The mutation causing myotonic dystrophy (DM) has been identified as a CTG expansion in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of the DM protein kinase gene ( DMPK ), but the mechanism(s) of pathogenesis remain unknown. Studies using DM patient materials have often produced confusing results. Therefore, to study the effects of the DM mutation in a controlled environment, we have established a cell ...

Prohibitin is a candidate tumor suppressor gene located on human chromosome 17q21, a region of frequent loss of heterozygosity in breast cancers. We showed previously that microinjection of RNA encoded by the prohibitin gene 3'untranslated region (3'UTR) blocks the G(1)-S transition causing cell cycle arrest in several human cancer cell lines, including MCF7. Two allelic forms (C versus T) of t...

The tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) strains have been isolated from unfed adult ticks Ixodes persulcatus Schulze in Novosibirsk region (South-Western Siberia, Russia) beginning from 1980 till 2006. The TBEV 3'-untraslated region (3'UTR) variable fragment was amplified with primers corresponding to conserved flanking areas. The RT-PCR product lengths varied in range from 100 to 400 bp. Comp...

In metazoans, most microRNAs imperfectly base-pair with the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) of target mRNAs and prevent protein accumulation by either repressing translation or inducing mRNA degradation. Examples of specific mRNAs undergoing microRNA-mediated repression are numerous, but whether the repression is a reversible process remains largely unknown. Here we show that cationic amino acid...

Nanos is a translational regulator required for the survival and maintenance of primordial germ cells during embryogenesis. Three nanos homologs are present in the genome of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (Sp), and each nanos mRNA accumulates specifically in the small micromere (sMic) lineage. We found that a highly conserved element in the 3' UTR of nanos2 is sufficient for repor...

At more than one million copies per genome, Alu elements represent the most abundant primate-specific repetitive element, constituting more than 10% of the human genome. These small interspersed elements (SINEs) can be transcribed by RNA polymerase III; alternatively, they can be embedded in transcripts synthesized by RNA polymerase II, where they have the potential to regulate host mRNA expres...