High-throughput RNA sequencing has unveiled the existence of a large number of noncoding antisense RNAs derived from bidirectional promoters; unlike sense transcripts, these RNAs are often unstable. Two recent reports investigate why downstream transcription is productive, whereas upstream transcripts are prone to degradation, revealing that an asymmetric distribution of polyadenylation signals and U1 snRNP–binding sites surrounding transcription start sites control the outcome of bidirectional transcription.
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Acknowledgements
We thank B. Tian (Rutgers New Jersey Medical School) for sharing unpublished data. Work in the authors' laboratory was supported by US National Institutes of Health grant R01 GM28983.
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Richard, P., Manley, J. How bidirectional becomes unidirectional. Nat Struct Mol Biol 20, 1022–1024 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb.2657
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nsmb.2657
