Post-transcriptional Control of Gene Expression: Mechanisms of mRNA Decay

描述(由申请人提供)：我们请求部分支持将于2006年6月24-29日在美国科罗拉多州斯诺马斯村举行的FASEB会议“基因表达的转录后调控：信使核糖核酸衰变的机制”。信使核糖核酸的周转是基因表达的一个关键但往往未被认识的调节器。信使核糖核酸的稳定性决定了其最终的稳定水平。程序性不稳定性是抑制基因表达的一种重要机制，对mRNA质量的监测确保只有“合适”的转录本离开细胞核并被翻译，而RNA干扰依赖于选择性的mRNA周转来实现其生物学后果，而新型药物则针对mRNA衰变途径。由于这些原因，信使核糖核酸的周转引起了生命科学各个领域的高度兴趣。拟议的FASE B会议的独特之处在于集中于mRNA衰变，从而在不同的生物环境中探索支撑这一普遍过程的细胞和分子水平的机制。拟议的会议特别值得注意的是，吸引了研究原核生物和真核生物的研究人员，并侧重于RNA与衰变装置、翻译装置以及调节衰变的因素相互作用的机制。会议将讨论信使核糖核酸5‘或3’末端特有的衰变事件及其亚细胞定位；RNA结合蛋白、小RNA和其他衰变因子中的结构/功能关系；信使核糖核酸衰变与翻译和转录过程的相互作用；信使核糖核酸质量控制和相关调控网络；以及信使核糖核酸衰变的临床和药物相关性。预计会议上的陈述将包括首次公开披露几个关键结构和机制，并为生长、发育和疾病的监管提供新的见解。简而言之，会议将概述这一令人振奋的领域的最新进展，并将推动其下一阶段的发展。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We are requesting partial support for a FASEB Conference on "Post-Transcriptional Regulation of Gene Expression: Mechanisms of mRNA Decay", to be held in Snowmass Village, CO on June 24-29, 2006. Turnover of mRNA is a key, but frequently unrecognized, regulator of gene expression. The stability of an mRNA dictates its ultimate steady-state level. Programmed instability is an important mechanism of repressing gene expression, and the surveillance of mRNA quality ensures that only "fit" transcripts exit the nucleus and are translated, while RNA interference relies on selective mRNA turnover for its biological consequences, whereas novel pharmaceuticals are targeting mRNA decay pathways. For these reasons, mRNA turnover is attracting heightened interest from all areas of the life sciences. The proposed FASEB Conference is unique in concentrating on mRNA decay, thereby exploring in diverse biological settings the mechanisms, both at the cellular and molecular levels that underpin this universal process. The proposed meeting is particularly noteworthy in attracting investigators who study both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, and in focusing on mechanisms by which RNAs interact with the decay apparatus, the translation apparatus, and the factors which modulate decay. The meeting's sessions will address decay events specific for mRNA 5' or 3' termini and their subcellular localization; structure/function relationships in RNA binding proteins, small RNAs, and other decay factors; the interplay of mRNA decay with the processes of translation and transcription; RNA quality control and related regulatory networks; and the clinical and pharmaceutical relevance of mRNA decay. It is anticipated that the presentations at the meeting will include the first public disclosures of several key structures and mechanisms, as well as provide novel insights for the regulation of growth, development, and disease. In short, the conference will provide an overview of the latest progress in an exciting field and will propel the next stage of its development.