A compensatory link between cleavage/polyadenylation and mRNA turnover regulates steady-state mRNA levels in yeast

Abstract

Significance Cells coordinate the rates of major biological processes in response to environmental conditions such as nutrient availability and temperature. Coordination mechanisms in which effects on one process are compensated for by effects on another process maintain an appropriate cellular balance. Here, we uncover a compensatory link between cleavage/polyadenylation, which generates poly(A) tails at mRNA 3′ ends, and mRNA decay. This compensatory link suggests that during cleavage/polyadenylation in the nucleus, mRNA isoforms are marked in a manner that persists upon translocation to the cytoplasm. This mark affects the activity of mRNA degradation machinery, thus influencing mRNA stability and allowing cells to maintain relatively similar levels of mRNA isoforms even when cleavage/polyadenylation rates change in response to environmental conditions.