title: The tandem CCCH zinc finger protein tristetraprolin and its relevance to cytokine mRNA turnover and arthritis.
abstract: Tristetraprolin (TTP) is the best-studied member of a small family of three proteins in humans that is characterized by a tandem CCCH zinc finger (TZF) domain with highly conserved sequences and spacing. Although initially discovered as a gene that could be induced rapidly and transiently by the stimulation of fibroblasts with growth factors and mitogens, it is now known that TTP can bind to AU-rich elements in mRNA, leading to the removal of the poly(A) tail from that mRNA and increased rates of mRNA turnover. This activity was discovered after TTP-deficient mice were created and found to have a systemic inflammatory syndrome with severe polyarticular arthritis and autoimmunity, as well as medullary and extramedullary myeloid hyperplasia. The syndrome seemed to be due predominantly to excess circulating tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), resulting from the increased stability of the TNF-alpha mRNA and subsequent higher rates of secretion of the cytokine. The myeloid hyperplasia might be due in part to increased stability of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). This review highlights briefly the characteristics of the TTP-deficiency syndrome in mice and its possible genetic modifiers, as well as recent data on the characteristics of the TTP-binding site in the TNF-alpha and GM-CSF mRNAs. Recent structural data on the characteristics of the complex between RNA and one of the TTP-related proteins are reviewed, and used to model the TTP-RNA binding complex. We review the current knowledge of TTP sequence variants in humans and discuss the possible contributions of the TTP-related proteins in mouse physiology and in human monocytes. The TTP pathway of TNF-alpha and GM-CSF mRNA degradation is a possible novel target for anti-TNF-alpha therapies for rheumatoid arthritis, and also for other conditions proven to respond to anti-TNF-alpha therapy.
authors.affiliation: Office of Clinical Research, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Danielle M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Carrick
authors.forename: Wi S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Perry J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Blackshear
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites; D001848:Bone Diseases, Developmental / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D004843:Epistasis, Genetic; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010641:Phenotype; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011485:Protein Binding; D011487:Protein Conformation; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics*; D016335:Zinc Fingers / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor