| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10934167 | Developmental Biology | 2005 | 9 Pages |
Abstract
The rate of mRNA degradation plays an important role in the control of gene expression. The mRNA stability is mainly dependent on cis-regulatory elements contained in the 3â² or 5â² untranslated region (UTR) of the mature mRNAs, and its regulation is an efficient way to adapt the level of a given transcript in the cell. Although this process has been well studied in cell culture, little is known about mRNA stability during embryonic development. Here, we describe an assay that combines the tetracyclin-dependent inducible system Tet-Off with in ovo electroporation to monitor mRNA stability in the chick neural tube. We show, by using the GFP intensity as an indirect reporter system, that the 3â²UTR of Lunatic Fringe strongly destabilizes transcripts, while transcripts bearing the 3â²UTR of Fgf8 are much more stable. This simple assay provides a powerful tool to study mRNA dynamics in vivo.
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Authors
Valérie Hilgers, Olivier Pourquié, Julien Dubrulle,