Tristetraprolin and its family members can promote the cell-free deadenylation of AU-rich element-containing mRNAs by poly(A) ribonuclease.

ABSTRACT: Eukaryotic mRNA stability can be influenced by AU-rich elements (AREs) within mRNA primary sequences. Tristetraprolin (TTP) is a CCCH tandem zinc finger protein that binds to ARE-containing transcripts and destabilizes them, apparently by first promoting the removal of their poly(A) tails. We developed a cell-free system in which TTP and its related proteins stimulated the deadenylation of ARE-containing, polyadenylated transcripts. Transcript deadenylation was not stimulated when a mutant TTP protein was used that was incapable of RNA binding, nor when a mutant ARE was present that did not bind TTP. The ability of TTP to promote transcript deadenylation required Mg(2+), but not ATP or prior capping of the RNA substrate. Cotransfection and additivity studies with the poly(A) RNase (PARN) d

SUBMITTER: Lai WS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC155217 | biostudies-literature | 2003 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature