Take the "A" tail--quality control of ribosomal and transfer RNA

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    Abstract

    The overall fidelity of RNA biosynthesis and processing is very high. This goes for both mRNAs, which are turned over relatively quickly, and for stable RNAs, such as the components of the translational apparatus, the transfer and ribosomal RNAs. However, no enzymatic process is completely error-free, so to minimize the number of non-functional transcripts, the cell has degradation pathways in place to efficiently deal with those mistakes that inevitably occur. Though several "RNA surveillance" or "RNA quality control" systems have been described that are able to specifically eliminate misfolded and non-functional RNAs, we still do not understand neither what precise features define a faulty RNA, nor the molecular basis for recognition of such molecules. Nonetheless, our knowledge about the controlled degradation of both stable and labile RNAs is now converging into a unified picture that points to the poly(A) tail as a key discriminator of RNA quality in both bacteria and eukaryotes.
    Original languageEnglish
    JournalBBA General Subjects
    Volume1779
    Issue9
    Pages (from-to)532-537
    Number of pages5
    ISSN0304-4165
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2008

    Keywords

    • Animals
    • Humans
    • Poly A
    • Prokaryotic Cells
    • Quality Control
    • RNA, Ribosomal
    • RNA, Transfer
    • Ribosomes

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