Premium
Nonsense‐mediated mRNA decay: novel mechanistic insights and biological impact
Author(s) -
Karousis Evangelos D.,
Nasif Sofia,
Mühlemann Oliver
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
wiley interdisciplinary reviews: rna
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.225
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1757-7012
pISSN - 1757-7004
DOI - 10.1002/wrna.1357
Subject(s) - nonsense mediated decay , rna , translation (biology) , messenger rna , biology , gene expression , open reading frame , gene , microbiology and biotechnology , computational biology , genetics , rna splicing , peptide sequence
Nonsense‐mediated mRNA decay ( NMD ) was originally coined to define a quality control mechanism that targets mRNAs with truncated open reading frames due to the presence of a premature termination codon. Meanwhile, it became clear that NMD has a much broader impact on gene expression and additional biological functions beyond quality control are continuously being discovered. We review here the current views regarding the molecular mechanisms of NMD , according to which NMD ensues on mRNAs that fail to terminate translation properly, and point out the gaps in our understanding. We further summarize the recent literature on an ever‐rising spectrum of biological processes in which NMD appears to be involved, including homeostatic control of gene expression, development and differentiation, as well as viral defense. WIREs RNA 2016, 7:661–682. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1357 This article is categorized under: RNA Interactions with Proteins and Other Molecules > Protein–RNA Interactions: Functional Implications RNA Turnover and Surveillance > Turnover/Surveillance Mechanisms RNA Turnover and Surveillance > Regulation of RNA Stability