[Post-transcriptional regulation by 3'-untranslated region of transcripts]

Two different mechanisms have been well known to regulate the amounts of various transcripts in response to internal and external environmental stimuli. First, by binding of activated transcription factors to DNA regulatory regions including the cAMP response element, hormone response element, and activator protein-1 region upstream in various genes, the rate of transcription from DNA to mRNA is regulated. Secondly, the degradation of some mRNAs related to immune responses has been reported to be regulated by binding of RNA-binding proteins to adenylate uridylate-rich elements (AU-rich elements, AREs) located in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR). The original study identifying the existence of a common regulatory nucleotide sequence in the 3'-UTR of inflammatory mediator transcripts pointed out that the AREs are characteristic of immune-related functional proteins. The number of transcripts containing AREs in the 3'-UTR has increased and several neuronal proteins including beta 2-adrenergic receptor, nerve growth factor, tyrosine hydroxylase, and nitric-oxide synthase II, have been reported to have AREs. We here reviewed the recent advances in the neuropsychopharmacological understanding of post-transcriptional regulation by RNA-binding protein and also pointed out the importance of this regulation in future studies using various stress paradigms.