Science · 1997 · 510 citations · 24 references
Life SciencesGeneticsMolecular BiologyCell DivisionGene ExpressionTranscriptionMrna StabilityRna StabilityRna-protein InteractionsTranscription In EukaryotesTranslation In EukaryotesUntranslated Regions3' Untranslated Region Analysis3' Untranslated Region RegulationCis-acting Localization ElementsMating Type DevelopmentMating Type RegulationMating Type SystemsMessenger Rna Transcription
Cell divisions that produce progeny differing in their patterns of gene expression are key to the development of multicellular organisms. In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, mother cells but not daughter cells can switch mating type because they selectively express the HO endonuclease gene. This asymmetry is due to the preferential accumulation of an unstable transcriptional repressor protein, Ash1p, in daughter cell nuclei. Here it is shown that ASH1 messenger RNA (mRNA) preferentially accumulates in daughter cells by a process that is dependent on actin and myosin. A cis-acting element in the 3'-untranslated region of ASH1 mRNA is sufficient to localize a chimeric RNA to daughter cells. These results suggest that localization of mRNA may have been an early property of the eukaryotic lineage.
24