mRNA Half-life (mrna + half-life)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Maintenance of CCL5 mRNA stores by post-effector and memory CD8 T cells is dependent on transcription and is coupled to increased mRNA stability

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 10 2006
Antoine Marçais
Abstract Immunological memory is associated with the display of improved effector functions by cells of the adaptive immune system. The storage of untranslated mRNA coding for the CCL5 chemokine by CD8 memory cells is a new process supporting the immediate display of an effector function. Here, we show that, after induction during the primary response, high CCL5 mRNA levels are specifically preserved in CD8 T cells. We have investigated the mechanisms involved in the long-term maintenance of CCL5 mRNA levels by memory CD8 T cells. We demonstrate that the CCL5 mRNA half-life is increased in memory CD8 T cells and that these cells constitutively transcribe ccl5 gene. By inhibiting ccl5 transcription using IL-4, we demonstrate the essential role of transcription in the maintenance of CCL5 mRNA stores. Finally, we show that these stores are spontaneously reconstituted when the inhibitory signal is removed, indicating that the transcription of ccl5 is a default feature of memory CD8 T cells imprinted in their genetic program. [source]


HuR regulates gap junctional intercellular communication by controlling ,-catenin levels and adherens junction integrity,

HEPATOLOGY, Issue 5 2009
Niloofar Ale-Agha
Gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) plays a critical role in the regulation of tissue homeostasis and carcinogenesis and is modulated by the levels, subcellular localization, and posttranslational modification of gap junction proteins, the connexins (Cx). Here, using oval cell-like rat liver epithelial cells, we demonstrate that the RNA-binding protein HuR promotes GJIC through two mechanisms. First, HuR silencing lowered the levels of Cx43 protein and Cx43 messenger RNA (mRNA), and decreased Cx43 mRNA half-life. This regulation was likely due to the direct stabilization of Cx43 mRNA by HuR, because HuR associated directly with Cx43 mRNA, a transcript that bears signature adenylate-uridylate-rich (AU-rich) and uridylate-rich (U-rich) sequences in its 3,-untranslated region. Second, HuR silencing reduced both half-life and the levels of ,-catenin mRNA, also a target of HuR; accordingly, HuR silencing lowered the levels of whole-cell and membrane-associated ,-catenin. Coimmunoprecipitation experiments showed a direct interaction between ,-catenin and Cx43. Small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated depletion of ,-catenin recapitulated the effects of decreasing HuR levels: it attenuated GJIC, decreased Cx43 levels, and redistributed Cx43 to the cytoplasm, suggesting that depletion of ,-catenin in HuR-silenced cells contributed to lowering Cx43 levels at the membrane. Finally, HuR was demonstrated to support GJIC after exposure to a genotoxic agent, doxorubicin, or an inducer of differentiation processes, retinoic acid, thus pointing to a crucial role of HuR in the cellular response to stress and in physiological processes modulated by GJIC. Conclusion: HuR promotes gap junctional intercellular communication in rat liver epithelial cells through two related regulatory processes, by enhancing the expression of Cx43 and by increasing the expression of ,-catenin, which, in turn, interacts with Cx43 and is required for proper positioning of Cx43 at the plasma membrane. (HEPATOLOGY 2009.) [source]


Riboregulation by DsrA RNA: trans -actions for global economy

MOLECULAR MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 4 2000
MicroReview
DsrA is an 87 nucleotide Escherichia coli RNA with extraordinary regulatory properties. The profound impact of its actions stems from DsrA regulating translation of two global transcription regulators, H-NS and RpoS (,s), by sequence-specific RNA,RNA interactions. H-NS is a major nucleoid-structuring and global repressor protein, and RpoS is the stationary phase and stress response sigma factor of RNA polymerase. DsrA changes its conformation to bind to these two different mRNA targets and thereby inhibits H-NS translation, while stimulating that of RpoS in a mechanistically distinct fashion. DsrA apparently binds both the start and the stop codons of hns mRNA and sharply decreases the mRNA half-life. DsrA also binds sequences in the 5,-untranslated leader region of rpoS mRNA, enhancing rpoS mRNA stability and RpoS translation. A cohort of genes, governed by H-NS repression and RpoS activation, are thus regulated. Low temperatures increase the levels of DsrA, with differential effects on H-NS and RpoS. Additionally, the RNA chaperone protein Hfq is involved with DsrA regulation, as well as with other small RNAs that also act on RpoS to co-ordinate stress responses. We address the possible functions of this genetic regulatory mechanism, as well as the advantages of using small RNAs as global regulators to orchestrate gene expression. [source]


Gene transcription acceleration: main cause of hepatitis B surface antigen production improvement by dimethyl sulfoxide in the culture of Chinese hamster ovary cells

BIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 3 2007
Wenying Wang
Abstract The production and specific productivity of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in recombinant Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were increased by 81% and threefold, respectively, when supplemented with 1.5% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) in the culture medium. To investigate the mechanism of DMSO effect on HBsAg production improvement, HBsAg mRNA level was measured by real-time PCR. HBsAg mRNA was increased by about 1.5-fold at 1.5% DMSO. The increase could derive from the increase of HBsAg gene copy number, the improvement of HBsAg mRNA stability, or the acceleration of HBsAg gene transcription. It was found that HBsAg gene copy number was not significantly changed in the cells stimulated with DMSO. HBsAg mRNA stability of cells with DMSO treatment was also not obviously different from control, and the mRNA half-life of 5.58 h in the cells at 1.5% DMSO was comparable to that of 5.36 h in the control culture. DMSO resulted in 80% increase in HBsAg gene transcription activity assessed using a nuclear run-on transcription assay. It could be deduced that the acceleration of HBsAg gene transcription is the main cause of HBsAg production improvement. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2007;97: 526,535. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]