AUF1/hnRNP D represses expression of VEGF in macrophages.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a regulator of vascularization in development and is a key growth factor in tissue repair. In disease, VEGF contributes to vascularization of solid tumors and arthritic joints. This study examines the role of the mRNA-binding protein AUF1/heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein D (AUF1) in VEGF gene expression.

Inhibition of arterial lesion progression in CD16-deficient mice: evidence for altered immunity and the role of IL-10.

Aims: Given the importance of IgG Fc receptors in immune regulation, we hypothesized that Fcg receptor type III (FcgRIII, CD16) plays an important role in atherogenesis. We therefore analysed the formation of arterial lesions in LDL receptor-deficient (LDLR(-/-)) and FcgRIII(-/-)xLDLR(-/-) double knockout mice at three different points up to 24 weeks of exposure to a high-fat diet.

Methods And Results: Analysis of Oil Red-O-stained sections revealed no difference in lesion formation between strains after 6 weeks of a high-fat diet, and a modest decrease after 14 weeks in double knockouts relative to LDLR(-/-) controls.

Post-transcriptional regulation of glucose transporter-1 by an AU-rich element in the 3'UTR and by hnRNP A2.

Glucose transporter-1 (GLUT1) mediates uptake of glucose and is up-regulated in some cancers. The amount of this membrane protein is regulated by a post-transcriptional mechanism in which mRNA binding proteins recognize cis-acting elements in the 3'-untranslated (3'UTR) of the mRNA. To identify cis elements in GLUT1 mRNA we introduced 3'UTR sequences into the 3'UTR of the luciferase gene in a reporter construct.