The STAR protein QKI-7 recruits PAPD4 to regulate post-transcriptional polyadenylation of target mRNAs.

Emerging evidence has demonstrated that regulating the length of the poly(A) tail on an mRNA is an efficient means of controlling gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. In early development, transcription is silenced and gene expression is primarily regulated by cytoplasmic polyadenylation. In somatic cells, considerable progress has been made toward understanding the mechanisms of negative regulation by deadenylation.