Review on mRNA polyadenylation published in FEBS Open Bio!

A review article “Birth of a poly(A) tail: mechanisms and control of mRNA polyadenylation” written together with Juan Rodriguez-Molina (LMB, Cambridge, UK) is now published in FEBS Open Bio.

During their synthesis in the cell nucleus, most eukaryotic pre-mRNAs are cleaved and polyadenylated by the multisubunit cleavage and polyadenylation complex (CPAC). The polyadenylation activity of this ~1 MDa machinery is orchestrated by poly(A) binding proteins which decorate the poly(A) tail during its synthesis and guide the mature mRNA through subsequent gene expression steps. Here we review the structure, molecular mechanism and regulation of mRNA 3ʹ-end processing machineries with a focus on the polyadenylation step.