Regulation of mRNA stability in the nervous system and beyond

Abstract

The ability to control gene expression is central to normal development and function. For a growing number of genes in the central nervous system and peripheral tissues, expression is determined by changes in the rate of mRNA decay. At a molecular level, regulated interactions between the mRNA target and sequence-specific binding proteins either inhibit or accelerate decay, affording tight control over gene expression. This review discusses several examples of such posttranscriptional gene regulation. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.