RNAi knock down of known nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) factors in Drosophila cells

All eukaryotes studied to date have the capacity to detect and degrade mRNAs harboring premature translation termination codons (PTCs) in a process called nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) (reviewed in Wagner E & Lykke-Andersen J, 2002). This surveillance system allows the cell to prevent the expression of potentially harmful truncated proteins. trans-acting factors required for NMD in Drosophila are the proteins UPF1, UPF2, UPF3, SMG-1, SMG-5 and SMG-6. To identify mRNAs naturally regulated by NMD, we analyzed expression profiles in Drosophila cells RNAi-depleted of known NMD factors using high-density oligonucleotide arrays.