mRNA turnover

mRNA stability is an important facet of regulated gene expression and RNA surveillance systems. mRNA turnover is intimately coupled to the process of translation; the stability of normal mRNAs broadly correlates with their efficiency of translation, while the mechanisms that initiate nonsense‐mediated decay and no‐go/nonstop decay mRNA quality control systems are closely linked to the events of normal translation termination. The general mechanisms of mRNA turnover are well conserved throughout eukaryotic systems and the enzymes involved are closely related to those that act in mRNA degradation in bacterial systems. Notwithstanding this, metazoan systems have developed more diverse and specialised systems. Notably, mammalian transcripts are subject to regulation through factors involved in ARE‐mediated decay and a set of decapping activities. Capping of transcripts with NAD appears to reflect a widespread quality control mechanism throughout biological systems.