title: Regulatory mechanisms and networks couple the different phases of gene expression.
abstract: Gene expression comprises multiple stages, from transcription to protein degradation. Although much is known about the regulation of each stage separately, an understanding of the regulatory coupling between the different stages is only beginning to emerge. For example, there is a clear crosstalk between translation and transcription, and the localization and stability of an mRNA in the cytoplasm could already be determined during transcription in the nucleus. We review a diversity of mechanisms discovered in recent years that couple the different stages of gene expression. We then speculate on the functional and evolutionary significance of this coupling and suggest certain systems-level functionalities that might be optimized via the various coupling modes. In particular, we hypothesize that coupling is often an economic strategy that allows biological systems to respond robustly and precisely to genetic and environmental perturbations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel. orna.dahan@weizmann.ac.il
authors.forename: Orna
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dahan
authors.forename: Hila
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gingold
authors.forename: Yitzhak
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pilpel
mesh_terms: D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D035683:MicroRNAs / Q000378:metabolism*; D012323:RNA Processing, Post-Transcriptional; D020871:RNA Stability; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D035683:MicroRNAs; D014157:Transcription Factors