Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay.

ABSTRACT

Translation and mRNA decay are coupled processes; the link is most obvious in the case of NMD (nonsense-mediated mRNA decay). NMD is a mechanism that drastically reduces the level of mRNA harbouring PTCs (premature translation termination codons). The defining event in NMD is premature translation termination and the key question is what distinguishes premature from normal translation termination? Surprisingly, in mammalian cells, PTC recognition is linked to pre-mRNA splicing. Here, we review the current understanding in view of recent developments.