Qian Wenfeng's team revealed the regulation of mRNA levels by synonyms

frequency of use of synonyms in the genome, a phenomenon known as cryptic preference. The positive correlation between gene expression levels and preference for crypto-use has been widely reported. The traditional view is that the natural choice of translation rate and translation accuracy leads to this correlation. Yet another possible mechanism, the regulatory effect of crypto-use preferences on mRNA levels, has long been ignored.
The Qian Wenfeng research team at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences synthesized 3,556 GFP and 523 TDH3 synonyms in yeast, and found that the use of synonyms can regulate mRNA levels, and further experiments have shown that this regulation may be achieved by affecting the degradation rate of mRNA. Further analysis by the researchers found that a single synonym mutation can affect mRNA levels, and that this effect is regulated by the surrounding sequence characteristics. The study reveals the multi-effects of synonymed crypto-use and lays the foundation for further parsing the evolution of crypto-use preferences.
the findings were published online August 24, 2017 in
(DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msx229). Chen Siyu, a doctoral student at Qian Wenfeng Research Group, is the first author of the article. The research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. (Source: Science.com)