mRNA出核转运及其偶联网络

真核细胞中,编码蛋白质基因的表达是一个复杂的、分步骤进行的过程,这个过程从转录和新生pre-mRNA的核内加工开始,经过正确加工的成熟mRNA从加工位点释放,出核转运后在细胞质内翻译成蛋白质。mRNA出核转运是基因表达中的关键步骤,由进化上高度保守的特定蛋白质介导完成。mRNA出核与转录和mRNA加工步骤密切偶联,这样的偶联可以提高基因表达的有效性和准确性。     

Identification and mapping of inhibitory sequences in the human immunodeficiency virus type 2 vif gene.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) regulates the expression of its genes temporally at the mRNA processing step. A subset of the mRNA species which encode the structural and some accessory genes contains inhibitory sequences (INS or CRS elements) which prevent nuclear export of the RNA or its utilization in the cytoplasm. Such inhibition is overridden by the interaction of a viral protein, Rev, with its RNA target sequence, RRE. The vif gene product, which is essential for virus replication in vivo, is encoded by a singly spliced mRNA, and its expression is dependent on rev in infected cells. However, INS elements have not been found in the HIV-1 vif gene itself, although such elements have been observed in Gag, Pol, and Env coding sequences. We have now identified an INS within the 5' half of HIV-2 vif which does not show any homology with cellular mRNAs or other previously identified INS and CRS elements of HIV. These results suggest that retroviral mRNAs have novel labile sequences different from those of cellular mRNAs.