Form and function of Poly(A) tails

Central to mRNA metabolism is the poly(A)-tail, a stretch of adenosine nucleotides at the mRNA 3' end. In this dissertation, I investigate the role of the tail in the dynamics of mRNA decay, and describe the predominant mechanisms of decay for thousands of mammalian mRNAs. Next, I examine the effects of microRNAs, which influence mRNA decay and perturb tail length dynamics. Finally, I describe a physiological context in which the tail helps to control translation: neurons of the mouse brain. mRNA decay is tightly regulated in eukaryotes, determining the steady-state abundances and rates of accumulation of mRNAs. Despite this central role, the dynamics of decay have been described for only a handful of mRNAs. We determine these dynamics for thousands of endogenous mRNAs. Nascent mRNAs have reproducible and heterogeneous tail lengths just after they escape the nucleus.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctoral

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biology

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2020

Author dc:creator

• Eisen, Timothy J.(Timothy Jonas)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• David P. Bartel.

• Biology.

Statement dc:rights

• MIT theses may be protected by copyright. Please reuse MIT thesis content according to the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy, which is available through the URL provided.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/127129

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/127129