Breaking the A chain: regulating mRNAs in development through CCR4 deadenylase

Abstract

Post-transcriptional mechanisms of gene regulation have long been implicated in specifying embryonic pattern in many organisms. Experiments in Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila, and Xenopus have recently converged, pointing to the CCR4 deadenylase complex as a key effector that modulates the expression of proteins from specific germline mRNAs.