Trans-acting factors governing acetylcholinesterase mRNA metabolism in neurons

• Main Authors: Lucas M. Bronicki, Bernard J. Jasmin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2012-03-01
• Series: Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience
• Subjects: Alternative Splicing; AChE; mRNA stability; translation; Hu; micro-RNA
• Online Access: http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnmol.2012.00036/full

The most characterized function of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is to terminate cholinergic signaling at neuron-neuron and neuro-muscular synapses. In addition, AChE is causally or casually implicated in neuronal development, stress-response, cognition and neurodegenerative diseases. Given the importance of AChE, many studies have focused on identifying the molecular mechanisms that govern its expression. Despite these efforts, post-transcriptional control of AChE mRNA expression is still relatively unclear. Here, we review the trans-acting factors and cis-acting elements that are known to control AChE pre-mRNA splicing, mature mRNA stability and translation. Moreover, since the Hu/ELAV family of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) have emerged in recent years as ‘master’ post-transcriptional regulators, we discuss the possibility that predominantly neuronal ELAVs (nELAVs) play multiple roles in regulating splicing, stability, localization and translation of AChE mRNA.