Biological functions of alternative polyadenylation / 军事医学

ABSTRACT

Alternative polyadenylation ( APA) is a widespread phenomenon and an important layer of gene regulation . APA contributes to the complexity of the transcriptome by allowing a single gene to encode multiple mRNA isoforms that dif -fer either in their coding sequence or in their 3′untranslated regions (3′UTR).The length of the 3′UTR can affect the sta-bility, localization and efficiency of the messenger RNAs ( mRNAs) by altering binding sites of RNA binding proteins or mi-croRNAs(miRNAs).The polyadenylation process , mechanisms governing APA and biological consequences resulting from APA are only starting to be deciphered .Here, we review the research progress in APA .