Background information
The Elav-like genes encode for a family of RNA-binding proteins. Elav, a Drosophila protein and the first described member, is expressed immediately after neuroblastic differentiation into neurons and is necessary for neuronal differentiation and maintenance. Several mammalian Elav-like proteins, designated HuC, HuD and Hel-N1, are also expressed in postmitotic neurons. An additional mammalian homolog, HuR, which is also designated HuA, is ubiquitously expressed and is also overexpressed in a wide variety of tumors. Characteristically, these homologs all contain three RNA recognition motifs (RRM) and they specifically bind to AU-rich elements (ARE) in the 3'-untranslated region of mRNAs transcripts. ARE sites target mRNA for rapid degradation and thereby regulate the expression levels of genes involved in cell growth and differentiation. When Elav-like proteins associate with these ARE sites this degradation is inhibited, leading to an increased stability of the corresponding transcript. Elav proteins function within the nucleus, and they are shuttled between the nucleus and cytoplasm by a nuclear export signal, which is a regulatory feature of the Elav-like proteins as it limits their accessibility to ARE sites.
