uORFs: Important Cis-Regulatory Elements in Plants
National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
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Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(17), 6238; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21176238
Received: 23 July 2020
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Revised: 20 August 2020
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Accepted: 22 August 2020
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Published: 28 August 2020
(This article belongs to the Section Molecular Plant Sciences)
Gene expression is regulated at many levels, including mRNA transcription, translation, and post-translational modification. Compared with transcriptional regulation, mRNA translational control is a more critical step in gene expression and allows for more rapid changes of encoded protein concentrations in cells. Translation is highly regulated by complex interactions between cis-acting elements and trans-acting factors. Initiation is not only the first phase of translation, but also the core of translational regulation, because it limits the rate of protein synthesis. As potent cis-regulatory elements in eukaryotic mRNAs, upstream open reading frames (uORFs) generally inhibit the translation initiation of downstream major ORFs (mORFs) through ribosome stalling. During the past few years, with the development of RNA-seq and ribosome profiling, functional uORFs have been identified and characterized in many organisms. Here, we review uORF identification, uORF classification, and uORF-mediated translation initiation. More importantly, we summarize the translational regulation of uORFs in plant metabolic pathways, morphogenesis, disease resistance, and nutrient absorption, which open up an avenue for precisely modulating the plant growth and development, as well as environmental adaption. Additionally, we also discuss prospective applications of uORFs in plant breeding.
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Keywords:
uORFs; translational regulation; metabolic pathways; morphogenesis; disease resistance; nutrient absorption; plant breeding
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MDPI and ACS Style
Zhang, T.; Wu, A.; Yue, Y.; Zhao, Y. uORFs: Important Cis-Regulatory Elements in Plants. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21, 6238. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21176238
AMA Style
Zhang T, Wu A, Yue Y, Zhao Y. uORFs: Important Cis-Regulatory Elements in Plants. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2020; 21(17):6238. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21176238
Chicago/Turabian StyleZhang, Ting, Anqi Wu, Yaping Yue, and Yu Zhao. 2020. "uORFs: Important Cis-Regulatory Elements in Plants" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 21, no. 17: 6238. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21176238
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