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Gene expression

The odd coupling

Nature volume 413, pages 583–585 (2001)Cite this article

Gene expression requires several complex biochemical reactions to be carried out precisely. These reactions must also be coordinated, and molecular biologists now have a better handle on how that happens.

In organisms whose cells have a nucleus, the expression of a protein-encoding gene involves several steps: transcription of the gene; extensive processing of the initial product, the 'precursor' messenger RNA; and export of the correctly processed 'mature' mRNA from the nucleus to the body of the cell. A great deal has been learned about the mechanisms and factors involved through biochemical and genetic studies of each reaction. The challenge now is to understand how these steps fit together correctly. Writing on pages 644 and 648 of this issue, Luo and colleagues1 and Sträßer and Hurt2 provide insight into how two reactions — the 'splicing' of precursor mRNAs and the export of processed mRNAs — may be coupled.

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Figure 1: A model to explain coupling between the splicing of precursor messenger RNAs (pre-mRNAs) and the export of the mature mRNA product from the nucleus.

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Affiliations

  1. Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Programs in Gene Function and Expression, and Molecular Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, 01605, Massachusetts, USA

    R. Andrew Keys & Michael R. Green

Authors
  1. R. Andrew Keys
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  2. Michael R. Green
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Correspondence to Michael R. Green.

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Keys, R., Green, M. The odd coupling. Nature 413, 583–585 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35098172

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/35098172

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