Abstract
Biochemistry Gene expression requires messenger RNAs (mRNAs)—DNA-derived blueprints of genes—to be translated by protein-producing ribosomes. The levels of mRNAs are tightly regulated, in part by controlling their half-lives. In eukaryotic cells, mRNA half-life is largely linked to translational efficiency, but the mechanism underlying this link has remained elusive. Buschauer et al. used cryo–electron microscopy and RNA sequencing to show how a key regulator of mRNA degradation, the Ccr4-Not complex, monitors the ribosome during mRNA translation. They found that the Not5 subunit directly binds to a ribosomal site exposed specifically during inefficient decoding, thereby triggering mRNA degradation. Analysis of mutants revealed the importance of this sensing mechanism for mRNA homeostasis. Science , this issue p. [eaay6912][1] [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.aay6912
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