clings strongly to early theories, despite new frameworks attributing versatile roles to the neuropeptide.

Psychoneuroendocrinology·2026

Same author

Evaluating incidence and mortality trends of early-onset colorectal cancer and adenoma in Belgium.

ESMO gastrointestinal oncology·2026

Same author

Uniformity of body weight in growing pigs is persistent during growth but affected by sow- and litter-related factors.

Animal : an international journal of animal bioscience·2025

Same author

How to assess litter uniformity in pigs: comparing metrics and investigating associations with sow and litter factors.

Animal : an international journal of animal bioscience·2025

Same author

The value of using multilevel performances (from recreational to international) to the genetic evaluation for show jumping performance in Warmblood horses.

Animal : an international journal of animal bioscience·2025

Same author

Decreased incidence and shift in stage distribution for colorectal cancers in Belgium during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Acta gastro-enterologica Belgica·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Collection and Processing of Lymph Nodes from Large Animals for RNA Analysis: Preparing for Lymph Node Transcriptomic Studies of Large Animal Species

Collection and Processing of Lymph Nodes from Large Animals for RNA Analysis: Preparing for Lymph Node Transcriptomic Studies of Large Animal Species

Published on: May 19, 2018

The forgotten variable? Does the euthanasia method and sample storage condition influence an organisms transcriptome

B Chakkingal Bhaskaran¹, R Meyermans², W Gorssen²

¹Department of Biosystems, Centre for Animal Breeding and Genetics, KU Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 30, Box 2472, Leuven, 3001, Belgium. bimalcb98@gmail.com.

|December 13, 2023

Summary

Nitrogen gas euthanasia (ANOXIA) is a suitable alternative for piglets in transcriptomic research. However, both euthanasia methods and tissue storage conditions can impact gene expression, requiring careful consideration to avoid misinterpreting results.

Keywords:

Differential gene expression Liquid Nitrogen Nitrogen Anoxia Pigs Quantseq RNAlater™T-61®Translational research

More Related Videos

Dynamic Proteomic and miRNA Analysis of Polysomes from Isolated Mouse Heart After Langendorff Perfusion

Dynamic Proteomic and miRNA Analysis of Polysomes from Isolated Mouse Heart After Langendorff Perfusion

Published on: August 29, 2018

Identification of Coding and Non-coding RNA Classes Expressed in Swine Whole Blood

Identification of Coding and Non-coding RNA Classes Expressed in Swine Whole Blood

Published on: November 28, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Collection and Processing of Lymph Nodes from Large Animals for RNA Analysis: Preparing for Lymph Node Transcriptomic Studies of Large Animal Species

Collection and Processing of Lymph Nodes from Large Animals for RNA Analysis: Preparing for Lymph Node Transcriptomic Studies of Large Animal Species

Published on: May 19, 2018

Dynamic Proteomic and miRNA Analysis of Polysomes from Isolated Mouse Heart After Langendorff Perfusion

Dynamic Proteomic and miRNA Analysis of Polysomes from Isolated Mouse Heart After Langendorff Perfusion

Published on: August 29, 2018

Identification of Coding and Non-coding RNA Classes Expressed in Swine Whole Blood

Identification of Coding and Non-coding RNA Classes Expressed in Swine Whole Blood

Published on: November 28, 2018

Area of Science:

Animal research methodology
Molecular biology
Transcriptomics

Background:

Transcriptomic studies necessitate fresh tissue collection post-euthanasia.
Euthanasia methods can introduce unintended gene expression variations.
Investigating the impact of euthanasia and storage on gene expression is crucial for reliable transcriptomic data.

Purpose of the Study:

To compare nitrogen gas (ANOXIA) versus T-61® (T61) euthanasia methods for piglet transcriptomic research.
To analyze the effects of RNAlater™ (RL) and liquid nitrogen (LN2) snap freezing on gene expression profiles.
To identify potential sources of biological variation in transcriptomic studies.

Main Methods:

3'mRNA-Seq data analysis of pituitary, hypothalamus, liver, and lung tissues.
Comparison of gene expression profiles between different euthanasia methods.
Assessment of RNA integrity and gene expression under two common tissue storage conditions (RL and LN2).

Main Results:

No significant differential expression in protein-coding genes was observed between ANOXIA and T61 euthanasia methods.
Elevated levels of small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) were detected in pituitary samples from the ANOXIA group.
RNAlater™ (RL) provided superior RNA preservation (higher RIN values) but influenced gene expression differently than liquid nitrogen (LN2) snap freezing.

Conclusions:

Nitrogen anoxia is a viable euthanasia method for piglet transcriptomic studies, with minimal impact on protein-coding genes.
Non-protein coding RNAs, such as snRNAs, may be affected by euthanasia method, potentially influencing downstream gene expression.
Both euthanasia and tissue storage methods represent significant sources of biological variation that must be accounted for to prevent misinterpretation of transcriptomic data.