Transcription, splicing, and release: are we there yet?

Abstract

A systematic analysis of LPS-induced gene expression in macrophages by Bhatt et al. demonstrates that inflammatory responses are governed primarily at the level of transcription initiation. Unexpectedly, full-length nascent RNAs that contain introns appear to accumulate on chromatin, presumably to complete processing, prior to release of functional mRNA for export to the cytoplasm.