Target specificity of neuronal RNA-binding protein, Mel-N1: direct binding to the 3' untranslated region of its own mRNA.
We have identified cDNAs encoding Mel-N1, the mouse homologue of a human nervous system-specific RNA-binding protein, Hel-N1. Two major mRNA transcripts of Mel-N1 were detected predominantly in the adult mouse brain by Northern blot analysis. To gain insight into the RNA binding specificity of Mel-N1, we performed iterative in vitro RNA selection. The resulting in vitro selected RNAs were found to contain AU-rich sequences as well as a GAAA motif in the majority of clones. By means of in vitro binding assays we demonstrate that this GAAA sequence appears to significantly affect the Mel-N1 RNA-binding efficiency. Our studies further reveal that Mel-N1 can bind to its own 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) as well as to the c-fos 3'UTR, and is localized predominantly in the cytoplasmic region in cells, suggesting that posttranscriptional autoregulation of Mel-N1 gene expression occurs in vivo.
Abe
R
R
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Kobe University, Japan.
Yamamoto
K
K
Sakamoto
H
H
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D001923:Brain Chemistry; D002460:Cell Line; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D051959:ELAV Proteins; D000067777:ELAV-Like Protein 2; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D016762:Genes, fos; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010957:Plasmids; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D014162:Transfection
D051959:ELAV Proteins; D000067777:ELAV-Like Protein 2; C099893:Elavl2 protein, mouse; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger