Primary Transcripts (primary + transcript)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Identification and characterization of microRNAs from porcine skeletal muscle

ANIMAL GENETICS, Issue 2 2010
S. S. Xie
Summary MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. There is increasing evidence to suggest that miRNAs participate in muscle development in mice and humans; however, few studies have focused on miRNAs in porcine muscle tissue. Here, we experimentally detected and identified conserved and unique miRNAs from porcine skeletal muscle. Fifty-seven distinct miRNAs were identified, of which 39 have not been reported earlier in the pig. Of these, two miRNAs appear to be novel and pig-specific. Surprisingly, these two differ only by a single nucleotide. A part of their primary transcript was cloned and confirmed by sequencing analysis. Alignment of the two sequences using ClustalW showed that the precursor sequences were almost identical, but the flanking sequences were different, indicating that these two novel miRNAs may represent rapidly evolving miRNAs in the pig genome. The expression patterns of eight miRNAs were characterized by real-time polymerase chain reaction of eight pig tissue samples. The ssc-let-7e and ssc-miR-181b miRNAs were expressed in all tissues analysed. The ssc-let-7c, ssc-miR-125b, ssc-miR-new1 and ssc-miR-new2 miRNAs were expressed in several tissues, while ssc-miR-122 and ssc-miR-206 were specifically expressed in the liver and muscle respectively. Our results add to existing data on porcine miRNAs and are useful for investigating the biological functions of miRNAs in porcine skeletal muscle development. [source]


Trans -splicing in Drosophila

BIOESSAYS, Issue 11 2002
Vincenzo Pirrotta
Splicing is an efficient and precise mechanism that removes noncoding regions from a single primary RNA transcript. Cutting and rejoining of the segments occurs on nascent RNA. Trans -splicing between small specialized RNAs and a primary transcript has been known in some organisms but recent papers show that trans -splicing between two RNA molecules containing different coding regions is the normal mode in a Drosophila gene.1,3 The mod(mdg4) gene produces 26 different mRNAs encoding as many protein isoforms. The differences lie in alternative 3, exons encoded by different transcriptional units and spliced to the 5, common region by a surprising trans -splicing mechanism. BioEssays 24:988,991, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Periodicals, Inc. [source]


The structure of Rph, an exoribonuclease from Bacillus anthracis, at 1.7,Å resolution

ACTA CRYSTALLOGRAPHICA SECTION F (ELECTRONIC), Issue 1 2009
Andrea E. Rawlings
Maturation of tRNA precursors into functional tRNA molecules requires trimming of the primary transcript at both the 5, and 3, ends. Cleavage of nucleotides from the 3, stem of tRNA precursors, releasing nucleotide diphosphates, is accomplished in Bacillus by a phosphate-dependent exoribonuclease, Rph. The crystal structure of this enzyme from B. anthracis has been solved by molecular replacement to a resolution of 1.7,Å and refined to an R factor of 19.3%. There is one molecule in the asymmetric unit; the crystal packing reveals the assembly of the protein into a hexamer arranged as a trimer of dimers. The structure shows two sulfate ions bound in the active-site pocket, probably mimicking the phosphate substrate and the phosphate of the 3,-terminal nucleotide of the tRNA precursor. Three other bound sulfate ions point to likely RNA-binding sites. [source]


Inefficient processing of mRNA for the membraneform of IgE is a genetic mechanism to limit recruitment of IgE-secreting cells

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 7 2006
Alexander Karnowski
Abstract Immunoglobulin,E (IgE) is the key effector element in allergic diseases ranging from innocuous hay fever to life-threatening anaphylactic shock. Compared to other Ig classes, IgE serum levels are very low. In its membrane-bound form (mIgE), IgE behaves as a classical antigen receptor on B,lymphocytes. Expression of mIgE is essential for subsequent recruitment of IgE-secreting cells. We show that in activated, mIgE-bearing B,cells, mRNA for the membrane forms of both murine and human epsilon (,) heavy chains (HC) are poorly expressed compared to mRNA for the secreted forms. In contrast, in mIgG-bearing B,cells, mRNA for the membrane forms of murine gamma-1 (,1) and the corresponding human ,4 HC are expressed at a much higher level than mRNA for the respective secreted forms. We show that these findings correlate with the presence of deviant polyadenylation signal hexamers in the 3,,untranslated region (UTR) of both murine and human ,,genes, causing inefficient processing of primary transcripts and thus poor expression of the proteins and poor recruitment of IgE-producing cells in the immune response. Thus, we have identified a genetic steering mechanism in the regulation of IgE synthesis that represents a further means to restrain potentially dangerous, high serum IgE levels. [source]


Transcriptionally active nuclei are selective in mature multinucleated osteoclasts

GENES TO CELLS, Issue 10 2010
Min-Young Youn
Multinucleation is indispensable for the bone-resorbing activity of mature osteoclasts. Although multinucleation is evident in mature osteoclasts and certain other cell types, putative regulatory networks among nuclei remain poorly characterized. To address this issue, transcriptional activity of each nucleus in a multinucleated osteoclast was assessed by detecting the distributions of nuclear proteins by immunocytochemistry and primary transcripts by RNA FISH. Patterns of epigenetic histone markers governing transcription as well as localization of tested nuclear receptor proteins appeared indistinguishable among nuclei in differentiated Raw264 cells and mouse mature osteoclasts. However, RNAPII-Ser5P/2P and NFATc1 proteins were selectively distributed in certain nuclei in the same cell. Similarly, the distributions of primary transcripts for osteoclast-specific genes (Nfatc1, Ctsk and Acp5) as well as a housekeeping gene (beta-tubulin) were limited in certain nuclei within individual cells. By fusing two Raw264 cell lines that stably expressed ZsGreen-NLS and DsRed-NLS proteins, transmission of nuclear proteins across all of the nuclei in a cell could be observed, presumably through the shared cytoplasm. Taken together, we conclude that although nuclear proteins are diffusible among nuclei, only certain nuclei within a multinucleated osteoclast are transcriptionally active. [source]


Gene positional changes relative to the nuclear substructure during carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatic fibrosis in rats

JOURNAL OF CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 6 2004
Apolinar Maya-Mendoza
Abstract In the interphase nucleus the DNA of higher eukaryotes is organized in loops anchored to a substructure known as the nuclear matrix (NM). The topological relationship between gene sequences located in the DNA loops and the NM appears to be very important for nuclear physiology because processes such as replication, transcription, and processing of primary transcripts occur at macromolecular complexes located at discrete sites upon the NM. Mammalian hepatocytes rarely divide but preserve a proliferating capacity that is displayed in vivo after specific stimulus. We have previously shown that transient changes in the relative position of specific genes to the NM occur during the process of liver regeneration after partial ablation of the liver, but also that such changes correlate with the replicating status of the cells. Moreover, since chronic exposure to carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) leads to bouts of hepatocyte damage and regeneration, and eventually to non-reversible liver fibrosis in the rat, we used this animal model in order to explore if genes that show differential activity in the liver change or modify their relative position to the NM during the process of liver fibrosis induction. We found that changes in the relative position of specific genes to the NM occur during the chronic administration of CCl4, but also that such changes correlate with the proliferating status of the hepatocytes that goes from quiescence to regeneration to replicative senescence along the course of CCl4 -induced liver fibrosis, indicating that specific configurations in the higher-order DNA structure underlie the stages of progression towards liver fibrosis. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Trans -splicing of organelle introns , a detour to continuous RNAs

BIOESSAYS, Issue 9 2009
Stephanie Glanz
Abstract In eukaryotes, RNA trans -splicing is an important RNA-processing form for the end-to-end ligation of primary transcripts that are derived from separately transcribed exons. So far, three different categories of RNA trans -splicing have been found in organisms as diverse as algae to man. Here, we review one of these categories: the trans -splicing of discontinuous group II introns, which occurs in chloroplasts and mitochondria of lower eukaryotes and plants. Trans -spliced exons can be predicted from DNA sequences derived from a large number of sequenced organelle genomes. Further molecular genetic analysis of mutants has unravelled proteins, some of which being part of high-molecular-weight complexes that promote the splicing process. Based on data derived from the alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a model is provided which defines the composition of an organelle spliceosome. This will have a general relevance for understanding the function of RNA-processing machineries in eukaryotic organelles. [source]