1442 Research Article A role for the ELAV RNA-binding proteins in neural stem cells: stabilization of Msi1 mRNA Antonia Ratti1,*, Claudia Fallini1, Lidia Cova1, Roberto Fantozzi1, Cinzia Calzarossa1, Eleonora Zennaro1, Alessia Pascale2, Alessandro Quattrone3 and Vincenzo Silani1 1Department of Neuroscience, ‘Dino Ferrari’ Centre, University of Milan–IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Via Zucchi 18, 20095 Cusano Milanino, Italy 2Department of Experimental and Applied Pharmacology, University of Pavia, Via Taramelli 14, 27100 Pavia, Italy 3Laboratory of Metabolomics and Systems Biology, Magnetic Resonance Center and FiorGen Foundation, University of Florence, Via Sacconi 6, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy *Author for correspondence (e-mail:
[email protected]) Accepted 21 December 2005 Journal of Cell Science 119, 1442-1452 Published by The Company of Biologists 2006 doi:10.1242/jcs.02852 Summary Post-transcriptional regulation exerted by neural-specific binding activity has functional effects, since the ELAV RNA-binding proteins plays a pivotal role in the protein family member HuD is able to stabilize the Msi1 development and maintenance of the nervous system. ARE-containing mRNA in a sequence-dependent way in a Neural ELAV proteins are key inducers of neuronal deadenylation/degradation assay. Furthermore activation differentiation through the stabilization and/or of the neural ELAV proteins by phorbol esters in human translational enhancement of target transcripts bearing the SH-SY5Y cells is associated with an increase of Musashi-1 AU-rich elements (AREs), whereas Musashi-1 maintains protein content in the cytoskeleton. We propose that ELAV the stem cell proliferation state by acting as a translational RNA-binding proteins exert an important post- repressor.