Widespread predicted nonsense-mediated mRNA decay of alternatively-spliced transcripts of human normal and disease genes

• DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btg1015
• Publication Date: 2003-07-10T23:49:03Z
• Authors: Richard E. Green; Benjamin P. Lewis; R. Tyler Hillman; Marco Blanchette; Liana F. Lareau; Aaron T. Garnett; Donald C. Rio; Steven E. Brenner
• Keywords: 0303 health sciences; Lymphoma; RNA Stability; 3. Good health; Alternative Splicing; 03 medical and health sciences; Gene Expression Regulation; Alzheimer Disease; Codon, Nonsense; Humans; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Genetic Testing; RNA Splice Sites; RNA, Messenger; Transcription Factors

Abstract We have recently shown that a third of reliably-inferred alternative mRNA isoforms are candidates for nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD), an mRNA surveillance system (Lewis et al., 2003; Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA, 100, 189–192). Rather than being translated to yield protein, these transcripts are expected to be degraded and may be subject to regulated unproductive splicing and translation (RUST). Our initial experimental studies are consistent with these predictions and suggest an unappreciated role for NMD in several human diseases. Contact: [e-mail] *To whom correspondence should be addressed.