The small (40S) subunit of eukaryotic ribosomes is believed to bind initially at the capped 5'-end of messenger RNA and then migrate, stopping at the first AUG codon in a favorable context for initiating translation. The first-AUG rule is not absolute, but there are rules for breaking the rule. Some anomalous observations that seemed to contradict the scanning mechanism now appear to be artifacts. A few genuine anomalies remain unexplained.

/pdf/the-scanning-model-for-translation-an-update-52r2in8l71.pdf

The scanning model for translation: an update.

Exogenous DNA sequences were introduced into the Drosophila germ line. A rosy transposon (ry1), constructed by inserting a chromosomal DNA fragment containing the wild-type rosy gene into a P transposable element, transformed germ line cells in 20 to 50 percent of the injected rosy mutant embryos. Transformants contained one or two copies of chromosomally integrated, intact ry1 that were stably inherited in subsequent generations. These transformed flies had wild-type eye color indicating that the visible genetic defect in the host strain could be fully and permanently corrected by the transferred gene. To demonstrate the generality of this approach, a DNA segment that does not confer a recognizable phenotype on recipients was also transferred into germ line chromosomes.

/pdf/genetic-transformation-of-drosophila-with-transposable-3ie0y54fnd.pdf

Genetic Transformation of Drosophila with Transposable Element Vectors

Alternative pre-mRNA splicing is a central mode of genetic regulation in higher eukaryotes. Variability in splicing patterns is a major source of protein diversity from the genome. In this review, I describe what is currently known of the molecular mechanisms that control changes in splice site choice. I start with the best-characterized systems from the Drosophila sex determination pathway, and then describe the regulators of other systems about whose mechanisms there is some data. How these regulators are combined into complex systems of tissue-specific splicing is discussed. In conclusion, very recent studies are presented that point to new directions for understanding alternative splicing and its mechanisms.

/pdf/mechanisms-of-alternative-pre-messenger-rna-splicing-3d5lzfbjvj.pdf

Mechanisms of Alternative Pre-Messenger RNA Splicing

http://web.mit.edu/manoli/www/publications/Brennecke_Cell_07_piwiRNAs.pdf

Discrete Small RNA-Generating Loci as Master Regulators of Transposon Activity in Drosophila

MCF-7/AdrVp is a multidrug-resistant human breast cancer subline that displays an ATP-dependent reduction in the intracellular accumulation of anthracycline anticancer drugs in the absence of overexpression of known multidrug resistance transporters such as P glycoprotein or the multidrug resistance protein. RNA fingerprinting led to the identification of a 2.4-kb mRNA that is overexpressed in MCF-7/AdrVp cells relative to parental MCF-7 cells. The mRNA encodes a 663-aa member of the ATP-binding cassette superfamily of transporters that we term breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP). Enforced expression of the full-length BCRP cDNA in MCF-7 breast cancer cells confers resistance to mitoxantrone, doxorubicin, and daunorubicin, reduces daunorubicin accumulation and retention, and causes an ATP-dependent enhancement of the efflux of rhodamine 123 in the cloned transfected cells. BCRP is a xenobiotic transporter that appears to play a major role in the multidrug resistance phenotype of MCF-7/AdrVp human breast cancer cells.

https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/95/26/15665.full.pdf

A multidrug resistance transporter from human MCF-7 breast cancer cells

The molecular basis of P-M hybrid dysgenesis: the role of the P element, a P-strain-specific transposon family.

https://www.cell.com/cell/pdf/0092-8674(82)90462-7.pdf

Paul M. Bingham

Papers

The molecular basis of P-M hybrid dysgenesis: the role of the P element, a P-strain-specific transposon family.

The molecular basis of P-M hybrid dysgenesis: the nature of induced mutations.

Cloning of DNA sequences from the white locus of D. melanogaster by a novel and general method

The chromatin structure of specific genes: I. Evidence for higher order domains of defined DNA sequence

Arginine/serine-rich domains of the su(wa) and tra RNA processing regulators target proteins to a subnuclear compartment implicated in splicing