Two phases in the addition of a poly(A) tail.

72Citations
Citations of this article
49Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

Abstract

The addition of a poly(A) tail has been examined in a HeLa cell nuclear extract using SV40 late RNAs that end at or near the natural poly(A) site. We find that the addition of a full-length, 200-nucleotide poly(A) tail occurs in two discrete phases. In the first phase, the addition of each adenosine is dependent on the highly conserved sequence AAUAAA. Mutations in that sequence result in an accumulation of products that contain 9 or fewer adenosine residues. In the second phase, poly(A) addition no longer requires AAUAAA but, instead, requires the oligo(A) primer synthesized during the first phase. Thus, RNAs carrying an AAUAAA mutation and a 3'-terminal oligo(A) segment are extended efficiently to full-length poly(A). The transition between phases occurs with the addition of the tenth adenosine residue. An activity exists that limits the length of poly(A) added in the extract to approximately 200 nucleotides. The two phases share at least one component and are likely to involve the same poly(A) polymerase.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Sheets, M. D., & Wickens, M. (1989). Two phases in the addition of a poly(A) tail. Genes & Development, 3(9), 1401–1412. https://doi.org/10.1101/gad.3.9.1401

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free