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Quantifying mRNA synthesis and decay rates using small RNAs
Regulation of mRNA decay is a critical component of global cellular
adaptation to changing environments. The corresponding changes in mRNA
lifetimes can be coordinated with changes in mRNA transcription rates to
fine-tune gene expression. Current approaches for measuring mRNA lifetimes can
give rise to secondary effects due to transcription inhibition and require
separate experiments to estimate changes in mRNA transcription rates. Here, we
propose an approach for simultaneous determination of changes in mRNA
transcription rate and lifetime using regulatory small RNAs to control mRNA
decay. We analyze a stochastic model for coupled degradation of mRNAs and sRNAs
and derive exact results connecting RNA lifetimes and transcription rates to
mean abundances. The results obtained show how steady-state measurements of RNA
levels can be used to analyze factors and processes regulating changes in mRNA
transcription and decay
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