Nelfb is a subunit of the negative elongation factor (NELF) complex, which mediates RNA polymerase II (Pol II) pausing at promoter-proximal regions. This function is crucial for regulating gene expression, as promoter-proximal pausing can control the rate of transcription elongation and thus the amount of mRNA produced. NELF-related pathways are involved in the overall process of transcription regulation, which is vital for normal cellular function [2,4,5].

In the study of human osteoporosis, Nelfb was identified as one of the hub genes related to mitophagy. Through bioinformatics analysis and RT-qPCR verification, it was found that Nelfb is highly correlated with the development of osteoporosis. In this context, its role in mitophagy-related processes may contribute to the early diagnosis, mechanism research, and treatment of osteoporosis [1]. Additionally, in Drosophila, Nelf-B (presumably the Drosophila ortholog of Nelfb) was identified as a gene that regulates sleep regardless of the presence of conspecifics, expanding its potential functions in behavioral regulation [3].

In conclusion, Nelfb plays essential roles in both transcription regulation and specific biological processes like mitophagy in osteoporosis and sleep regulation in Drosophila. Research on Nelfb, especially through bioinformatics-based functional studies, has provided insights into its functions in disease-related and behavioral contexts, which may contribute to further understanding of these biological phenomena and potentially to the development of related therapies.

References:

1. Su, Yu, Yu, Gangying, Li, Dongchen, Ma, Teng, Li, Zhong. 2024. Identification of mitophagy-related biomarkers in human osteoporosis based on a machine learning model. In Frontiers in physiology, 14, 1289976. doi:10.3389/fphys.2023.1289976. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38260098/

2. Pan, Haihui, Cheng, Xiaolong, Rodríguez, Pedro Felipe Gardeazábal, Hu, Yanfen, Li, Rong. 2023. An essential signaling function of cytoplasmic NELFB is independent of RNA polymerase II pausing. In The Journal of biological chemistry, 299, 105259. doi:10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105259. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37717699/

3. Peng, Di, Zheng, Liubin, Liu, Dan, Xue, Yu, Zhang, Luoying. 2024. Large-language models facilitate discovery of the molecular signatures regulating sleep and activity. In Nature communications, 15, 3685. doi:10.1038/s41467-024-48005-w. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38693116/

4. Su, Bonnie G, Vos, Seychelle M. 2024. Distinct negative elongation factor conformations regulate RNA polymerase II promoter-proximal pausing. In Molecular cell, 84, 1243-1256.e5. doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2024.01.023. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38401543/

5. Santana, Juan F, Spector, Benjamin M, Suarez, Gustavo A, Luse, Donal S, Price, David H. . NELF focuses sites of initiation and maintains promoter architecture. In Nucleic acids research, 52, 2977-2994. doi:10.1093/nar/gkad1253. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38197272/