Gene expression can be noisier than we realize. Burst transcription can be unproductive or even detrimental if not adequately controlled. Collaborative research by Shu-Hsing Wu at the Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology and Chao-Ping Hsu at the Institute of Chemistry revealed that upstream open reading frames (uORFs) could cancel the expression noise. uORFs help keep the circadian clock precise and synchronized among plant cells by “buffering” a low and stable clock production. This work was published in Nature Plants on May 2, 2022.

Article Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-022-01136-8

Animation for noise canceling of gene expression by uORFs: https://ipmb.sinica.edu.tw/ch/movie/uORF_EnglishSubtitle