Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2025

Production of Xenopus tropicalis Egg Extracts to Identify Microtubule-associated RNAs
Published on: June 27, 2013
Control of Epithelial Tissue Organization by mRNA Localization
Devon E Mason1, Thomas D Madsen1, Alexander N Gasparski1
1Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
None:
mRNA localization to specific subcellular regions is common in mammalian cells but poorly understood in terms of its physiological roles1-6,7. This study demonstrates the functional importance of Net1 mRNA, which we find prominently localized at the dermal-epidermal junction (DEJ) in stratified squamous epithelia. Net1 mRNA accumulates at DEJ protrusion-like structures that interact with the basement membrane and connect to a mechanosensitive network of microfibrils. Disrupting Net1 mRNA localization in mouse epithelium alters DEJ morphology and keratinocyte-matrix connections, affecting tissue homeostasis. mRNA localization dictates Net1 protein distribution and its function as a RhoA GTPase exchange factor (GEF). Altered RhoA activity is in turn sufficient to alter the ultrastructure of the DEJ. This study provides a high-resolution in vivo view of mRNA targeting in a physiological context. It further demonstrates how the subcellular localization of a single mRNA can significantly influence mammalian epithelial tissue organization, thus revealing an unappreciated level of post-transcriptional regulation that controls tissue physiology.
More Related Videos
10:24Visualization of Endoplasmic Reticulum Localized mRNAs in Mammalian Cells
Published on: December 17, 2012
10:49Efficient Transcriptionally Controlled Plasmid Expression System for Investigation of the Stability of mRNA Transcripts in Primary Alveolar Epithelial Cells
Published on: March 6, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Regulated mRNA Transport
Regulation of Expression at Multiple Steps
Regulation of Expression Occurs at Multiple Steps
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...
Cadherins in Tissue Organization
Cell Sorting During Development
Cell sorting plays an...
Chromatin Structure Regulates pre-mRNA Processing
The chromatin structure, especially...
What is Gene Expression?