Affiliation:
1. UCL Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology, University College London , Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT , UK
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The distribution of mRNA in tissue is determined by the balance between transcription and decay. Understanding the control of RNA decay during development has been somewhat neglected compared with transcriptional control. Here, we explore the potential for mRNA decay to trigger rapid cell state transitions during development, comparing a bistable switch model of cell state conversion with experimental evidence from different developmental systems. We also consider another potential role for large-scale RNA decay that has emerged from studies of stress-induced cell state transitions, in which removal of mRNA unblocks the translation machinery to prioritise the synthesis of proteins that establish the new cell state.
Funder
Wellcome Trust
University College London
Publisher
The Company of Biologists
Subject
Developmental Biology,Molecular Biology