Widespread Transcription beyond mRNA 3' Ends Yields Abundant Regulatory RNAs

Through RNA-seq analyses of nascent transcripts, we found large numbers of RNA transcripts that extend beyond the 3' ends of protein-coding genes; we refer to these extended transcripts as geRNAs. These findings demonstrate that transcription of most human protein-coding genes does not terminate within close proximity to poly(A) signals; rather, it terminates at sites far beyond these signals (up to 50 kb). Overall design: Examination of different RNA species in HelaS3 cells by strand-specific RNA-seq. The 4sU-labeled RNA was isolated by using organomercurial affinity matrix.