Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42779757›Full record

ArticlebioRxiv : the preprint server for biology2026

Beyond codon optimality: codon pairs regulate mRNA stability dependent on translation.

Haejeong Lee, Damir Musaev, Charles E Vejnar, Srikar Krishna, Trung Duc Nguyen, Ethan C Strayer, Mario Abdel Messih, Carter M Takacs, Jean-Denis Beaudoin, Antonio J Giraldez

Abstract readPreprint
In one paragraph

Article in bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Haejeong LeeDepartment of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510.ORCID 0000-0001-5243-7595
Damir MusaevDepartment of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510.
Charles E VejnarDepartment of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510.
Srikar KrishnaDepartment of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510.
Trung Duc NguyenDepartment of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510.
Ethan C StrayerDepartment of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510.
Mario Abdel MessihDepartment of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510.
Carter M TakacsDepartment of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510.
Jean-Denis BeaudoinDepartment of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510.
Antonio J GiraldezDepartment of Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510.

Funding

Molecular mechanisms of the maternal to zygotic transitionR35GM122580 · NIGMS · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI Antonio J Giraldez · 2017 to 2026
$8.1M
High throughput functional annotation of the impact of human UTR sequence variation on gene function and protein outputR01HG013516 · NHGRI · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI Antonio J Giraldez, Monkol Lek · 2025 to 2026
$1.5M
Mechanisms Regulating Chromatin Organization and Epigenetic MemoryR01HD119238 · NICHD · YALE UNIVERSITY · PI Antonio J Giraldez · 2025 to 2026
$1.2M
NHGRI NIH HHS R01 HG013516NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD119238NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM122580
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The coding sequence of an mRNA directs its own decay, yet how codons, codon context, and amino acids collectively regulate mRNA stability remains poorly understood. Here we use a massively parallel reporter assay to decode this regulatory layer in zebrafish embryos. We find that codon pairs and amino acid pairs regulate mRNA stability beyond the level of individual codons. This regulation depends on the identity and order of neighboring codons and their encoded amino acids in a translation-dependent manner. The relative contributions of codon and amino acid combinations to mRNA stability can be quantified using machine learning. We further found that endogenous mRNAs are regulated by codon pairs, thereby governing developmental gene regulation and biological function. This codon context-dependent decay requires deadenylation and decapping by Cnot7 and Dcp2, with Upf1 acting on long non-optimal ORFs. Together, our results redefine codon optimality as a context-dependent, pair-level code with implications for RNA biology and therapeutic mRNA design.

Indexed as

codon paircodon usagemassively parallel reporter assaymaternal-to-zygotic transitionmRNA decaymRNA designmRNA translationnascent peptidetRNAzebrafish

Identifiers

PMID42779757
PMCPMC13596341

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.