title: Pros and cons of pDNA and mRNA transfection to study mRNA translation in mammalian cells.
abstract: Protein synthesis in eukaryotes is subject to stringent control. The misregulation of translation of certain mRNAs is often a hallmark of many diseases, including malignancies and autoimmune disorders. To understand why and how it happens, it is important to investigate the translational control of specific mRNAs. In this case, one could use reporter mRNAs in order to identify cis-acting elements responsible for regulation. Here we overview plasmid DNA (pDNA) and mRNA transfections, their pitfalls and limitations, as well as some emerging applications for mRNA transfection.
authors.affiliation: Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia. Electronic address: cycloheximide@yandex.ru.
authors.forename: Dmitry E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Andreev
authors.affiliation: Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia; Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Ilya M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Terenin
authors.affiliation: Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia; Engelhardt Institute of Molecular Biology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
authors.forename: Sergey E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Dmitriev
authors.affiliation: Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia. Electronic address: shatsky@genebee.msu.su.
authors.forename: Ivan N
authors.initials: IN
authors.lastname: Shatsky
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D006801:Humans; D008322:Mammals / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics*; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics*; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger
keywords: Gene therapy; Plasmid DNA; Reporter gene; Transfection; Translation; mRNA