Hoopengardner Barry, Bhalla Tarun, Staber Cynthia, Reenan Robert
Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT 06030, USA.
Science. 2003 Aug 8;301(5634):832-6. doi: 10.1126/science.1086763.
An unknown number of precursor messenger RNAs undergo genetic recoding by modification of adenosine to inosine, a reaction catalyzed by the adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADARs). Discovery of these edited transcripts has always been serendipitous. Using comparative genomics, we identified a phylogenetic signature of RNA editing. We report the identification and experimental verification of 16 previously unknown ADAR target genes in the fruit fly Drosophila and one in humans-more than the sum total previously reported. All of these genes are involved in rapid electrical and chemical neurotransmission, and many of the edited sites recode conserved and functionally important amino acids. These results point to a pivotal role for RNA editing in nervous system function.
数量未知的前体信使核糖核酸通过将腺苷修饰为肌苷来进行基因重编码，这一反应由作用于RNA的腺苷脱氨酶（ADARs）催化。这些经过编辑的转录本的发现一直是偶然的。利用比较基因组学，我们鉴定出了RNA编辑的系统发育特征。我们报告了在果蝇中16个先前未知的ADAR靶基因以及在人类中1个ADAR靶基因的鉴定和实验验证，这一数量超过了此前报道的总和。所有这些基因都参与快速的电和化学神经传递，并且许多编辑位点对保守且功能重要的氨基酸进行了重编码。这些结果表明RNA编辑在神经系统功能中起着关键作用。
