Post-transcriptional regulation of tumour necrosis factor alpha production.

Tumour necrosis factor á (TNFá) is a proinflammatory cytokine produced by activated macrophages, lymphocytes and other cells. The production of TNFá is under transcriptional and post-transcriptional control. Post-transcriptional control of TNFá expression is achieved by regulating translational initiation, mRNA stability, and polyadenylation. 7 10 An adenine and uridine (AU)-rich element (ARE) in the 3’ untranslated region (3’ UTR) of TNFá transcripts is an important determinant of posttranscriptional control. Transfer of this element to heterologous reporter transcripts changes the expression of the reporter protein. Transacting factors that bind to the ARE and participate in post-transcriptional control have recently been identified. The ARE binding proteins expressed in a given cell are thought to determine the level of protein expression.