AU-rich element

An AU-rich element or "ARE" is a region with frequent A and U bases in a mRNA that targets it for degradation [cite journal |author=C Barreau, L Paillard and H B Osborne |title=AU-rich elements and associated factors: are there unifying principles? |journal=Nucleic Acids Res |volume=33 |pages=7138–7150 |year=2006 |pmid=16391004 |doi=10.1093/nar/gki1012] . AREs are usually located in the 3' UTR. It is etimated that 5-8% of human mRNAs contain ARE's, particularly cytokine and transcription factor mRNAs where they target the mRNAs for rapid destruction.

The best characterised Adenylate Uridylate (AU)-rich Elements have a core sequence of AUUUA within U rich sequences (for example WWWU(AUUUA)UUUW where W is A or U). This lies within a 50-150 base sequence, repeats of the core AUUUA element are often required for function.

A number of different proteins bind to these elements and destabilise or stabilise the mRNA, miRNAs may also bind to some of them [cite journal |author= Federico Bolognani and Nora Perrone-Bizzozero |title=RNA-protein interactions and control of mRNA stability in neurons |journal=J Neurosci Res |volume=86 |pages=481–489 |year=2008 |pmid=17853436 |doi=10.1002/jnr.21473] .

AREs have been divided into three classes with different sequences.

HuD (a.k.a.ELAVL4) binds to AREs and increases the half-life of ARE-bearing mRNAs in neurons during brain development and plasticity [cite journal |author=Nora Perrone-Bizzozero and Federico Bolognani |title=Role of HuD and other RNA-binding proteins in neural development and plasticity |journal=J Neurosci Res |volume=68 |pages=121–126 |year=2002 |pmid=11948657 |doi=10.1002/jnr.10175] .

References

External links

* [http://www.cell.com/content/article/abstract?uid=PII0092867486903417 Original publication discovering AU-rich elements]
* [http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/245/4920/852 mRNA Translational blockade by AU-rich elements]
* [http://transterm.otago.ac.nz/RNAMotif.html Brief introduction to mRNA regulatory elements]
* [http://brp.kfshrc.edu.sa/ARED/] AU-rich element database
* [http://mrna.otago.ac.nz/cgi-bin/tt_data_browse/RNAMotif?PatID=T0024 Transterm page for AU-Rich Element]