Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Experimental RNAi02:15

Experimental RNAi

6.1K
RNA interference (RNAi) is a cellular mechanism that inhibits gene expression by suppressing its transcription or activating the RNA degradation process. The mechanism was discovered by Andrew Fire and Craig Mello in 1998 in plants. Today, it is observed in almost all eukaryotes, including protozoa, flies, nematodes, insects, parasites, and mammals. This precise cellular mechanism of gene silencing has been developed into a technique that provides an efficient way to identify and determine the...
6.1K
Exon Recombination02:32

Exon Recombination

3.6K
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...
3.6K
Ribosome Profiling02:24

Ribosome Profiling

3.5K
Ribosome profiling or ribo-sequencing is a deep sequencing technique that produces a snapshot of active translation in a cell. It selectively sequences the mRNAs protected by ribosomes to get an insight into a cell’s translation landscape at any given point in time.
Applications of ribosome profiling
Ribosome profiling has many applications, including in vivo monitoring of translation inside a particular organ or tissue type and quantifying new protein synthesis levels.
The technique...
3.5K
Regulated mRNA Transport02:22

Regulated mRNA Transport

6.3K
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...
6.3K
Regulation of Expression at Multiple Steps01:23

Regulation of Expression at Multiple Steps

889
The gene expression in cells is regulated at different stages: (i) transcription, (ii) RNA processing, (iii) RNA localization, and (iv) translation. Transcriptional regulation is mediated by regulatory proteins such as transcription factors, activators, or repressors—these control gene expression by initiating or inhibiting the transcription of genes. Once a precursor or pre-mRNA is produced, it undergoes post-transcriptional modification, including 5' capping, splicing, and the...
889
Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps02:24

Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps

22.6K
Gene expression can be regulated at almost every step from gene to protein. Transcription is the step that is most commonly regulated. This involves the binding of proteins to short regulatory sequences on the DNA. This association can either promote or inhibit the transcription of a gene associated with the respective sequence.
Transcription results in the generation of precursor (pre-mRNA) that consists of both exons and introns, which needs further processing before being translated to a...
22.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

The RNA-binding protein Pumilio limits polymodal nociception in <i>Drosophila</i> larvae.

PeerJ·2026
Same author

The RNA binding protein ZFP36L2 displays tissue-selective mRNA targeting in mice.

RNA biology·2026
Same author

Polyploidy and stress.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Growth under pressure: The pros and cons of polyploidy induced by stress.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same author

Sequence and structure of protein binding sites in RNA impact biomolecular condensates.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Loofah suppresses cell death in long-lived Drosophila hindgut enterocytes.

Development (Cambridge, England)·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 23, 2025

Enhanced Northern Blot Detection of Small RNA Species in Drosophila Melanogaster
09:39

Enhanced Northern Blot Detection of Small RNA Species in Drosophila Melanogaster

Published on: August 21, 2014

24.1K

Orb2 enables rare-codon-enriched mRNA expression during Drosophila neuron differentiation.

Rebeccah K Stewart1,2, Patrick Nguyen1, Alain Laederach3

  • 1Department of Pharmacology & Cancer Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.

Nature Communications
|June 20, 2024
PubMed
Summary

Neural stem cell differentiation in Drosophila allows expression of rare-codon genes. The protein Orb2 stabilizes these mRNAs in neurons, impacting metabotropic glutamate receptor function and social behavior.

More Related Videos

TRAP-rc, Translating Ribosome Affinity Purification from Rare Cell Populations of Drosophila Embryos
10:26

TRAP-rc, Translating Ribosome Affinity Purification from Rare Cell Populations of Drosophila Embryos

Published on: September 10, 2015

17.9K
In Vivo Functional Study of Disease-associated Rare Human Variants Using Drosophila
00:06

In Vivo Functional Study of Disease-associated Rare Human Variants Using Drosophila

Published on: August 20, 2019

13.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 23, 2025

Enhanced Northern Blot Detection of Small RNA Species in Drosophila Melanogaster
09:39

Enhanced Northern Blot Detection of Small RNA Species in Drosophila Melanogaster

Published on: August 21, 2014

24.1K
TRAP-rc, Translating Ribosome Affinity Purification from Rare Cell Populations of Drosophila Embryos
10:26

TRAP-rc, Translating Ribosome Affinity Purification from Rare Cell Populations of Drosophila Embryos

Published on: September 10, 2015

17.9K
In Vivo Functional Study of Disease-associated Rare Human Variants Using Drosophila
00:06

In Vivo Functional Study of Disease-associated Rare Human Variants Using Drosophila

Published on: August 20, 2019

13.6K

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Neuroscience
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Codon optimality is a key regulator of cell- and tissue-specific protein expression.
  • Understanding how gene expression is controlled during neural stem cell differentiation is crucial for developmental biology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of codon optimality in Drosophila neural stem cell differentiation.
  • To identify regulators of rare-codon-enriched gene expression in neurons.
  • To elucidate the function of Orb2 in regulating mRNA stability and its impact on neuronal function.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized codon-modified reporters to assess protein expression.
  • Performed candidate screening to identify regulatory proteins.
  • Employed RNA sequencing to analyze mRNA profiles in the brain.
  • Investigated the impact of rare-codon enrichment on mRNA stability and gene function.

Main Results:

  • Drosophila neural stem cell differentiation promotes protein expression from rare-codon-enriched genes.
  • Identified Orb2 (cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding protein) as a positive regulator of rare-codon-dependent mRNA stability in neurons.
  • Orb2-upregulated mRNAs in the brain exhibit a rare-codon bias and contain Orb2 binding sites.
  • Rare-codon enrichment is essential for the stability and social behavior function of the metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR).

Conclusions:

  • Neural stem cell differentiation triggers a shift in genetic code regulation, favoring rare-codon usage.
  • Orb2-mediated stabilization of rare-codon-enriched mRNAs is a critical mechanism for enabling protein expression in neurons.
  • This regulatory pathway is important for the function of specific genes, such as mGluR, and influences complex behaviors like social interaction.