The Functional Meaning of 5′UTR in Protein-Coding Genes

As it is well known, messenger RNA has many regulatory regions along its sequence length. One of them is the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR), which itself contains many regulatory elements such as upstream ORFs (uORFs), internal ribosome entry sites (IRESs), microRNA binding sites, and structural components involved in the regulation of mRNA stability, pre-mRNA splicing, and translation initiation. Activation of the alternative, more upstream transcription start site leads to an extension of 5'UTR. One of the consequences of 5'UTRs extension may be head-to-head gene overlap. This review describes elements in 5'UTR of protein-coding transcripts and the functional significance of protein-coding genes 5' overlap with implications for transcription, translation, and disease.

Automated summary

As known, the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) of messenger RNA contains various regulatory elements that play important roles in mRNA stability, splicing, and translation initiation. The extension of 5'UTR caused by alternative transcription start site activation may lead to head-to-head gene overlap. This review highlights the elements in the 5'UTR of protein-coding transcripts, the functional significance of gene overlap, and their implications in transcription, translation, and disease.