Posttranscriptional orchestration of an anti-apoptotic program by HuR

Abstract

The RNA-binding protein HuR can stabilize and/or regulate the translation of target mRNAs, thereby affecting the cellular responses to immune, proliferative, and damaging agents. Here, we discuss emerging evidence that HuR elicits a broad anti-apoptotic function through its influence on the expression of multiple target mRNAs. HuR was previously shown to bind to the mRNA encoding the apoptosome inhibitor prothymosin a(ProT alpha) and enhanced its translation and cytoplasmic abundance. More recently, HuR was shown to increase the stability of a target mRNA encoding the pro-survival deacetylase SIRT1. The discovery that HuR likewise binds to and promotes the expression of mRNAs encoding Bcl-2 and Mcl-1, two major anti-apoptotic effectors, strongly supports HuR's role as a key upstream coordinator of a constitutive pro-survival program.