Coupling mRNA Synthesis and Decay

• Published in: Molecular and cellular biology Vol. 34; no. 22; pp. 4078 - 4087
• Main Authors: Braun, Katherine A., Young, Elton T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis 01-11-2014; American Society for Microbiology
• Subjects: Animals; Exoribonucleases - genetics; Exoribonucleases - metabolism; Humans; Minireview; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases - genetics; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases - metabolism; RNA Polymerase II - genetics; RNA Polymerase II - metabolism; RNA Stability; RNA, Messenger - analysis; RNA, Messenger - genetics; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Saccharomyces cerevisiae; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - genetics; Saccharomyces cerevisiae - metabolism; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins - genetics; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins - metabolism; Transcription, Genetic
• ISSN: 1098-5549; 0270-7306; 1098-5549
• DOI: 10.1128/MCB.00535-14

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
-Ecclesiastes 1:9 (New International Version)
Posttranscriptional regulation of gene expression has an important role in defining the phenotypic characteristics of an organism. Well-defined steps in mRNA metabolism that occur in the nucleus-capping, splicing, and polyadenylation-are mechanistically linked to the process of transcription. Recent evidence suggests another link between RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and a posttranscriptional process that occurs in the cytoplasm-mRNA decay. This conclusion appears to represent a conundrum. How could mRNA synthesis in the nucleus and mRNA decay in the cytoplasm be mechanistically linked? After a brief overview of mRNA processing, we will review the recent evidence for transcription-coupled mRNA decay and the possible involvement of Snf1, the
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
ortholog of AMP-activated protein kinase, in this process.