Polyadenylation-assisted RNA degradation processes in plants

• Published in: Trends in plant science Vol. 14; no. 9; pp. 497 - 504
• Main Authors: Lange, Heike, Sement, François M., Canaday, Jean, Gagliardi, Dominique
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2009; [Kidlington, Oxford, UK]: Elsevier Science Ltd; Elsevier
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; cell nucleus; Cell Nucleus - genetics; Cellular Biology; chloroplasts; exoribonucleases; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Life Sciences; literature reviews; messenger RNA; mitochondria; Mitochondria - genetics; nucleotidyltransferases; plant genetics; Plants - enzymology; Plants - genetics; polyadenylation; Polyadenylation - genetics; polynucleotide adenylyltransferase; polynucleotide uridylyltransferase; post-transcriptional RNA modification; RNA Stability - genetics; RNA, Chloroplast - metabolism; transcriptome; Degradation; Process; Plant sciences; RNA; Polyadenylation
• ISSN: 1360-1385; 1878-4372
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2009.06.007

Polyadenylation is a multifunctional post-transcriptional modification that is best known for stabilizing eukaryotic mRNAs and promoting their translation. However, the primordial role of polyadenylation is to target RNAs for degradation by 3′ to 5′ exoribonucleases. Polyadenylation-assisted RNA degradation contributes to post-transcriptional control in the three genetic compartments of a plant cell: the nucleus, the chloroplast and the mitochondrion. Here, we review the current knowledge of this RNA degradation pathway in these compartments, highlighting recent results that emphasize the crucial role of polyadenylation-assisted RNA degradation in plant genome expression. We also discuss other possible roles of polyadenylation and its sister process polyuridylation.