Yanyan’s paper “A Synthetic Biology Approach Identifies the Mammalian UPR RNA Ligase RtcB” is published in Molecular Cell and we are featured on the cover!
The unfolded protein response (UPR) maintains homeostasis of the protein-folding environment in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Mammalian XBP1 mRNA undergoes unconventional splicing during ER stress. In this issue, using a synthetic genetic circuit, Lu et al. (pp. 758–770) identify RtcB as the long-sought UPR RNA ligase that catalyzes XBP1 splicing in mammals. The illustration takes us to a stressful emergency room where we find RtcB (front surgeon) suturing the spliced XBP1u mRNA (patient) after IRE1 (back surgeon) cleaves and removes intron (sequence shown). The ligation catalyzed by RtcB generates the functional spliced XBP1 (shown in the surgeon’s hands). Read “A Synthetic Biology Approach Identifies the Mammalian UPR RNA Ligase RtcB” here!