Upstream open reading frame

An upstream open reading frame (uORF) is an open reading frame (ORF) within the 5' untranslated region (5'UTR) of an mRNA. uORFs can regulate eukaryotic gene expression. Translation of the uORF typically inhibits downstream expression of the primary ORF. However, in some genes such as yeast GCN4, translation of specific uORFs may increase translation of the main ORF.