Efficient downregulation of immunoglobulin mu mRNA with premature translation-termination codons requires the 5'-half of the VDJ exon.

ABSTRACT: Premature translation-termination codons (PTCs) elicit rapid degradation of the mRNA by a process called nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD). NMD appears to be significantly more efficient for mRNAs of genes belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily, which frequently acquire PTCs during VDJ rearrangment, than for mRNAs of other genes. To identify determinants for efficient NMD, we developed a minigene system derived from a mouse immunoglobulin micro gene (Ig-micro) and measured the effect of PTCs at different positions on the mRNA level. This revealed that PTCs located downstream of the V-D junction in the VDJ exon of Ig-micro minigenes and of endogenous Ig-micro genes elicit very strong mRNA downregulation, whereas NMD efficiency decreases gradually further upstream in the V segment wher

SUBMITTER: Buhler M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC443527 | biostudies-literature | 2004

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature