Nucleo-cytoplasmic shuttling of RNA-binding factors: mRNA buffering and beyond

Gene expression is a highly regulated process that adapts RNAs and proteins content to the cellular context. Under steady-state conditions, mRNA homeostasis is robustly maintained by tight controls that act on both nuclear transcription and cytoplasmic mRNA stability. In recent years, it has been revealed that several RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) that perform functions in mRNA decay can move to the nucleus and regulate transcription. The RBPs involved in transcription can also travel to the cytoplasm and regulate mRNA degradation and/or translation. The multifaceted functions of these shuttling nucleo-cytoplasm RBPs have raised the possibility that they can act as mRNA metabolism coordinators. In addition, this indicates the existence of crosstalk mechanisms between the enzymatic machineries that drive the different mRNA life-cycle phases. The buffering of the mRNA concentration is the best known consequence of a transcription-degradation crosstalk counteraction, but alternative ways of RBP action can also imply enhanced gene regulation.