Abstract

One of the important roles of microRNA (miRNA) is to direct the cleavage of messenger RNA (mRNA). However, the mechanisms of decay of the cleaved mRNA products is not well understood. We show that miRNA-directed cleavage products in organisms as diverse as Arabidopsis, mouse, and Epstein-Barr virus have at their 3' ends a stretch (1 to 24 nucleotides) of oligouridine posttranscriptionally added downstream of the cleavage site. This 3' uridine addition, as shown for Arabidopsis, is correlated with decapping and 5' shortening of the cleaved products, suggesting a mechanistic step in the miRNA-directed mRNA decay mechanism.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.