Functional chimeric mRNAs encode proteins in mammalian immunity

TL;DR - A Nature study reports that inflammation promotes interchromosomal interactions between parent genes, enabling chimeric mRNAs that produce functional proteins involved in mammalian immunity. This suggests gene fusions can be physiologically relevant products of immune responses rather than solely aberrant events.

• Inflammation brings genes on different chromosomes into close physical proximity.
• These interactions facilitate the formation of chimeric mRNAs from distinct parent genes.
• The resulting transcripts encode functional proteins with roles in mammalian immunity.
• The provided summary does not specify the proteins, mechanisms of RNA fusion, or experimental models.