Conservation of cis-Regulatory Element Controlling Timely Translation in the 3'-UTR of Selected Mammalian Maternal Transcripts.
- Author:
Hyun Joo LEE
1
;
Yoonki LIM
;
Sang Ho CHANG
;
Kwansik MIN
;
Ching Tack HAN
;
Sue Yun HWANG
Author Information
1. Graduate School of Biotechnology, Environmental and Information Technology, Hankyong National University, Ansung 456-749, Korea.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Dcytoplasmic polyadenylation;
cytoplasmic polyadenylation element (CPE);
delayed translation;
maternal transcript;
3'-UTR
- MeSH:
Animals;
Consensus Sequence;
Cytoplasm;
Embryonic Development;
Embryonic Structures;
Female;
Mass Screening;
Mice;
Ovum;
Polyadenylation;
Pregnancy;
RNA, Messenger, Stored;
Tissue Plasminogen Activator
- From:Genomics & Informatics
2007;5(4):174-178
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
The earliest stages of mammalian embryogenesis are governed by the activity of maternally inherited transcripts and proteins. Cytoplasmic polyadenylation of selected maternal mRNA has been reported to be a major control mechanism of delayed translation during preimplantation embryogenesis in mice. The presence of cis-elements required for cytoplasmic polyadenylation (e.g., CPE) can serve as a useful tag in the screening of maternal genes partaking in key functions in the transcriptionally dormant egg and early embryo. However, due to its relative simplicity, UA-rich sequences satisfying the canonical rule of known CPE consensus sequences are often found in the 3'-UTR of maternal transcripts that do not actually undergo cytoplasmic polyadenylation. In this study, we developed a method to confirm the validity of candidate CPE sequences in a given gene by a multiplex comparison of 3'-UTR sequences between mammalian homologs. We found that genes undergoing cytoplasmic polyadenylation tend to create a conserved block around the CPE, while CPE-like sequences in the 3'-UTR of genes lacking cytoplasmic polyadenylation do not exhibit such conservation between species. Through this cross-species comparison, we also identified an alternative CPE in the 3'-UTR of tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), which is more likely to serve as a functional element. We suggest that verification of CPEs based on sequence conservation can provide a convenient tool for mass screening of factors governing the earliest processes of mammalian embryogenesis.
