Polyadenylation
Polyadenylation - Related Videos
08:35
Identification of Alternative Splicing and Polyadenylation in RNA-seq Data
0 Views •
Cited by 3 •
2021
Alternative splicing (AS) and alternative polyadenylation (APA) expand the diversity of transcript isoforms and their products. Here, we describe bioinformatic protocols to analyze bulk RNA-seq and 3' end sequencing assays to detect and visualize AS and APA varying across experimental conditions.
02:01
pre-mRNA Processing
0 Views •
2019
In eukaryotic cells, transcripts made by RNA polymerase are modified and processed before exiting the nucleus. Unprocessed RNA is called precursor mRNA or pre-mRNA to distinguish it from mature mRNA. Once about 20-40 ribonucleotides have been joined together by RNA polymerase, a group of enzymes adds a “cap” to the 5’ end of the growing transcript. In this process, a 5’ phosphate is replaced by modified guanosine that has a methyl group attached to it (7-Methyl guanosine). This 5’ cap helps the...
07:16
The In Vitro Single Oocyte Reporter Assay: A Technique to Study Target mRNA Translation Regulation During In Vitro Oocyte Maturation
0 Views •
2025
In this video, we demonstrate that in the presence of a phosphodiester inhibitor, the oocyte cell cycle is arrested at prophase-I, during which transcribed mRNAs are stored in the absence of translation. After the release of the inhibitor, oocyte maturation resumes, and the cells enter metaphase. The signal of reporter mRNA fused with the target gene in metaphase-I indicates the activation of translational machinery and protein expression.
10:22
Comprehensive Spatial Profiling of Species-agnostic Transcriptomes via Stereo-seq
0 Views •
2025
This article presents a protocol to perform comprehensive spatial transcriptomic profiling of host, viral, fungal, and microbiome RNA from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections using Stereo-seq, which enables high-resolution mapping of diverse transcriptomes while preserving tissue architecture.
03:18
Non-LTR Retrotransposons
0 Views •
2020
As the name suggests, non-LTR retrotransposons lack the long terminal repeats characteristic of the LTR retrotransposons. Additionally, both LTR and non-LTR retrotransposons use distinct mechanisms of mobilization. Non-LTR retrotransposons are further divided into two classes - Long interspersed nuclear elements (LINEs) and short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs), both of which occur abundantly in most mammals, including humans. Some of the active non-LTR retrotransposons in humans are L1...
FAQs
Recognition of the AAUAAA signal helps processing factors identify where the newly synthesized pre-mRNA should be cleaved. After cleavage, those factors recruit poly(A) polymerase to the new 3′ end. This ordered sequence links signal recognition to tail formation, ensuring that polyadenylation occurs at the processed transcript end rather than at an arbitrary position.
Poly(A) polymerase extends the tail without copying a DNA template, distinguishing this step from template-directed nucleic-acid synthesis. Poly(A)-binding proteins then associate with the tail and help regulate its behavior. Together, template-independent extension and protein binding provide regulatory control over how the transcript is handled after processing.
Tail length is functionally important rather than merely structural. Changes in the tail can affect mRNA stability, nuclear export, and translation, while tail removal contributes to transcript lifespan regulation. Examining both addition and removal therefore helps explain why otherwise similar mRNAs can persist for different periods and produce different expression outcomes.
A basic polyadenylation workflow follows the order of signal recognition, pre-mRNA cleavage, enzyme recruitment, and tail extension. The AAUAAA sequence provides the recognition cue, processing factors perform the cleavage, and poly(A) polymerase adds adenine residues to the resulting 3′ end. Poly(A)-binding proteins then help regulate the processed RNA.
Researchers can use polyadenylation to connect RNA processing with gene-expression outcomes. By considering tail length and removal alongside transcript behavior, they can investigate effects on stability, nuclear export, translation, and lifespan. This makes the mechanism useful for analyzing regulation beyond transcription itself, especially when comparing how different processed mRNAs are maintained or expressed.
In biology, polyadenylation provides a framework for studying gene regulation in development and disease mechanisms. It also matters in RNA-based biotechnology because the tail is linked to transcript stability, export, translation, and lifespan. These connections make polyadenylation relevant to both basic studies of gene expression and applied research involving RNA.