Plant transcripts with long or structured upstream open reading frames in the NDL2 5' UTR can escape nonsense-mediated mRNA decay in a reinitiation-independent manner.

Many eukaryotic transcripts contain upstream open reading frames (uORFs). Translated uORFs can inhibit the translation of main ORFs by imposing the need for reinitiation of translation. Translated uORFs can also lead to transcript degradation by the nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) pathway.

The NMD Factor UPF3 Is Feedback-Regulated at Multiple Levels and Plays a Role in Plant Response to Salt Stress.

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) is a eukaryotic RNA surveillance mechanism that degrades aberrant transcripts and controls the levels of many normal mRNAs. It was shown that balanced expression of the NMD factor UPF3 is essential for the maintenance of proper NMD homeostasis in . expression is controlled by a negative feedback loop that exposes transcript to NMD.