An enemy within: fly reconnaissance deploys an endonuclease to destroy nonsense-containing mRNA.
Quality-control mechanisms function in cells to ensure proper gene expression. Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is one such mechanism and it degrades abnormal mRNAs that contain a premature-termination codon. Although NMD is conserved in all eukaryotes that have been examined, it can manifest mechanistic differences in different organisms. A recent study using Drosophila melanogaster describes a new mechanistic twist to NMD.
Valencia-Sánchez
Marco A
MA
Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 712, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14642, USA.
Maquat
Lynne E
LE
D000818:Animals; D018387:Codon, Initiator; D018389:Codon, Nonsense; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004720:Endonucleases / Q000378:metabolism*; D020871:RNA Stability; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D018387:Codon, Initiator; D018389:Codon, Nonsense; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D004720:Endonucleases