UPF1, a conserved nonsense-mediated mRNA decay factor, regulates cyst wall protein transcripts in Giardia lamblia.

ABSTRACT: The Giardia lamblia cyst wall is required for survival outside the host and infection. Three cyst wall protein (cwp) genes identified to date are highly up-regulated during encystation. However, little is known of the molecular mechanisms governing their gene regulation. Messenger RNAs containing premature stop codons are rapidly degraded by a nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) system to avoid production of non-functional proteins. In addition to RNA surveillance, NMD also regulates thousands of naturally occurring transcripts through a variety of mechanisms. It is interesting to know the NMD pathway in the primitive eukaryotes. Previously, we have found that the giardial homologue of a conserved NMD factor, UPF1, may be functionally conserved and involved in NMD and in preventing nonsense

SUBMITTER: Chen YH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2572189 | biostudies-literature | 2008

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature