Suppressing nonsense--a surprising function for 5-azacytidine.
In this issue of EMBO Molecular Medicine, Bhuvanagiri et al report on a chemical means to convert molecular junk into gold. They identify a chemical inhibitor of a quality control pathway that is best known for its ability to clear cells of rubbish, but that in certain cases can be detrimental because it eliminates “useful” garbage. The chemical inhibitor identified by Bhuvanagiri et al perturbs Nonsense‐Mediated RNA Decay (NMD), a RNA surveillance pathway that targets mRNAs harboring premature termination codons (PTCs) for degradation (Kervestin & Jacobson, 2012).
Department of Reproductive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.
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Shao
Department of Reproductive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.
Miles F
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Wilkinson
D001374:Azacitidine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D059365:Nonsense Mediated mRNA Decay / Q000187:drug effects*; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*
D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D001374:Azacitidine