Research highlight
Congratulations to Ramos lab and UNC collaborators for their recent publication in Nucleic Acids Research describing the discovery of a novel mRNA target, Elavl2, for the RNA binding protein, ZFP36L2. Collectively, the results of these researchers propose a model in which the balance between two RNA-binding proteins with opposing effects, ZFP36L2 which degrades mRNA, and ELAVL2 which stabilizes mRNA, controls gene expression of a subset of transcripts. Notably, they demonstrate that ZFP36L2 binds and degrades Elavl2 mRNA. When ZFP36L2 is absent, such as in their knockout mice, the ELAVL2 protein effect predominates and stabilizes its own mRNA in the spleen.
“Congratulations to first-co-authors Ian C. Redmon and Matthew Ardizzone, undergraduate researchers in the Biochemistry and Biophysics department, and Hilal Hekimoğlu, an International visiting master’s student from Turkey and to all other authors!”
Link to publication in NAR
Ian C Redmon, Matthew Ardizzone, Hilal Hekimoğlu, Breanne M Hatfield, Justin M Waldern, Abhishek Dey, Stephanie A Montgomery, Alain Laederach, Silvia B V Ramos, Sequence and tissue targeting specificity of ZFP36L2 reveals Elavl2 as a novel target with co-regulation potential, Nucleic Acids Research, Volume 50, Issue 7, 22 April 2022, Pages 4068–4082.