Chapter 6:  Overview

Regulation of ADAR1 is a complex process involving multiple promoters [115, 120, 121], alternative splicing [115, 117], SUMOylation [131], and presumably proteolytic degradation [123]. During our study of ADAR1 biology, we learned much more about how ADAR1 is regulated and processed. This chapter describes a diverse range of experiments that although seemingly unrelated, were all motivated by one simple question: “Where are all the bands on the gel coming from?” Needless to say, I spent a great deal of time trying unsuccessfully to answer that question and in the process created more bands on the gel and even more questions. The projects described here are by no means finished, and I don’t wish it upon anyone to ever try to complete them. However, I hope the results summarized in this chapter serve as a reminder to the chosen few people who ever try to comprehend these pages that, with ADAR1, as in life, anything is possible.