Post-Transcriptional Regulation in Eukaryotes

Flashcards focused on key concepts related to post-transcriptional regulation in eukaryotes as discussed in the lecture.

Post-transcriptional gene regulation involves mechanisms that target the __________ directly.

mRNA

The two main mechanisms of post-transcriptional gene regulation in eukaryotes are __________ and RNA interference.

Alternative splicing

Gene regulation can occur at any stage including post-transcriptionally through __________ and translation initiation.

mRNA stability

Post-transcriptional regulation is significant for gene expression and can be achieved by changing __________.

RNA splicing

The process of removing introns and rejoining exons is called __________.

RNA splicing

RNA splicing is catalyzed by a complex known as the __________.

spliceosome

A major feature of alternative splicing is that it allows a single gene to produce __________ proteins.

different

Alternative splicing occurs in __________ of human genes with multiple exons.

95%

Example of alternative splicing can produce isoforms of __________ in different tissues.

a-tropomyosin

In Drosophila, sex determination involves regulation of the Tra protein through __________ splicing.

alternative

Splicing factors bind to specific sequences in the mRNA to determine which __________ will be included in the mature mRNA.

exons

Splicing repressors block __________ binding to prevent splicing.

spliceosome

Splicing activators help recruit the __________ to an alternative splice site.

spliceosome

RNA interference (RNAi) alters gene expression by changing mRNA __________ or stability.

translation

Double-stranded RNA can be sourced from hairpin-encoding genes or __________.

viruses

The two primary types of regulatory RNA in RNA interference are __________ and small interfering RNA (siRNA).

microRNA (miRNA)

MicroRNA interacts with target mRNA through __________ base-pairing.

imperfect

The steps involving miRNA include the formation of a __________ from primary RNA.

hairpin

In the RISC complex, one strand of miRNA is retained while the other is __________.

discarded

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) is formed from double-stranded RNA and complements __________ mRNA perfectly.

target

One of the actions of siRNA is to cause mRNA to be __________.

degraded

To show that shRNA decreases mRNA levels, researchers might use a __________ blot.

Northern

siRNA can be designed to induce cleavage of target mRNA by ensuring __________ complementarity.

perfect

The expression of a gene can be knocked down by introducing __________ into cells.

short hairpin RNA (shRNA)

An example objective in RNAi research is to determine if transcription factor TFX regulates the expression of __________ in yeast cells.

GeneY

A control in RNAi experiments might include yeast cells treated with __________ control siRNA.

negative

In RNAi research, researchers may use __________ results to quantify gene expression levels.

qPCR

The different proteins produced by a single gene due to alternative splicing are often called __________.

isoforms

The specific binding of splicing factors to sequences in mRNA is crucial for determining the __________ of the resulting protein.

function

In Drosophila, the Tra protein is functional in females due to the presence of specific __________ in the splice variant.

exons

RNA interference is a natural mechanism found in __________ organisms to regulate gene expression.

eukaryotic

The structure of miRNA is typically about __________ nucleotides long.

22

The processing of primary miRNA to pre-miRNA occurs in the __________.

nucleus

One goal of using RNAi in research is to manipulate gene expression for the study of gene __________.

function

The mRNA removed during splicing is referred to as __________.

introns

The processes of transcription, splicing, and polyadenylation occur before mRNA is considered __________.

mature

The spliceosome is composed of small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) along with __________.

proteins

Sex determination in Drosophila via RNA interference illustrates the importance of __________ production in developmental processes.

protein

In the context of gene regulation, alternative splicing allows for __________ of functions in different cell types.

diversification

Mother cell characteristics can lead to differential __________ of splicing factors, ultimately affecting gene expression.

regulation

In molecular biology, each alternative splicing outcome can lead to the production of distinct __________.

mRNAs

Regulatory mechanisms affecting mRNA post-transcriptionally are essential for proper __________ of proteins.

function

The importance of the spliceosome in RNA processing highlights the complexity of __________ regulation.

gene

In developmental biology, gene expression studies often utilize RNAi technology for dissecting __________ roles.

gene

Alternative splicing can repress gene expression by producing a non-functional __________ variant.

protein

MicroRNAs usually inhibit translation by binding to the __________ UTR of target mRNAs.

3’

Small interfering RNAs are derived primarily from __________ RNA and are part of the regulatory mechanisms of RNAi.

double-stranded